It’s not like I go looking for new flowers all the time, but when I do see one that catches my eye, more often than not, it seems to find its way into my shopping cart. That’s how this pretty succulent called purslane came to be mine.

Well, that’s not totally true, I suppose, because I do make it a habit to check out the garden center pretty much every time I go shopping. But it’s not like I buy something every time. Lately though, there have been plenty of sales, making it easier to rationalize forking over a few bucks for them.

The purslane caught my eye first because of its colorful yellow, pink and orange flowers, second because of its “beat the heat” tag. Of course it makes sense that a succulent would be a good plant to have in the hot, Texas summers. But it’s taken awhile for me to realize that. Succulents weren’t an outdoor flower of choice when I lived in Wisconsin, mainly because the time they could spend outdoors was much more limited than here in Texas.  

But about a month ago I bought two elephant bush plants (another succulent) for my front porch, and they’ve been doing well. So, I figured the purslane might be a good bet for the back patio. I’ve also read that purslane is edible, although I haven’t decided whether to go that route. I’d be interested to hear from anyone who does use purslane in their cooking endeavors. For now though, I’ll just enjoy its beauty.