Category Archives: Lifestyle

Showing some of life in southern California.

The Portulaca Rio Grande Magenta

Posted on by
Reply


I brought my Portulaca, also known as the Moss Ross Flower, into the house this afternoon, for a grooming and shower. The portulaca blooms in summer and early fall, preferring light watering and a sunny exposure. It’s also drought tolerant, a real plus in southern California. Mine grows  in a plant pot, and is easy to move to a sunny location in the winter as the sun shifts its position. Portulaca is know as a hardy annual, but in most of California it grows like a perennial, lasting more than one season.


Sometimes I bring smaller plants inside as I did this morning. The only problem is that I sometimes bring in a hitchhiker like the little spider in the above photo. I hope you can see him in the middle of the picture. Don’t worry, I took him back outside when I returned the plant to its usual spot in the garden. Portulaca comes in a variety of colors and is a cheery addition to any garden.

The Aeonium is a Beautiful Succulent That is Easy to Grow

Posted on by
2

Aeonium arboreum is native to the Canary Islands, although the one above is growing in my front garden. My plant came from friends who no longer had room in their garden. It does quite well, most of the year, but tends to struggle in very hot weather. After doing a little reading on the habits of the aeronium, I learned that they like to be in a light place, but do not do well in full sun. Sadly I’d placed mine in full sun. Tomorrow I’ll give it a slightly shadier position in the garden. Fortunately, it’s growing in a pot, so can be moved easily. I also learned they can’t survive temperatures below 50 degrees and prefer a sandy porous soil. I like to make my own soil mixtures, and below is the recipe I use for succulents and cacti.

Cacti and Succulent Potting Mix Recipe

Two Parts Potting Soil

One Part Perlite

One Part Pumice

Place the above ingredients in a large dry container and mix well

These three ingredients are found easily in garden departments, or nurseries. It’s much less expensive to make your own mix, and all types of succulents and cacti do well with this mixture.