Oxalis, Scilla, Scilla
jmsjon664@aol.com (Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:25:55 PDT)

Three recent subjects have been Oxalis 'rosea', Scilla peruviana, and Scilla scilloides.  Following is a report from zone 5/6:
I've been growing Oxalis rosea outdoors for many years, with the extent of its domain waxing and waning with the coldness of the winters.  I believe it was killed outright once when the temperature went to 10 below, but I was able to get it going again from an alpine house.  Basically, it hugs the south-facing foundation, a spot it shares with Alstroemeria aurea, blooms throughout the season, and doesn't even dream of being invasive.

The bizarrely named Scilla peruviana has also been with me a long time but is far from rampant or even dependable.  In recent times it has settled down in a fairly nondescript location -- open garden, below-average soil, plenty of sun.  It blooms at the end of May.

Scilla scilloides, which is rampant to the extent that I have to routinely thin it out, is just beginning to bloom.  It certainly looks good with the naked stalks of pinkish flowers, but the earlier period of senescing foliage is a different matter.  It is tolerable in small quantities among masking vegetation, hence the thinning.

Jim Jones

Lexington, MA