Moss Rose

I have a "problem" flower bed. 

It is a narrow strip between my garage and sidewalk

and it seems nothing lives there very long.

Once the site of my lavender hedge,

it now sits mostly barren save for three snapdragon plants.

So I've been thinking about filling it with some "tough guys"--

Indian Blanket Flower, coneflower, and maybe some moss roses.

I don't have a lot of time to tend to finicky, delicate annuals,

and these three or four may get along.

morguefile.com

Moss roses or portulaca take the heat well.

And dry conditions, too, although it looks like we are going to have another wet year,

judging from the torrents of rain falling here this morning.

This link: Gardenersnet, has some interesting information about moss roses,

which I did not know. For example, the moss rose

is also called purslane or sun plant or the  mysterious appellation "Eleven o'clocks"

--although I found another site that called them "Nine o'clocks" instead.

GardenersNet says the seeds of moss roses are edible.

http://earthscapesunlimitied.webs.com/flowersplants.htm

My husband's mom always had moss roses in her flower beds,

so he likes them a lot.

I love them when the flowers are open,

but moss roses routinely stay closed on cloudy days and at night.

Frankly, it grieves me to see them hide their magnificent colors.

On the other hand, I don't blame them for wanting to curl up and go to sleep 

when the sun doesn't shine.

If I plant them and they grow well without my assistance,

I guess I'll learn to love them for their foliage too.

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