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

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)

Will they survive in the ground or
should I dig them up? And if so, how should they be stored?

Oxalis, like crime, never sleeps. I suspect it would survive in the antarctic,
along with cockroach eggs. Not grow, mind you, but bide its time until the ice
melted then take over the world (to be shared with the roaches.)

Actually now that I've encouraged some burgundy-leaved oxalis to grow where it
can be admired but not ravage the garden, I like it. I just keep an eye on it.





BRBR

zemedelec

In article ,
(SAS567) wrote:


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

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

In article ,
pamfree (Zemedelec) wrote:

Will they survive in the ground or
should I dig them up? And if so, how should they be stored?

Oxalis, like crime, never sleeps. I suspect it would survive in the
antarctic,
along with cockroach eggs. Not grow, mind you, but bide its time until
the ice
melted then take over the world (to be shared with the roaches.)

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.

Actually now that I've encouraged some burgundy-leaved oxalis to grow where it
can be admired but not ravage the garden, I like it. I just keep an eye
on it.

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

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

From: jrstark
Date: Wed, Nov 12, 2003 8:59 PM
Message-id: nABsb.136517$9E1.684798@attbi_s52

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


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

"Zemedelec" wrote in message
...
Will they survive in the ground or
should I dig them up? And if so, how should they be stored?

Oxalis, like crime, never sleeps. I suspect it would survive in the
antarctic,
along with cockroach eggs. Not grow, mind you, but bide its time until
the ice
melted then take over the world (to be shared with the roaches.)

Actually now that I've encouraged some burgundy-leaved oxalis to grow
where it
can be admired but not ravage the garden, I like it. I just keep an eye
on it.

zemedelec

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