Today is St. Patrick’s Day! Did you get a shamrock as a gift or treat yourself to one? Here are five interesting facts about them:
- The average of finding a four-leafed clover is about one in 10,000!
- A Japanese farmer, Shigio Obara, bred a clover with 56 leaves. “I never dreamed of seeing this many leaves on a clover,” he said.
- In the early part of the 18th century, when Ireland wanted independence from Great Britain, British authorities banned people from wearing the color green or wearing shamrocks as a symbol of their Irish heritage.
- In Ireland, brides and grooms often include shamrocks in their bouquets and boutonnieres.
- The word shamrock comes from the Irish word seamroc, which means little clover.
Shamrock Care
Here’s how to take care of your shamrock:
- Oxalis grow from corms, similar to bulbs. Like most bulb-like structures, they prefer to dry out partly between waterings. Allow the soil to dry out at least one-third of the way between waterings.
- Oxalis like bright but indirect light—no direct sun between 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., as it might burn the foliage.
- When actively growing, feed with food, especially for blooming plants.
- Because corms, like bulbs, go dormant, within a few weeks after spring blooms, the flowers fade, and the leaves droop. This means they are ready for a summer rest. I let mine go dry and cut the foliage off. I put the pot in a dark corner (even a closet would work) and water very sparingly. Never feed during their summer rest. After summer, I move them back to bright, indirect light and begin feeding. I stop feeding them in December and January because the days are short, the sun is weak, and they are not actively growing. In February, start feeding them again and move them to brighter light.
One Caveat
Some hardy varieties of oxalis will tolerate our winters but do not assume that the ones you bought in full bloom are those varieties. Look for those varieties in bulb departments or bulb catalogs.