AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED 



plenty of sunshine, and a summer drought, how- 

 ever prolonged, never affects the brightness of its 

 foliage nor the brilliancy of its bloom. The seed 

 may be sown in either spring or fall, but I never 

 had Portulaca in perfection until I let it alone 

 and permitted it to seed itself Since then I 

 have always planted the seed in the fall, with re- 

 sults uniformly satisfactory. It is easily trans- 

 planted, and may be reproduced from cuttings 

 which quickly take root. It seems to me that 

 Portulaca is not at its best when planted alone. 

 I had a bed of Sweet Alyssum and Portulaca 

 growing together that delighted me every time I 

 looked at it. At a distance one saw only the 

 massed white of the Alyssum, but closer by one 

 could peer into the bank of snow, and discern the 

 brilliant colors of the Portulaca beneath. This 

 makes a good combination, as both plants seed 

 themselves. I have it also growing on a sunny 

 bank amidst the Aquilegas. As the Columbines 

 begin to lose their bloom, the Portulaca blos- 

 soms out and keeps the bank brilliant for the 

 rest of the season. It is a great labor-saver, too, 

 for once Portulaca establishes itself on a spot, 

 few of our ordinary weeds have any chance in 

 competition with it for space. In buying the 



236 



