Origin
South America
Light
Full sun
Watering
Weekly
Care
Easy
Flowering
Flowering
Outdoor
portulaca grandiflora
Purple shamrocks that fold each evening like settled butterflies, and reopen in the morning.
From10 DT
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Care Profile
A guide to ensuring your botanical companion thrives.
Origin
South America
Light
Full sun
Watering
Rarely
Maintenance
Easy
Foliage that keeps time
Native to Brazil, it grows from small scaly rhizomes and forms an airy clump of dark violet triangular leaves.
Its leaflets close at dusk and open again with the light: a slow movement driven by water pressure in the cells, visible to the naked eye over a few minutes.
"At night it folds its wings."
01
Styling Tip 01
Dormancy, not death
If the whole plant dries off at once, throw nothing away: cut it back, keep the pot dry for a month, then resume watering.
02
Styling Tip 02
Light for colour
The purple fades in shade: give bright light, with a little gentle morning sun if possible.
03
Styling Tip 03
Divide the rhizomes
When repotting, separate the small rhizomes and replant them three centimetres deep: each will make a clump.
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Origin
South Africa
Light
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Watering
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Care
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Flowering
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