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’.
