March 15, 2018 2 min read

Aye, if you’ve been known to have a brown thumb, maybe you just need a little bit of luck. And when it comes to plants, I’m sure some of you can attest that there is no such thing as too much good luck!

As spring approaches, start off the planting season with something you can’t screw up: a shamrock plant - just in time for St. Paddy’s Day.

They’re easy to care for and cute as you’ll find their leaves open up in the sun and close like an umbrella in the evenings. They are available at most grocery and flower stores for under $10. This could be the start of some luck & definitely the start of some fun!

A wee bit of history

These clover-like plants are actually called Oxalis. (Clover, for you plant nerds, is the genus Trifolium) The english word shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and stems from the Irish word seamrog, which means “little or young plant”. However, this South African native plant is today commonly associated with St. Patrick’s Day.

Shamrock (Oxalis) plants usually comes in “Kelly” green, purple or even purple AND green leaves. Peek just below the soil surface & you may be surprised to learn that these easy to grow plants, root from bulbs!

shamrocks can be green or purple in colour

Low maintenance care

The ideal growing conditions are bright light, monthly fertilizer & evenly moist soil. If starting from bulbs, plant about 1” below the soil surface & 1” apart. Bulbs can lay any side up – not only are these plants lucky, they’re easy going.

The fact that the fragile stems grow SO EASILY from the bulbs, lets you relax when a stem breaks off when transplanting, OR when you forget to water it & it wilts to the point of no recovery! Just trim the stems to the soil surface & soon the resilient bulbs will shoot out new stems.

A friendship plant, easily shared

Part of the joy of planting is sharing the love with others. Gently pry a few bulbs from your plant (not worrying if the stems break off) and gift them to others. Plant the bulbs as described above. Voila! They are a gem of a plant indoors, but also grow outdoors in flower pots or beds from June to September. They thrive best in areas shaded from afternoon sun.

celebrate St. Patricks day with all things green.

Celebrate with all things green

Maybe celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day means having a whale of a time with friends dressed in green…maybe your St. Paddy’s Day is bringing a shamrock plant home, enjoying a GREEN Seaweed & Spirulina Bath Bomb, while you relax with a GREEN Hydrating Face Mask and your Lucky Hemp soap. You could be so lucky! Whatever you choose, may the luck of the Irish be with you!

Deborah Foley
Guest Contributor:
Deborah Foley - local Canmorian & expert plant-lady of Garden Moods.

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