This past Saturday was St. Patrick\u2019s Day.\u00a0 Did you get a \u201cshamrock\u201d as a gift?\u00a0 I already have a couple.\u00a0 They\u2019re easy and fun to grow.<\/p>\n
To get the best out of yours, while it\u2019s blooming, keep it in bright light\u2014several hours of direct morning sun or afternoon sun (before 11 a.m. or after 2 p.m.) is best.\u00a0 Water when the soil is dry to the touch on top.\u00a0 Feed with any good houseplant food (African violet fertilizer works well).<\/p>\n
Because they grow from bulbs, a few months after they finish blooming, Oxalis (the botanical name) sometimes begin to look \u201ctired\u201d\u2014usually towards the end of summer. What this means is they are ready to go into dormancy.\u00a0 At this point, withhold water and allow the plant to die back naturally.\u00a0 Once it has, store the tubers in the pot somewhere dark and dry (a closet) for about six weeks.<\/p>\n
After its dormancy, bring the pot back out into a bright window and begin watering.\u00a0 Once fresh new little leaves appear, begin feeding as usual.<\/p>\n
Besides the common Oxalis Regnelli (green leaves and white flowers) that you commonly find sold as \u201cShamrock\u201d there are other varieties of oxalis you can find.\u00a0 Right now, in our bulb section, we have the bulbs for Oxalis Triangularis or Purple Shamrock.\u00a0 It has pretty purple foliage topped with pale lavender-pink flowers.\u00a0 It is winter-hardy here and can be planted outside.<\/p>\n
We also have the bulbs for Oxalis Deppei or Iron-Cross Shamrock.\u00a0 It has leaves with a burgundy blotch in the center, topped with rosy pink flowers.\u00a0 It is another winter-hardy variety.\u00a0 Both of these should be planted in at least a half-day of sun and well-draining soil.<\/p>\n
Whichever variety you try, these are all pretty and rewarding plants and we\u2019re pretty lucky they\u2019re so easy to grow.
\nThere is an old Irish blessing that says:<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a dear little plant that grows in our Isle,
\n\u2018Twas Saint Patrick himself, sure, that set it;
\nAnd the sun of his labor with pleasure did smile,
\nAnd with dew from his eye often wet it.
\nIt grows through the bog, through the brake, through the mireland
\nAnd they call it the dear little Shamrock of Ireland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"