Oxalis purpurea

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

Oxalis purpurea (Oxalis purpurea) is a compact, bulbous wood-sorrel that is tailor-made for pots – small, shallow-rooted and tidy, it suits a windowsill, a small container or the front of a balcony display. The grower confirms it grows well indoors, and it makes a genuinely good houseplant – a neat, low foliage-and-flower plant for a bright spot.

Quick Details

• Container Size: About 3-6 L (0.8-1.6 gal) to start (the grower’s guide), potting up as it fills
• Indoor Suitability: Good houseplant for a bright spot
• Best Spot: Full sun / half shade / full shade with light
• Soil & Drainage: Rich, free-draining mix with drainage holes; drainage matters for the bulbs
• Watering in Pots: Average to generous while in leaf; ease right off as it dies back into dormancy

Indoors & On the Windowsill

• As a houseplant: The grower grows it indoors successfully. Give it a bright windowsill; it also tolerates lower light, though flowering and leaf colour are best in good light.
• Dormancy indoors: Oxalis naturally rests after flowering – foliage dies back and the pot looks bare. Keep it cool and nearly dry through dormancy, then resume watering to bring it back.
• Safety: Oxalis foliage contains oxalates and can upset pets or children if eaten in quantity – site pots out of reach and do not treat it as edible.

On a Balcony or Patio

• Light & shelter: Happy on a bright balcony or patio in a small pot; being low and light it is easily blown over, so group pots or use a heavier container in exposed spots.
• Watering: Small pots dry quickly in sun and wind – check often while the plant is in active leaf.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

• Pot & drainage: Start around 3-6 L with good drainage holes (the grower stresses drainage for the bulbs). Use a pot with strong drainage holes and skip a standing water saucer – constantly wet feet are the quickest route to root rot.
• Potting mix: A rich, free-draining mix with organic matter, as the grower advises.
• Potting up & soil refresh: Each time the plant fills its pot, move up a size until it reaches the size you want; because potting mix loses vigour over time, refresh part of the soil when you pot on.
• Feeding: Potted plants exhaust their food faster than those in the ground, as watering leaches nutrients out; feed lightly but more regularly through the growing season.

Grower’s Container Tip

• Pot up in stages: The grower starts in a small pot (about 3-6 L) and steps up to a larger one each time the plant fills the current one, until it reaches the desired size – this keeps the soil fresh and makes care efficient. In the final large pot, swap out part of the soil every few years; from the side of a big pot it is easy to replace some soil without disturbing the whole plant.
• Lift the bulbs for dormancy: In the dormant season you can lift the bulbs out of the soil, store them, and replant when growth restarts.

Bloom & Edible Flower Guide

Quick Details

• Bloom Season: Autumn, winter, and spring (its main growing season)
• Flower Appearance: Five-petalled flowers about 2-4 cm across in purple, pink, or yellow, the petals fused at the base; borne in clusters and closing in dull light
• Edibility: The flowers are edible with a tangy, lemony taste – best enjoyed in small amounts, as Oxalis is high in oxalic acid

Detailed Blooming Overview

Oxalis purpurea, the purple woodsorrel, is a cool-season bloomer that flowers through autumn, winter, and spring while dying back over summer. The cheerful cup-shaped flowers open wide in sunshine and fold up on dull days or in the evening, sitting just above the clover-like leaves.

Flower Characteristics

• Five petals fused at the base, roughly 2-4 cm across, in purple, pink, or yellow.
• Carried in clusters; open in sun and close in low light.

Bloom Care & Thinning

• Encouraging bloom: Give it a bright, sunny spot – the flowers only open fully in good light.
• Using the flowers: Tangy and edible in small quantities; go easy because of the oxalic acid content.