This grows a weed in my garden. Is it native or alien? Can it be used as a groundcover? in a perennial bed? Thank you for your help, Michael
Looks to me like plain old portulaca, Portulaca oleracea - generally considered a weed (though edible, apparently), and introduced, I believe. There are many other much showier choices for groundcovers in perennial beds...
Nice work. Thank-you both. It's an annual so it wouldn't make a good groundcover anyhow. I do like the plant, I have a fondness for the garden centre portulaca as well. I wonder what it tastes like.
Often called "purslane" there are some selected forms sold as salad greens. We do munch on this from our veggie garden (weed form) and unlike most "weeds" that are supposed to be good for you, this actually tastes nice! (not bitter and off-putting like most of these "healthy" greens). Anti-oxidants galore. It does make a ground cover like it or not...but I wouldn't bring it in on purpose. Pretty well impossible to eradicate (will survive hoe-ing in all but the most cruel hot spells).
Iin this region many plants appearing in disturbed sites in and near towns and cities are of foreign origin.
