A Nice Two Dollar Plant

In honor the upcoming holiday, I couldn't resist buying this Shamrock (Oxalis) at a local nursery this past weekend. The leaves close completely up every night, as well as the blooms, only to reopen every morning, very cool. There is also a more striking purple leafed variety, but I didn't see it for sale where we went.

Here's another pleasant surprise this spring in the back yard. Last spring I bought a three leafed sumac tree and planted it against a south facing wall, under a much larger mesquite tree (with an enormous canopy). I hoped for the best since this tree isn't zoned for this area (heat, no humidity), but was hoping to nurse it through the summer to see some bright red leaves this fall. The color didn't happen (the leaves simply died and fell off), but it showed some vigor in the hot weather and grew quite a bit. Now, coming out of it's winter dormancy, it's not only leafing out, but is covered in these tiny little flower clusters. I had no idea this tree bloomed, didn't read anything of the sort, and there you go.