California Dreamin'

There are a few plants that we can buy here in the Pacific NW that takes me back to the years I lived in California from about ages 8 to 15. They are this flower, Portulaca or Moss Rose, lantana and carnations. I never plant carnations here, but we had them in our little back yard in the apartment in Ventura, California. Bill did bring home a hanging basket of carnations, some sort of experimental thing that really didn't work out well and they said he could have it and take it home. Carnations are not suited to droop in a basket. However the sight and smell of them takes me back. I try to remember to get some Portulaca, also known as Moss Rose as my mom had that in the front area by our place. I love the bright colors of this plant. And lantana grew big and tall and were kept as hedges down in Southern California, and I walked past them on the way to school.

I have so many memories of that time period. We were in Santa Paula for 3 years and then moved to Ventura. Santa Paula was hot, hot, hot, being inland by 10 miles or so from Ventura. My friends and I would roam all over that small town and into the hills behind our place, where I usually ended up touching poison oak which was all over the place. In Ventura I was in my early teens and there was more socializing, dancing, making sure we got home to watch Spin and Marty on TV, gabbing on the phone, watching those big shot teenagers in Philly dance the latest dances on American Bandstand. Thousands of memories in that time period and they come rushing back, front and center, with the sight of this little blossom. Weird, huh?

See ya later.

Portulaca grandiflora (Moss-rose Purslane or Moss-rose), is a flowering plant in the family Portulacaceae, native to Argentina, southern Brazil, and Uruguay.[1][2]
It is also seen in South Asia and widely spread in most of the cities with old 18th-19th century architecture in the Balkans. In Bangladesh, it is called "Time Fuul", meaning "Time Flower", because the flower has a specific time to bloom. In Vietnam, it is called "Hoa mười giờ" meaning "Ten o'clock flower", because the flower is usually in full bloom at 10 o'clock in the morning.

It is a small, but fast-growing annual plant growing to 30 cm tall, though usually less. However if it is cultivated properly it can easily reach this height. The leaves are thick and fleshy, up to 2.5 cm long, arranged alternately or in small clusters. The flowers are 2.5–3 cm diameter with five petals, variably red, orange, pink, white, and yellow