An easy-to-grow flower, often planted in childhood, blooms all summer long with just a little water.

Sunflower (Portulaca grandiflora, moss rose), as the name suggests, is a flower that opens toward the places where sunlight shines. Seeing a moss rose is like seeing sunshine, like seeing hope, so the flower language of the moss rose generally carries fairly positive meanings. The flowering period is generally very long, from May to November, and in some areas of the south it can bloom all year round. That is also why it is one of the favorites of many flower-growing enthusiasts.

The moss rose's characteristic of loving light makes it very necessary to understand this trait before planting; if it is planted in a dark, damp place, it will grow poorly. Planting moss roses involves several steps.

Prepare the pot and soil. Although the moss rose is easy to grow, anyone who grows flowers wants the plants to have strong roots, abundant leaves and brilliant blooms, so you can use an ordinary flower pot, fill it with garden soil, and add some coal cinders, fermented chicken and duck manure, etc. That makes a loose, breathable, fertile soil suitable for the moss rose to grow in.

Sowing: once you have the soil, in southern regions you can generally sow in March or April. In the north it may be May. When sowing, cover with a thin layer of fine-grained soil 3mm thick, then water thoroughly and keep the soil moist. Generally, the seeds crack open and sprout in three or four days. In colder places, seedlings may only emerge in about 10 days.

Raising seedlings and transplanting: the seedlings are very delicate, so we must take care with them. Put them in the sun as much as possible and water morning and evening. When the seedlings grow a few millimeters tall and are crowded together, we have to transplant them. You can use pointed tweezers to pull out the weak seedlings, keep the sturdy ones, and then move the seedlings until there is a gap of three or four centimeters between them.

Watering and pinching: in the early stage, the moss rose needs the soil to stay moist; for the needs of later growth, it should be watered abundantly, because the flowers grow in the sun and water evaporates quickly, so water thoroughly morning and evening. When the main branch has grown fairly long, about six or seven centimeters, we can pinch off the tip of the main branch to make the flowers look better. Soon a cluster of new shoots grows from the cut. Handled this way, with more branches, the plant will later bloom in dense clusters and look very beautiful.