Oxalis Double Trouble

Looking for something a little different to carry your garden through the end of summer? Oxalis ‘Double Trouble’, also known as Candy Cane Sorrel or Cape Shamrock, is a delightful autumn-flowering variety with twice the petals and twice the personality. Its frilly double blooms open in soft salmon tones and slowly mature into a glowing golden yellow, putting on a beautiful colour-shifting display over time. Set against fresh green, clover-like leaves, the flowers are bright, cheerful, and full of charm.

This compact, low-growing perennial begins to bloom in the UK from late summer into autumn, typically August through October in a warm, sunny spot. Like others in the Oxalis family, the flowers open wide in full sun and close into tightly curled, candy-like buds by evening—an enchanting detail that adds even more interest.

Double Trouble thrives in containers, rockeries, gravel gardens or tucked into sheltered borders. It needs free-draining soil and protection from heavy frost, but in the right conditions, it will return year after year, slowly multiplying to form a colourful, long-lasting clump.

That said, Oxalis ‘Double Trouble’ isn't fully hardy in the face of heavy frost. As a South African native, it prefers milder winters and can be damaged by prolonged freezing, especially in damp soil.

To keep your candy cane sorrel safe:

• In milder UK regions (like coastal or southern areas), you might get away with leaving the bulbs in the ground—just make sure the soil is well-drained and sheltered.

In colder or frost-prone areas, it's best to:

• Grow them in pots or containers you can move to a frost-free spot (like a greenhouse, porch, or bright windowsill).
• Or lift the bulbs after the foliage dies back and store them in a dry, cool, frost-free place (just like dahlias or gladiolus).

These bulbs are small and easy to handle, so if you’re ever unsure, it’s worth the extra step—especially when they reward you with even more blooms next year!

We ship Oxalis ‘Double Trouble’ in autumn for immediate planting. Give it a sunny, well-drained nook and enjoy its joyful double blooms as the rest of the garden winds down.

• Habit: Clump-forming, low-growing
• Height at maturity: 10–15 cm
• Spread at maturity: 20–30 cm
• Growth rate: Fast
• Flower colour: Salmon to golden yellow (matures over time)
• Flowering period: August to October (UK)
• Flower size: Approx. 3 cm
• Foliage colour: Fresh green
• Family: Oxalidaceae
• Common names: Candy Cane Sorrel, Cape Shamrock
• Origin: South Africa