Shamrock, The Wood Sorrel Flower
Posted: Tuesday, August 26, 2008
by Kathy Case
Case Exchange Co., Inc.
The wood sorrel is in the genus Oxalis. There is about 850 species in this group. The roots can be in the form of bulbs, rhizomes, or tubers. Shamrocks and wood sorrels are both in this group. True shamrocks include white clover, red clover, and black medic. With that said, one type of wood sorrel is often sold under the name "Shamrock" and is not considered a shamrock or clover.
The wood sorrel, shamrock, has pink flowers. Each flower has five petals and ten stamens. When it is ready to reproduce, the seeds are tossed away from the mother plant. At night both the flower blooms and leaves close. There are three leaves per stem that look clover like. They have a sour taste because they contain oxalic acid. The acid sap that the wood sorrel produces protects the plant from slugs. Moles also leave the shamrock alone. The root of this wood sorrel is a rhizome.
Shamrocks make wonderful border flowers. The leaves create a soft rounded mound and the small pink flowers hover over the foliage in abundance. The shamrock blooms from spring through fall. They are about eight to ten inches tall, and will grow in full sun or partial shade. These carefree flowers look especially nice along walkways, driveways, next to buildings, or the outer edge of flowerbeds.
Shamrocks make wonderful border flowers. The leaves create a soft rounded mound and the small pink flowers hover over the foliage in abundance. The shamrock blooms from spring through fall. They are about eight to ten inches tall, and will grow in full sun or partial shade. These carefree flowers look especially nice along walkways, driveways, next to buildings, or the outer edge of flowerbeds.
This Article has been viewed 1,974 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (10 total)hi kathy,thank you for introducing me to this plant, or flower. i am bookmarking this sight for spring:) it sounds really nice, and i have several spots i could use them. thanks for sharing and i hope you continue to write,best regards,sue thomHi Susan,I appreciate your comment and it was my pleasure to share.Sincerely,Kathy
You really seem to know your flowers. Very interesting article and helpful to someone that wants a flower to use in landscaping that will repel slugs.Hi Davin,Thank you for leaving your comment. I'm pleased that you found my article interesting.Always,Kathy
Dear Kathy! Very Good information. I felt as if you're describing the beautiful things that are created by our God. You should have put a picture of the flower. Anyway God Bless you...Thank you CandlesYour comment is very kind.Kathy
How does it do in high humid and moist climates like Florida?Hi Robert,They will grow in zones 8-11, so they should do fine in Florida.Kathy
Wonderfully well-written article,Kathy. The flower sounds very pretty and I may be able to use it in some of the new gardens I plan for next spring.Thanks for sharing.SandraSandra,Thank you for your comment, and your welcome. I think you will like them if you decide to plant some. Sorry it took this long to get back to you, I try to check these daily.Kathy
Hi Kathy, thank you for sharing your expertise. I have no green thumb, in fact I have no thumb. If it were possible, I would kill plastic plants.Keep sharing. I know this info will be very helpful to all those amazing gardeners out there. God Bless you and your family, TeresaHello Teresa,I appreciate your comment. I'm sure that you can grow naturalizing flowers if you were to give them a try. The only requirements is to put them in the ground, and see that they get some water every now and then. I feature several on my website "naturalizing flowers" page if your interested.God Bless you,Kathy
Thanks for the great information. Have them growing wild in yard, but never thought to use them as borders. Don't know if they would survive New England winter, but next spring will plant some.Hi Michele,It is published that they grow in zones 8 thru 11. However, I live on the border of zones 6 and 7. They do great without winterizing them here. Since they grow wild in your yard, you should be able to just transplant them where you want them and not worry about the winter. I also have other plants that will grow here and the zones published for them are for a much hotter climate. Thanks for writting.Always,Kathy
As a gardener I enjoyed reading about shamrocks.Thank you Arlene,Kathy
what climate does it survive inHi James,These flowers should grow in zones 4 - 11.Kathy
Thank you so much! When I was young, my family lived in Texas, and my father had these in our yard as a garden border. I have looked for them for many years, and never knew what they were called! Now that he has passed away, I would love to have some of them in my garden, as a way of remembering him. Thanks again so much for the information!!Hi Crystal,It's nice to know that simple articles like this can bring back wonderful memories of our loved ones. Thank you for leaving your comment. It was just what I needed to give me a little lift.Best Wishes,Kathy
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.