Susan is also blogging at GardenRant.Tradescantia virginiana / Spiderwort
This beauty is native throughout the Eastern U.S. from Maine to Alabama, and was first introduced to Europe as a garden plant in 1629.
Arriving in my garden as a weed, it's been a keeper for me, despite its famously unattractive appearance after flowering. The solution to that is to simply hack back the ratty-looking foliage, which produces regrowth and some reblooming — ain't nature accommodating?
Details
- Hardy in Zones 4 — 9.
- Happy in any exposure, sun through heavy shade!
- Grows in 2-foot high spreading clumps.
- Violet flowers from May into July.
Care
- Cut back the ratty-looking foliage after blooming, and the regrowth will look much better.
- Spreads so vigorously in some areas — especially the Southeast — that it's considered invasive. So watch out for that.
- Highly drought tolerant, so supplemental watering is rarely needed.
Good Information in Print
- The Well Tended Perennial Garden
by Tracy DiSabato-Aust is the best-selling book on how to make your perennials healthier and better-looking. - Encyclopedia of Perennials
by Graham Rice is exhaustive and an outstanding general resource on the subject. - Designing with Perennials
by Pamela Harper - The Complete Flower Gardener
by Cutler and Ellis is another source I consult regularly.
Location Matters
My test garden is in the Washington, D.C. area, Zone 7A. Have any comments you'd like to see included about this plant? Send 'em along.