Blooming now - intentionally late

Mary Sue Ittner msittner@mcn.org
Mon, 17 Dec 2012 21:05:10 PST
We've been having lots of rain and cool temperatures in Northern 
California and most days the Oxalis flowers do not open. Even though 
we sometimes have warmer days in September and October than in the 
summer, the Oxalis display is wonderful here that time of the year. 
And it is a time of year when a lot of other things aren't blooming 
after the long summer drought. There are still a number of species 
that would bloom if it were warmer (the forms of Oxalis purpurea, O. 
versicolor, and O. namaquana). Sometimes I have O. obtusa in bloom 
now, but something ate a lot of the leaves and they are just now 
growing new ones.

After trying it several ways, I'm convinced that starting watering in 
August works the best for me. This list has taught me over the years 
that there is not a "right" way to grow bulbs. A lot of different 
methods can work. It's nice Andrew that you have so many in bloom. I 
suspect that Oxalis do much better in southern California than they 
do for me, but I'm still grateful that Diana Chapman's description of 
the dazzling flowers and Mike Mace's early sharing of excess bulbs 
introduced me to this genus.

Mary Sue

Mary Sue Ittner
California's North Coast
Wet mild winters with occasional frost
Dry mild summers 




More information about the pbs mailing list