Oxalis adenophylla
Jane McGary (Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:21:53 PST)
Jim McKenney asked
Are any of you growing Oxalis adenophylla successfully as a garden plant?
The other day i was reading an early twentieth century source in
which comments from the Tubergen company about the culture of this
plant were given: keep it dry during the winter or dig it and store it.
Oxalis adenophylla in nature, in the southern Andes, grows in scree
situations where it has some winter snow cover. I usually have seen
it in low-lying areas such as near the bottom of a slope, where the
snow probably lies a little later and there is more moisture in
spring. It dries out during the summer to some extent, but tolerates
some summer moisture. I have always grown it outdoors in western
Oregon in sites that are raised and well drained but not otherwise
specially prepared, such as between the stones of a dry-laid
retaining wall. I never lifted them.
There would seem to be no reason to lift and store it in winter, and
because of the nature of the storage organ (I'm not sure whether it
is considered a rhizome or a caudex), this would seem more likely to
harm it. Dutch growers often handle "bulbs" very differently from
what the gardener is prepared to do, since they have specialized
facilities for storing dormant plants.
Its failure in Jim's Atlantic coastal garden could result from
various causes, including purchased stock in poor condition, poor
drainage, and (especially) summer heat. He could try putting it in a
raised bed with a deep stone (not limestone) mulch to help keep its
root run cool.
Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA