Violet Wood Sorrel
Oxalis violacea
Dime-sized violet-pink spring flowers over clover-like leaves that fold at night. Tucks into rock walls and naturalizes with zero fuss.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
A charming, diminutive native that naturalizes into rocks and gaps, blooming pink-violet in early spring when every flower counts for emerging bees.
Violet Wood Sorrel is a delicate, clover-like native that pops up in early spring with surprising cheerfulness. The rosy-pink to violet flowers, no bigger than a dime, open above a mat of three-part leaves that fold down at night and on cloudy days, a behavior called nyctinasty that children find endlessly entertaining. The leaves have a pleasant mild tartness if you nibble one in the field. It grows from small bulb-like structures and naturalizes readily in open woodland settings, popping up between rocks and at the base of trees. It's small enough to tuck into gaps in a rock wall or use as a groundcover layer beneath larger spring ephemerals. A charming native that earns its place by being genuinely carefree and attracting small native bees when few other plants are in bloom.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown violet wood sorrel propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 4–8 in · 6–12 in wide
- Bloom time
- April–May
- USDA zones
- 4–8
- Family
- Oxalidaceae
- Native range
- Eastern and central North America. open woods, glades, rocky slopes from New England to Nebraska south to Florida and Texas
Care notes for violet wood sorrel.
Plant in full sun to partial shade in average to dry, well-drained soil. Tolerates rocky and sandy conditions. Goes dormant in summer heat. mark the spot so you don't disturb the bulblets. It naturalizes by self-seeding and bulb offsets; welcome the spread. No deadheading or maintenance required. Very low water needs once established.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside violet wood sorrel.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.