Colour Challenge, Wednesday - Yellow: Portulaca grandiflora - Sun Rose/Time flower

Do not be fooled by this beautiful dainty flower as it can handle heat, drought, and frost which makes this Sun Rose pretty tough. It is an annual low growing succulent, found in the tropics and warm temperate regions. This succulent is native to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. There are about 80 species and it is part of the Portulacaceae family.

The name “Time Flower” stems from the flower opening and closing at specific times of the day. It is an ideal ground-cover as it spreads fast and requires low maintenance. They do particularly well between rocks and paving, and when you mix the different varieties it will supply you with a carpet of brightly coloured, single or double rose-like flowers. They look just as beautiful in hanging baskets and trailing over pots.

The flowers come in bright colours of yellow, orange, white, deep pink, apricot and red. They bloom from late spring up until the first frost. Portulacas reach a height of 15-20cm and a width of 35-50cm. They thrive in sandy, well-drained soil and lots of sun, they need very little water because the foliage retains moisture and they have a shallow root zone.

A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love. - Max Muller