My hardy Portulaca

I still remember the first time I got my Portulaca. I said I have high hopes for it. I have grown this plant before and it's really easy to grow and have really beautiful flowers. However I have never grown them in a four season country so I was very very relieved to see it sprouting out again during Spring. 

In retrospect I should have boosted it a bit with fertilizer but hey, I am still a noob gardener so I thought it should be able to grow just fine. There are little buds everywhere! I was so happy! I even have hopes of cutting some out for Nite.

I spotted the first bloom in early December. Over the moon. It's a testament of my gardening skills! I took so many photos of the buds and look forward to the day it flowered.

Then tradegy struck in the quadruples. This is the aftermath after the catterpillar attack. All the buds eaten and notice the white spots on its trunk? Leaves bitten off by the goddam buggers. The young shoots - all gone. GONE! All that is left is this patch and I suspect if I had OT and came home late, I might just lost the whole crop. Do you know I found those catterpilars patrolling the perimeter of the pot mowing all the baby shoots?Lucky I intervened in time but I have never seen my Portulaca so pathetic. It looked like it was crying.

As I said, after that I bought some pesticide and spray it all over this plant to protect it. At the same time I fertilized it with some blood and bone fertilizer. No did not kill a hamster and buried it there. It's just a type of fertilizer.

After weeks of TLC and careful nurturing, it came back full force and alive. Phew~ saved.

Just hope no more dramas for my babies.