Pink Flowering False ‘Shamrocks’

Isn’t this a pretty flowering shamrock?

Okay, it’s not really a shamrock.  It does belong to a family of plants known as ‘false shamrocks’.

Since I can’t grow real shamrocks in my desert garden, I just like to pretend that my pink- flowering one is the real deal.

This plant that masquerades as a shamrock in my vegetable garden is actually Pink Wood Sorrel, (Oxalis crassipes ‘Rosea’).

I received this lovely plant from a fellow blogger, who gardens in Oregon.

I saw this beautiful flowering plant on one of her and she kindly sent me some a few years ago that she had divided from her plant.

Would this plant grow in my desert garden, I wondered?

Well, it not only grew…

It has thrived!

Hardy to zones 5 – 10, it flowers in spring and fall.  During the hot summer, it goes dormant but quickly grows back.

Because it has done so well, I have divided it and place it in other partly shady spots in my vegetable gardens.

I planted it in my vegetable garden where it would  do well in enriched soil and receive regular water.

I love the tiny flowers that close at night.

Unlike other species of Oxalis, Pink Wood Sorrel is not invasive.

Even when not in flower, I love how pretty this plant is.

I enjoy growing some plant species that might seem out of place in the desert climate.  You just have to adjust the growing conditions a bit.  A partly shady corner of the vegetable garden works just perfectly for my false ‘shamrock’.

Overwintered Pepper Plant

Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."