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perennial

White Wood Sorrel

Oxalis crassipes 'Alba'

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White Wood Sorrel (Oxalis crassipes 'Alba') at Vande Hey Company

White Wood Sorrel in bloom

White Wood Sorrel in bloom

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Plant Height:  6 inches

Flower Height:  8 inches

Spacing:  10 inches

Sunlight:  full sun  partial shade 

Hardiness Zone:  5b

Description:

Rich clover-like bright green foliage, covered with dainty white trumpets in spring, lighting up the shaded areas of the garden; heavy spring bloom is followed by sporadic re-bloom all summer; morning sun to bright shade is fine

Ornamental Features

White Wood Sorrel's attractive fan-shaped leaves remain light green in color throughout the season on a plant with a mounded habit of growth.

Landscape Attributes

White Wood Sorrel is a dense herbaceous perennial 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 may require the occasional pruning to look its best. It has no significant negative characteristics.

White Wood Sorrel is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Mass Planting
  • Border Edging
  • General Garden Use
  • Groundcover
  • Container Planting

Planting & Growing

White Wood Sorrel will grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity extending to 8 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

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. 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. 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.

White Wood Sorrel 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 canvas of 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.

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Massing  Edging  Garden  Groundcover  Container 
Applications
Foliage Color 
Ornamental Features