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If you want to try growing something a little different, candy flowers are delicious, nutritious, and beautiful. They are easy to grow and fill in partially shaded areas. More people should grow candy flowers!
Also known as Siberian spring beauty, rose purslane, miner’s lettuce, and anipaswa’Kul (Cowlitz), this is a fascinating flowering plant with an interesting history.
The lifespan of this plant is short but beautiful as it forms small, brightly colored rosette leaves. They are edible, medicinal and decorative, adding color to your garden.
Contents
What is Candy Flower?
Claytonie sibirica is native to the commanding islands of Siberia, as well as western North America, particularly the Pacific Northwest.
When you search for candy flower information, you will likely come across several articles on winter purslane, as they are both grown under similar conditions. These short-lived perennials grow up to a foot tall and form pretty, albeit tiny, flowers throughout spring and summer.
C. sibirica belongs to the same family as C. perfoliata (winter purslane), both of the Monitaceae family.
When you first encounter the name, you might assume that the petals taste like candy. Although that would be incredible, it is not. The striped flower petals are extremely sweet, but I wouldn’t call them candy.
The leaves, however, taste like spring. They have a lettuce-cucumber flavor with a juicy, meaty texture.
The petals usually bloom in white to pink tones. In nature, candy flowers grow along the banks of rivers, forests and meadows.
In the 1850s, winter purslane was said to be used to treat cases of scurvy during the California Gold Rush, hence the name miner’s lettuce. Nowadays, the plant can be eaten raw or cooked in a salad like any other form of lettuce in your garden.
Purslane vs Common Purslane
Because of its name, rose purslane is often confused with common purslane (Portulaca oleracea). However, you can quickly tell the two plants apart by their appearance. For example, common purslane does not form the same rosette flowers and leaves.
Winter purslane has disc-shaped leaves compared to rosy purslane and common purslane, so you won’t have trouble telling the difference.
You can eat all purslane plants fresh or raw in salads. For this article, we will focus on the growing need for candy flowers.
Better growing conditions
This plant needs a partially shaded location or dappled sun. You can grow candy-flowering plants as perennials in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 10 and as annuals elsewhere.
This plant has a shallow root system and can grow in pots or directly in the ground. Before planting, you need to make sure you have the right type of soil.
In its natural environment, pink purslane appreciates soils that are not very salty and rich in nutrients. Therefore, you should use loose, humus-rich, well-drained soil. The soil should also be slightly acidic, with a pH of 5.5 to 7.0.
Amend your soil carefully if you don’t have ideal conditions. Add plenty of compost or well-rotted manure to your soil to loosen it up and add nutrients.
Sowing Candy Flower Seeds
Candy flower seeds need cold weather to germinate, so you can sow them in the garden after October or place the seeds in moist sand in the refrigerator for a few months.
Once daytime outdoor temperatures are above 65°F, place the seeds in the ground. You can also start them indoors in pots and move them outside once the temperatures are warm enough.
Space the seeds 2 to 4 inches apart in the ground, or one seed per 3 inch pot. The seeds should be about a third of an inch deep. Alternatively, you can sprinkle the seeds on the ground to harvest them as microgreens.
Water every morning for the first few weeks until the seeds germinate. The soil must remain moist for germination.
You will know the plants are ready to transplant into the ground when they have 3-5 leaves.
Remember to harden off plants started indoors and monitor new transplants to make sure they get enough water.
Caring for Candy Flowering Plants
Candy flower needs constantly moist soil. It should not be allowed to dry out at any time. Although it can tolerate a brief dry spell, it will wilt and take a while to recover.
Keep an eye on soil moisture. It should still look like a well wrung out sponge. If it starts to get drier, add water. Reduce water in winter.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer isn’t necessary, but if you’ve depleted the soil, you can use a slow-release product on your candy flower crop if you think it needs some extra support. Apply once in spring.
Cut
Throughout the growing phase and flowering season, you need to actively prune the leaves if you want them to look neat.
You can simply cut off the dead leaves with garden scissors and consider repotting the whole plant if necessary if the soil is rotten, weak or has overgrown roots.
Plants self-seed, so you’ll need to pull volunteers if you want to contain its spread.
Common Pests and Diseases for Candy Flower
As long as you provide the right conditions, candy flowers are pretty darn tough. Most problems are related to under or over watering or too much shade.
Anthracnose
Candy Flower crops can be affected by anthracnose, a fungal disease. You can instantly notice this disease when the leaves turn brown or gray spots start to appear on the stem.
If this infection spreads, it can drop all the leaves and destroy your entire plant. If you catch this fungal disease quickly, cut off the infected leaves. When the infection is more advanced, you will need to apply a copper fungicide to your plants.
To avoid developing this disease, keep the area well ventilated and water thoroughly. You should give your plant 6-8 hours of sunlight per day.
aphids
aphids can cause problems on your candy flowering plants. In the spring, these little insects have fun gnawing the leaves of this plant and sucking the sap from the inside.
You could have a case of aphids if you see distorted leaves, a short bloom time, or wilting. Head over to our guide to find out how to identify and control aphids.
Harvest your candy flower plant
After just eight weeks, the plant will be ready for harvest if the climate and growing conditions are perfect. When the leaves are fully ripe, you can cut them off with a knife or scissors, but leave at least two-thirds of the plant if you want future harvests.
Eat them quickly, because the leaves do not keep very long.
Once you collect the leaves, place them in a bowl or other container and cover them with a damp cloth. Store them in the fridge for about 6-8 days.
Microgreens are ready to harvest after just a few weeks.
You can cook and eat the whole plant, which is great for vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and iron. It’s a fantastic choice for healthy salads and cooking. In ancient times, the plant was also used for medicinal purposes such as eye pain.
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