Cupcake Upright Orange Zest Portulaca
Portulaca grandiflora 'Cupcake Upright Orange Zest'
Height: 9 inches
Spacing: 14 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Other Names: Moss Rose, Purslane
Group/Class: Cupcake Series
Brand: Dümmen Orange
Description:
Heat loving and drought tolerant, this series features uniform, compact upright plants with large, bright flowers over green succulent foliage; early flowering and well branched; ideal for hanging baskets, containers and landscape applications
Ornamental Features
Cupcake Upright Orange Zest Portulaca features showy orange cup-shaped flowers with gold eyes at the ends of the stems from late spring to early fall. Its small succulent oval leaves remain green in color throughout the season.
Landscape Attributes
Cupcake Upright Orange Zest Portulaca is an herbaceous annual with a ground-hugging habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Cupcake Upright Orange Zest Portulaca is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- Border Edging
- General Garden Use
- Groundcover
- Container Planting
- Hanging Baskets
Planting & Growing
Cupcake Upright Orange Zest Portulaca will grow to be about 9 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 26 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 14 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. This fast-growing annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.
This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Cupcake Upright Orange Zest Portulaca is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
