The Last (Moss) Rose of Summer

Moss Rose, or Portulaca, is one of my favorite garden plants. It grows from really tiny seeds. I like to start the seeds in a container, then transplant the seedlings to where I want them. My experience has been that the seeds tend to wash away if simply planted in the garden.

The low-growing flowers come in a wide range of colors and really light up a border. I have been collecting the seeds for next year, each small capsule yielding dozens of seeds. The plants are fading now as summer wanes.

Last year's hard frost, also known as the "killing frost," came in late October, so there are still many days of bloom left for some tender annuals. Click here for garden writer Valerie Sudol's column on last year's first frost.

--Bernice Paglia