Oxalis ‘Limerick Jessica’
Charming shamrock-like leaves of ‘Limerick Jessica’
Legend has it that St. Patrick used the three leaves of a shamrock to illustrate the concept of the Holy Trinity to his congregation. Actually, the plant he used was probably clover, and with that Great Day for the Irish fast approaching we thought we’d talk about a relative of the clover: oxalis.
To look at it, you might think it is clover—the leaves have the same familiar trifoliate shape. Landscape oxalis has a distinct advantage over clover, however: it’s sterile and non-invasive. It spreads, but in a good way.
While we celebrate green this time of year, oxalis comes in shades of red and purple as well. Plants in the Limerick series bring these colors together in bold patterns that add a unique accent to combinations. ‘Jessica’ is the selection we’ve chosen for spring; as you can see, the leaves are predominantly green with dramatic purple and white markings.
Low-growing foliage for a lush green groundcover
Limerick oxalis has a pretty trailing habit and gets along well with neighboring plants. It spreads about 8–10 inches, easily filling a container and then spilling daintily over the edge. We like to mix ‘Jessica’ with colorful foliage selections, like Coleus ‘Dark Star’ or ‘Campfire’, that pick up the colors in the leaf markings. Add a little spiky ‘Blue Mohawk™’ grass for a thriller and the look is complete. Maybe we’ll call this combo the Lord of the Plants as a shout-out to Michael Flatley.
Since it only grows about knee-high to a leprechaun (4–6 inches) we also use this variety as a lush green groundcover. It’s drought tolerant once it’s established in the landscape, so you can spend your warm summer days chasing rainbows and dancing jigs to your heart’s content.
‘Limerick Jessica’ comes in the 4.5-inch pot.
