Two weeks ago the gravel and stone pathways were clean but for a few fallen leaves. This morning I looked outside, and all I could see was a carpet of oxalis. It happens that fast.
There may not be a more maligned little weed in the garden than oxalis. Otherwise known as wood sorrel (which makes it sound quite lovely) and sourgrass (conjuring warm spring days of childhood, sucking on its sweetly sour ends), oxalis has earned hundreds of Google entries filled with exasperated gardeners looking for eradication solutions. Descriptions include "cute little beasts from hell" and "miserable little entities." I can't think of another plant that causes gardeners so much grief.
'I have put in my time with oxalis over the years, convinced that if I dug deeply enough, I could uproot every last sprout. I have grabbed fistfuls, telling myself it's better than doing nothing. When all else failed, I wrote a poem about oxalis, "…offering up the innocence of yellow on such tentative stems." The imagery made me feel better, but did nothing to clear the blanketed pathways.
Yesterday was finally warm enough to take a stroll through the garden, maybe get some work done. Everywhere I looked—oxalis.
And so I started gently removing handfuls from around the roses, from inside potted plants, vegetable beds. Oxalis led me to the heuchera bed, which appears to be filling in nicely. I saw the beginnings of daffodil bulbs popping up through the dirt. Like a guide, the oxalis led me to the iceplant and reintroduced me to the abutilon, which has grown taller than the gate. Over in the corner where the mint has sprawled, it is already adding a nice yellow touch. Along the fence it competes heartily with the penstemon and hollyhock. It can go wild there for all I care.'
Easy, aimless weeding, pulling oxalis is like a silent meditation, an opportunity to say hello to next year's garden.'
Though it seems to get most of the bad press, oxalis is not alone. The first rains also raise up carpets of nepeta (catmint), lemon balm, wild onion, and violets. Baby meliantha leaves and soft young mallow—appealing diversions in the young winter garden. But left unchecked, they will spread thick and tall and leave no room for anything else. There are a lot more serious things to worry about as nature sprouts up in endless forms, heralding a new gardening season. Oxalis, give or take a few patches of yellow flowers, will die off in a few months either way. I really don't know what all the fuss is about.
DIGGING FOR GARDENING INFORMATION?
'Hear the pros and cons of using urbanite (broken concrete) and treated wood for garden beds. Get some tips on grafting fruit trees. Find out how you can get your wood clippings and brush chipped into usable mulch for free (hint: call The Oakland Wildlife Prevention Department at 238-7388 for information). All this and more gardening information is available on our local gardeners' exchange site at TheMetroGardenClub\@yahoogroups.com.
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