Dense Purple Carpet Oxalis Bulbs

Oxalis triangularis — Dense Purple Carpet. Oxalis looks best when it is crowded. Planted at 3–4 in spacing the leaves overlap and the pot disappears under them, which is the effect most people are actually after when they buy a purple shamrock.

This is the same species as the standard purple shamrock, selected and graded for the size that fills out fastest. In a 6 in pot, six to eight corms give you the solid carpet; a 10 in bowl takes the whole 15 pack.

The white flowers come up in flushes above the canopy, so you get contrast rather than a wash of one colour — which is why this planting reads as a carpet rather than a clump.

What you get

• Grades sized to plant densely — 3–4 in apart, no gaps.
• Deep purple triangular leaves that overlap into a solid canopy.
• White flowers held just above the foliage in summer flushes.
• 6–12 in tall, happy indoors or on a sheltered patio in zones 8–11.
• Dormant corms, cleaned and graded, re-sprout season after season.

How to grow it

• Plant: 1–2 in / 3–5 cm deep, pointed end up, 3–4 in apart in a pot with drainage. Soak the corms for an hour first — they wake up faster.
• Light: bright, indirect light or a few hours of morning sun. Strong light keeps the purple deep; deep shade turns the leaves green.
• Water: keep evenly moist while growing, then let the top inch dry between waterings. Never leave the pot standing in water.
• Temperature: 60–75°F indoors. Hardy outdoors in USDA zones 8–11; elsewhere grow it in a pot and bring it in before frost.
• Dormancy: the leaves die back every few months — that is normal, not death. Stop watering for 4–6 weeks, then start again and it regrows from the corms.

Shipped dormant as graded corms, cleaned and ready to plant. Dispatch in 5–7 working days. Leaf colour and flower shade vary with light, season and the age of the corm — the first flush after planting is usually the darkest. Keep away from cats and dogs: oxalis is high in oxalic acid and is not pet-safe if chewed.