Delight with this lovely native “shamrock.”

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, a pot of Oxalis Oregana makes the perfect hostess gift for a St. Patrick’s Day party. This PNW native is the closest thing we have to a shamrock and grows like the “weed” it is.

You can find Oxalis Oregna, a member of the sorrel family, in many gardening centers these days. It can take part-shade thru full sun and blooms with lovely white–pink flowers from mid-spring–fall. Incredibly hardy, it cannot be killed. It spreads aggressively via runners, so should only be planted where you want it to fill the space. It’s a perfect ground cover for under trees.

I have it growing in my garden, so it was easy to dig up a bit, pot it up and wrap in pretty green paper. A hand-lettered ID tag and green curling ribbon finishes it nicely. My hosts, the O’Toole-Kellys, were delighted, and asked if I could help them make some as favors for next year’s affair. I certainly will, as I always have more than I need.