It's my first year growing Iron Cross oxalis deppei. I'm just southeast of Chicago, about a mile or so from Lake Michigan.
My oxalis are still blooming, although the morning glories got killed off by last weekend's cold weather. Will they survive in the ground or should I dig them up? And if so, how should they be stored?
I think we're up to zone 6 now, 5 if the winter is cold.
Janine
I have 2 Oxalis plants, one with white flowers and light green leaves and one with pink flowers and reddish green leaves. I put them out in the summer and bring them back in the house in the fall. I put them in the basement with low light and let them rest over the winter. I only water them 3-4 times all winter. Morning Glories are annuals so I've never dug them up to bring in. I replant them every year. Sue in Mi. (zone 5)
O. deppei is from a warmer climate & is a full-sun oxalis. In my zone (8) it blooms continuously summer & autumn, dies to the ground in winter, returns rather late in spring. I haven't gardened in such a chilly zone as
5/6 but I would expect it would be at considerable risk in zone 5. It is generally recommended only for zones 7-10. It might survive colder if planted close to a house & its spot heavily mulched for winter protection, but I wouldn' count on it doing well. There are many wood sorrels that are extremely winter-hardy but this isn't one of them.-paghat the ratgirl
Relatively few oxalis species are invasive. Those which are invasive are very much so, & it causes the perfectly well-behaved majority to be slandered by the ill-deeds of the few. In the specific case of O. deppei it is never invasive & would prefer the warm weather of the southwest, though it can adapt to moderate temperate zones.
That sounds like the invasive purple wood sorrel that grows everywhere. You can't "keep an eye on it" to keep it from spreading because it has extremely fine seeds that will end up anywhere they want to be.
-paghat the ratgirl
Winter rest in a cool, low-light situation should be fine, but I overwinter mine differently. I dig my O. deppei and pot them up to grow in a cool bright window over the winter. The foliage dies down for a month or so (which seems to be all the dormancy it needs), gradually comes back and the plants start blooming again.....and increasing. In the spring I've got lots more to plant out in the ground and containers for garden use.
I've never tried letting them go fully dormant (and I've never seen any I've left in the ground come back in Zone 6b/7). If you have room to keep them going indoors, try it. They make gorgeous houseplants. (You really could make do with overwintering only a small pot of them, as they increase so reliably.)
Best, Tyra nNJ usa z7
Oxalis deppei will not survive northern winters. I raised them outside in zone 3, northern MN and found they die when left in the ground. When the foliage froze in the fall, I dug up the root, which resembled a white radish. I collected these roots, put them in an open cardboard box, and stored them in a cool, dry place until the following spring. The white radish-like root dried up, but a quantity of small bulbs surrounding the crown were available for next year's planting. This oxalis makes a wonderful border plant.
John
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