The MGS Forum
Plants for mediterranean gardens => Bulbs (including other geophytes with corms, tubers, rhizomes etc) => Topic started by: Daisy on October 13, 2013, 11:41:06 AM
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My daughter sent me a box of assorted bulbs a few weeks ago.
Amongst them, were what to me, looks like Oxalis tetraphylla Iron Cross.
It is already up and has started to flower.
I am very hesitant to plant any oxalis in the garden.
Are these likely to become a nuisance?
Daisy :)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/10242923314_85ecb20f5a_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/93752583@N02/10242923314/)
021 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/93752583@N02/10242923314/) by Daisyincrete (http://www.flickr.com/people/93752583@N02/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/10243007846_0bae4cf56e_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/93752583@N02/10243007846/)
023 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/93752583@N02/10243007846/) by Daisyincrete (http://www.flickr.com/people/93752583@N02/), on Flickr
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I grow it in my garden for several years now.
It does not spread and stays compact so you don't have to worry about planting it in the ground.
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Thanks Miriam. If I can find some space ::) ::) ::) I will fit them in somewhere.
Daisy :)
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I grow it too, but in a pot; not because I fear it getting away but because I fear losing it. It can be damaged by frost. In frost free places it goes dormant but comes back strongly with warm Spring days.
tn
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Three from South Africa and one from South America:
Oxalis flava (mauve form)
Oxalis polyphylla var heptaphylla x 3
Oxalis hirta (salmon form)
Oxalis lobata (syn O. perdicaria)
cheers
fermi
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Your salmon Oxalis hirta is terrific! :P
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Thanks, Alisdair,
I can take no credit for it - it came from a friend who was a great collector of bulbs and alpines and I especially treasure it as a memory of her.
This yellow Oxalis meisneri also came from her, but under the name O.kaajvoensis (perhaps it should have been Oxalis kaajagdensis?).
Oxalis palmifrons is usually grown for it's wonderful foliage but it does also flower for us before the leaves emerge,
cheers
fermi
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More blooms on the last few Oxalis
Oxalis palmifrons
Oxalis meisneri
Oxalis hirta "Salmon Form"
Oxalis polyphylla var heptaphylla
cheers
fermi
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Terrific collection you have, Fermi!
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In the first pic there is an Oxalis polyphylla v. heptaphylla between 2 pots of a hybrid found by Stephen Ryan and named 'Craig Lidgerwood' after his partner.
In the next pics are 2 seedlings of this hybrid which appeared in neighbouring pots! If they are significantly different I'll have to name them after their dogs ;D
cheers
fermi
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This yellow form of Oxalis flava came from a friend who runs a nursery called "Longinomus"; he liked it because the foliage emerges like a Lego palm-tree!
cheers
fermi
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This is the mauve/pink form of Oxalis flava which we've grown for many years,
cheers
fermi
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Oxalis massoniana can be quite compact when grown in full sun but gets lanky in the shade
cheers
fermi
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I love the colour.
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Just what i was going to say
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Hi Charithea and Hilary,
It is a very pretty colour and one I particularly like.
Another even softer orange shade is found in Oxalis ciliaris.
These 2 pics are from one of our club meetings and the potful of Oxalis ciliaris belongs to Debbie, another member - mine hasn't even flowered this year!
cheers
fermi
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Very beautiful Fermi. We have a field full of oxalis pes-Capra every spring. Their yellow colour is too sharp for me and It takes ages to remove them. The only consolation is that they are recyclable. I give them to a friend who has lots of chickens.
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I think we appreciate some colours more than others perhaps because they occur less frequently and come as a pleasant surprise. There are some lovely apricot shades of Achillea that I love and also Verbena both of which make lovely additions when planting terracotta pots as they pick up the colour of the pot at different heights. Stunning when mixed with blue flowering subjects such as Plumbago for example.
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Oxalis palmifrons has put on a great show this autumn.
Its main drawback is that it wants to take over the world! It "runs" and is spreading - this is one we should've kept in a pot!
cheers
fermi
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Quite beautiful though Fermi - the last photo really shows that😊
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and the leaves, look at the leaves
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I could become an Oxalis convert! The air is often blue as I see a new oxalis seedlings sprouting somewhere (usually about 20 times a day). You say "it wants to take over the world" Fermi. Is that by creeping or self seeding? Creeping I can cope with as most of my plants are in pots. Another self-seeding oxalis in the garden? Lovely as it is, I think I would have to be hard-hearted and say "no".
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I have just read that O palmifrons can be grown from a leaf. Oh dear :-(
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David,
I suspect it does seed but can't be sure that a stray plant on the other side of the path wasn't actually from a bulb scattered by the birds. I've potted up bits dug out without bulbs and they have grown and flourished!
and the leaves, look at the leaves
Hilary,
it's mostly grown for the foliage effect - a single rosette looks like a Trachycarpus palm in miniature.
Here's a clump of Oxalis meisneri which has burgeoned over the past few years - it has petered out in the bed with the Oxalis palmifrons - you can see the remnants in one of the pics above!
cheers
fermi
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Fermi, stop tempting me! I am always on the lookout for something which will cover the surface of large pots and grow around the base of things without suffocating them. This Oxalis might have fit the bill but it disappears in summer I read. Still tempted though. Hhmmm?
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David go for it. They are very pretty. We have 2 other types of oxalis which when in flower look lovely. On the other hand I HATE Oxalis pes -caprae. I have a photograph take this March of sacks and sacks of these pesky weeds and that was only a part of them as I recycle them by giving them to my gardening neighbour for her 'ecological' chickens. The chickens could not keep up with the supply. I have discovered my photo of the sacks of oxalis and posted it. You can only see part of the sacks as they others are hidden behind the re - growing yucca . A tractor and the community big track came and carried them to the recycling place. In return for this I will be working on village projects such as mosaics and replanting pots.
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Oxalis obtusa 'Peaches & Cream' - a new selection from Craig Gardiner who is a new seller of bulbs - mainly South African.
The second pic shows the usual form of Oxalis obtusa next to 'Peaches & Cream'
cheers
fermi
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Very different. I prefer 'Peaches and Cream'. However, the very word 'oxalis' brings me out in a cold sweat and panic attacks have also been known. You are a very courageous soul to dare to try them. Or perhaps you always have a flame-thrower to hand?
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Hi David,
I've made a couple of mistakes with planting out oxalis - a lot have a propensity for world domination! I now keep most of them in pots. These are both in pots, but the type species is actually a seedling which appeared in a pot near but not next to the parent plant!
I rate oxalis pes-caprae as still the worst of them but there are tender species from South America which are just about impossible to keep in our climate - they like places like Ireland and Scotland.
cheers
fermi