While cleaning up yesterday, I found these in the yard. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY COULD BE! But since they "look" like bulbs of some sort, thought someone might know. The first one I found didn't have foliage and I was actually scared to pick it up. LOL. Thought it was some weird bug.
Close up of "bulbs"...
Sorry for the poor shot of the foliage....
I'm no expert but they look like Oxalis. Try Plant Files.
Thanks Pirl! I am off to PF. How ya doing?
Drowning in lists of dahlias, coleus, clematis and more to order.
Yes it is an oxalis of some sort!!
Rats! That uses up my being right once a year.
Somehow I doubt you are right just once a year, pirl. Did you say coleus? I'll D-mail you later when I have time. I am visiting family right now.
Same for you, Marie.
Yes, coleus. I have a list going and have added and deleted over the last week. I think (and hope) it's done now.
Coleus, my newest addiction! HA HA HA :o)
It's common garden clover (oxalis). These spread like weeds and you have to dig carefully to try to lift as much of the bulb clump intact out as you can. I have been fighting this stuff for years in my front flowerbed. It looks cute but is invasive, at least here it is.
dmac, you can always send me any extra you dig up!!! ♥
You must love getting mail:LOL: I'll keep that it mind;) I thought it was cute at first (didn't have it in NM) but it has snuck it's little self in everywhere!
ahem I have a little bed I call the "clover grove" where I actually plant different oxalis (blush). I luv the stuff. I find it is slow to spread in dry, shady conditions so I can have it without it eating my garden.
Don't get me wrong I love some of the more uniques cultivated ones:) I've seen a dark purplish one with pink flowers that I want. The ones in my garden are pests. I did pot some up after I first moved here but once I started having the flowerbed and large container invasion I gave them up:) They are cute though!
My fav so far is "Dragons Blood". Its not supposed to be really invasive but I'm not taking any chances.
http://www.paghat.com/dragonsbloodclover.html
With all the nice stuff I have been getting in the mail this month!!! Now I have to give up my crown! HA HA HA
Dragon's Blood is a robust grower, here, but I don't think of it as invasive. It's not sneaking underground to pop up where it's not welcome.
pupil--
There are so many different kinds of oxalis it's tough to say which one for sure without seeing the flower. Here's the ones listed in Plantfiles, but there as so many more:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/search.php?q=oxalis
Some can be invasive depending on the species, growing conditions, and location. I have a few different ones and haven't had a problem with any of mine yet, but they really like well drained soil which I don't have much of, and I've only been here a couple of years. They have multiplied well but not invasive. My sister has crassipes var. articulata which I dug from her yard that could be probably considered invasive there (coastal NC, zone 8a-8b) if it were in the right conditions. I'm going to grow it here and see if it spreads like it does at her place.
dmac, I wonder which one you have at your place?--I need that one for erosion control..lol. The ones with those kinds of tubers instead of the pine-cone looking ones are harder to dig, especially in this clay!
I may have to ship some of these little guys out:) They come up from deeply set bulbs and when I lift them out I've got to be careful to go pretty deep and remove a chunk of soil with them. All it takes is one tiny bulb to drop back in and I get to weed again in a few weeks :-} I believe what I have is just common garden weed oxalis.
Does yours look like this?
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1240/
of course I have to ask before I go planting the ones I got from my sister in an area where it would matter if it took over...lol
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60788/
seems to be what I have. I see the zone information is tropical but that looks like what I have bulbs and all. We have had unnaturally warm winters and tropical summers for the past couple of years. Who knows:LOL:
I googled and a site from a company, Yates, in Australia mentions it as Pink Oxalis. The information there states that it grows in clumps from small brown bulbs. Plant begins active growth in spring and mature plants have dozens of bulblets attached to the parent bulbs. That pretty much is what these do. The apartment complex I live at doesn't really maintain the lawn so it is half weeds--OK 3/4 weeds and a little grass. I'm the only one here actively gardening so I notice the clover immediately when it pops up.
This message was edited Mar 1, 2008 5:01 PM
This one, from Dutch Gardens, looks nice and it's supposed to colonize.
http://www.dutchgardens.com/Brazilian+Butterfly+Plant/19620,25452,default,cp.html
I like the colors of that one. I've seen them offered at different sites and in some catalogs. There are some really cute ones available. I guess I would feel different about the ones I have if they didn't pop up all over the place:) I may try potting them up again.
