Iron Cross Good Luck Plant foliage

Iron Cross Good Luck Plant foliage

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Other Names:  Wood Sorrel, syn. Oxalis deppei

Description:

A stunning plant, forming a mound of lush green leaves with plum purple blotches at their base; leaves retract and fold up at night; trumpet shaped rose-pink flowers appear from early summer until frost; a colorful addition to rock gardens or containers

Ornamental Features

Iron Cross Good Luck Plant features dainty rose trumpet-shaped flowers with creamy white throats and yellow anthers along the stems from early summer to mid fall. Its attractive large heart-shaped compound leaves remain bluish-green in color with distinctive plum purple spots and tinges of burgundy throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Iron Cross Good Luck Plant is a dense herbaceous annual with a mounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Iron Cross Good Luck Plant is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Iron Cross Good Luck Plant will grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity extending to 8 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 6 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 5 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Iron Cross Good Luck Plant is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.