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Last Updated: Nov 14, 2008 - 12:49:26 PM |
For the love and labor put in the garden, the gardener, every once in a while, is rewarded in unusual ways – not necessarily dramatic or significant, but something to be thankful for. One such recent reward I feel no guilt bragging about is the performance of a small shamrock plant I got on impulse from a supermarket around St. Patrick’s Day, mainly because the white flowers reminded me of those of a jasmine plant, a plant I can never have enough of.
Whereas no match to a jasmine in terms of fragrance, the shamrock plant was a pleasure to have as the dainty flowers, along with the interesting foliage, brightened up our kitchen table during the remainder of the cold season. But once the plant began to peter out, perhaps due to the limited space in the container, I planted it outdoors underneath a shrub, despite my first instinct of tossing it away, more or less as a routine task and without the least bit of any expectation.
Much to my delight and surprise, the pint-sized plant not only settled down quickly in the cozy nook, but revived as soon as the weather warmed up, putting forth tiny flower buds, all with practically no care except occasional watering and a small dose of fertilizer to get it established. Evidently the location, which has a fair amount of vegetation growing within, and the shade provided by the adjacent shrub proved to be agreeable, because the plant has grown considerably and blooming on and off ever since.
As this is the first time I have ever acquired a green shamrock oxalis and no ‘info-tag’ has come with it, I am unsure of its cold-hardiness; but the carefree growth and flowering habit has impressed me enough to plant again next spring if this one succumbs to the cold. An intriguing feature of the shamrock oxalis worth mentioning is the manner in which the leaves close at night; in fact the first time I noticed the leaves, actually made of three inversely heart-shaped leaflets, close, my first reaction was that the end had arrived, until the rhythmic day and night pattern became obvious.
Incidentally, the ornamental shamrocks belong to the same plant family, Oxalidaceae, of which the wood sorrel, a pesky lawn weed is a member too; quite an interesting contradiction it is!
Gita’s Tip of the Month: While the deciduous trees and shrubs are showing their autumn colors, buying one for the beauty of fall foliage is easier, since the true colors can be clearly seen.
gitaagrawal@juno.com
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