Around Baltimore, local garden centers, supermarkets, and big box stores all seem to carry clover for Saint Patrick’s Day. Clover has represented this holiday since the 1700s but it was used as a symbolic plant as far back as the time of the Druids. While both true clover and oxalis are often sold for Saint Patrick’s Day, both are easy to grow as houseplants.
Shamrocks have a long history. Like in other ancient cultures, the Druids felt that three was a mystical number and they valued the shamrock for this symbolism. Clover became associated with Saint Patrick when he used the leaves in his teachings. He likened the plant to the Holy Trinity. He taught that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three beings that are also one-like the three individual clover leaflets that are one leaf when attached to the stem of the plant. Because of this the shamrock was seen as holy. Later, during the 1800s, officially forbade the Irish from the “wearin’ o’ the green” as the clover was then a symbol of rebellion.
White Dutch clover, which grows commonly in Maryland lawns, is easy to propagate. To plant it, just scatter the seeds over some soil in a pot. Water them and they will sprout. This clover may send out runners, but just snip them off at the soil level if they are unwanted. Keep all types of clover watered and in a sunny spot.
Some stores sell both clover and oxalis, which is also known as a shamrock plant, wood sorrel or sourgrass. Oxalis is not a true clover since every leaf has four sections. True clover only has three, which is what makes a real four leaf clover so special. Place an oxalis plant in a sunny window and water it moderately. Oxalis can go dormant, in which case it may turn brown. Stop watering them and the dormant period should last a couple of months. When new foliage emerges, bring it back into the sunlight and start watering it again.
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