Try Portulaca if you need a plant that flowers where it's hot and dry. Portulaca, sometimes called moss rose, is a popular drought-tolerant annual that loves those hot, dry days of summer. These plants are low-growing spreaders with thick succulent leaves and vibrant, cup-shaped flowers. Flowers come in a wide range of jewel-tone colors, including neon pink, red, orange, and yellow.
They adapt to average garden conditions and really do not need a lot of care. Just give them full sun and well-drained soil. You can even plant them in poor, sandy, soil. Water after planting and watch them grow. They'll grow 4 to 8 inches high and spread 6 to 18 inches. You don't even have to deadhead. If plants get scraggly, you can cut them back. Don't fertilize too much; it will encourage plants to produce thick foliage but fewer flowers.
How to use them:
Because they thrive in dry conditions, they're a good choice for strawberry jars.
Great planted in crevices of rock walls or on the edges of gravel paths.
Notoriously good container plants that do not languish if you forget to water them one day.
Plant them in a rock garden for season-long color.
Plant masses in flowerbeds for dramatic impact.
Reserve your problem areas for Portulaca as they make a great groundcover for hot, sunny areas.
