The Imperfect Gardener

by Adina Sara

Between the rain, the wind, and a touch of the flu, I've not gone near my battered winter garden for quite some time. I had to cut down a wall of bamboo that was beginning to block the sunset. Bamboo droppings and apple tree prunings are covering what's left of last year's vegetable beds. But still, it is beautiful. The winter sun makes everything glisten, especially the lively bright patches of yellow flowers that seem to be everywhere.

Those lovely bright yellow patches are the subject of much controversy. E-mails upon e-mails have poured through the Metro Garden Club Web site recently on the problem of a certain cloverlike plant that seems to be taking over the Laurel District.

It all started when a gardening enthusiast asked for suggestions regarding a type of "clover" she found in her backyard. If you don't happen to have a garden of your own, you've most likely seen it growing through sidewalk cracks or anywhere there is a patch of dirt.

There are two types of oxalis. The low-growing one, Oxalis corniculata, has pinkish flowers and is very difficult to eradicate. This is not the one that concerns us.

Our oxalis, a South African perennial, is Oxalis pescapae, (rhymes with pest?) and sports tall yellow flowers. While it is very easy to pull, it is not so easy to get rid of. The stems break off from the underground bulbils that will wait patiently until your back turns to sprout anew. You can try pulling them up gently in rainy weather and see if the bulbs come loose, or you can sit back and enjoy the color. It is not a good idea to compost oxalis unless you want a field of it.

Sheet mulching with cardboard and large quantities of mulch above the cardboard may keep the oxalis down, but you can bet that some stems will find their way to the edges of the cardboard.

Or you can try a sprinkling of corn gluten meal as an organic pre-emergent herbicide.

Oxalis does have a few benefits, especially if you raise chickens. The birds love to eat it, and it apparently helps in producing brilliant yellow-orange yolks.

And it's not just for the birds. Try putting a few sprigs in your salad or sprinkling it over fish. (Yes, there are oxalis recipes online.)

You may have noticed when you were pulling at the oxalis that the ground around it was soft. That is because oxalis aerates the soil. It gently covers the young spring plants that are finding their way from the winter to spring, without choking them. Instead of going crazy trying to get rid of it, why not think of oxalis as a free, colorful, edible cover crop?

Besides, if you wait long enough, the oxalis "problem" will solve itself. It goes dormant in the summer, beginning to dry up and die on its own once the weather starts to warm.

Share Your Garden News

The fast growing Metro gardening community is a great resource for garden information. Discover that coffee grounds and used tea bags are great nitrogen sources and an easy way to feed plants, indoors and out. Or else help yourself to a neighbor's unwanted iris bulbs. Contact TheMetroGardenClub\@yahoogroups.com, and ask to be added to the growing list of enthusiastic gardening neighbors.