As a gardener if you’re actually looking
for a new type of spring flower to grow you consider planting the candy cane
oxalis plant. This flower is a sub-shrub and growing it is an option for adding
something new and different in the early spring garden, they can also be grown in
containers. The botanical name of Candy cane oxalis plant is Oxalis versicolor.
The Candy cane oxalis flowers are actually red and white, hence the name. In
early spring, trumpet shaped blooms appear, even on the young plants. Most gardeners
in some areas may find blooms on the plant in late winter. The flowers of the
candy cane oxalis plant appear white once the trumpets have opened, as the red
stripe is on the bottom of the petal. Buds of the candy cane oxalis plant often
close at night and in cool weather to again reveal the candy cane stripes. The
attractive, clover-like foliage persists even when the small shrub is not actually
in bloom.
Growing Candy Cane Oxalis Flowers
Growing candy cane oxalis plants is very
simple. The Candy cane oxalis flowers are actually native to capes of South
Africa. This attractive member of the Oxalis family is sometimes forced in
greenhouses for ornamental, holiday blooms. If you are growing candy cane
sorrel outside in the garden, the plant will exhibit blooms through most of the
spring and sometimes into summer, depending on the location where it grows. As
with most members of the ornamental Oxalis family, the candy cane oxalis plant
goes dormant in summer and then begins a period of re-growth in fall. The Candy
cane oxalis plant is hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones seven through nine, although
it can grow as an annual in lower zones. The Candy cane sorrel bulbs (rhizomes)
can actually be planted at any time the ground is not frozen.
How to Care for Candy Cane Oxalis
Actually, growing candy cane sorrel
is a simple process. Once the plants are established, occasional watering and
fertilization is all that is required when caring for the plants. You can
easily remove dying foliage when the plant dies back for the sake of appearance,
but it will wither on its own. Don’t actually despair that the candy cane
oxalis plant is dying; the plant is just regenerating and will once again
reappear in the garden.
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