Spiderwort or Spider Wort
The light is soft, the early birds are indeed looking for worms and greeting the rising sun with song, the breeze ruffles the longish grass in the field beyond my back lawn and everything seems right with the world.
This morning I wandered over to where I had planted some new perennials a few weeks ago and was delighted to see a single, shy blossom appearing on the spiderwort. This is particularly gratifying because this plant is one of the longest bloomers in the garden carrying flowers from early June right through until fall if treated properly.
Tradescantia virginiana or spiderwort is the plant of choice today and I confess it has been on my collector list for several years now. It is a North American native plant named for John Tradescant senior (he died in 1638) a famous English gardener who received the species from Virginia sometime before 1629.
There is also the possibility that it was named after his son, John Tradescant junior, who was himself a notable gardener and who visited Virginia in the 1650s.
Both men were head gardeners to King Charles I of England and both were very serious plant collectors, traveling around the world in search of new plants for the Kings garden.
Spiderwort - The Name
The common name Spiderwort (some folks like to use a space spider wort) is presumed to come from the way the flowers hang like spiders from a web off the main stem and "wort" is the Saxon name for plant.
I like this plant because while it blooms almost all summer, (with heavy flushes in the early summer and again in the fall) spiderwort requires next to no special care in the garden. I prune it to the ground in the fall and the rest of the time, we co-exist and enjoy each others company.
For Heavy Blooms
There are two conditions however spiderwort must have if it is to bloom heavily.
The first is full sunshine. The more shade you present spider wort with, the fewer blooms it will produce. A light dusting of shade in the early morning or late afternoon is acceptable but you do want this plant to get as much sunlight as possible.
The second and equally important variable is soil moisture. Spiderwort demands constantly damp soil if it is to bloom continually. You can not put this plant in the full sun and allow the surrounding soil to dry out. It will quickly stop blooming if you do.
I plant my spiderwort around the pond where they are available for regular waterings as I top up the water level. I also mulch them heavily so the soil moisture stays constant and even below the mulch.
If It Dries Out
Heres a tip. If you mistreat spider wort by allowing it to dry out and it stops producing flowers, simply cut it back by half and start a weekly watering programme. It will respond with new growth and flower production in the fall.
If grown in a moist and fertile soil, not a boggy poorly-drained soil, spiderwort will grow to 24 inches tall and spread the same amount.
Youll find spider wort in most garden centres and the better ones will have the newer varieties.
Varieties
Charlotte is a clear pink flower and a delightful grower.
Concord Grape is one of the better dark flowering varieties with a deep purple flower. It also features frosted blue-green foliage that makes it stand out in the garden.
Hawaiian Punch is another good rebloomer and it has magenta-pink flowers.
Isis has white flowers although there is a flush of violet-blue in the centre of the flower. Many of the lighter varieties have this blue flush to the bloom; the breeders havent bred out the native blue flower genes yet.
Little Doll is a compact variety for those of you with smaller gardens and the blooms on this plant are a delightful light blue colour.
Purple Dome has been around for many years now and it features a very dark purple flower. You should be easily find this variety; it is still a good one.
Zwanenburg Blue is another older and easily found variety that still graces my garden with its clear blue flowers.
Rubra is a one of the newer red flowering introductions and I confess I dont like it as much as I like the purples and blues. The red in the bloom has too much blue in it for my tastes.
Two brand new varieties youll want in your garden are Bilberry Ice and Blue and Gold.
Bilberry Ice is a light violet flower with darker centres on the three-petalled flower. An attractive plant, it has just entered my gardening world.
The star attraction and one of the newest spiderworts to hit the garden is Blue and Gold or 'Kates Gold' (same plant - different name). The foliage on this plant is golden green (chartreuse) and the flowers are a dark violet blue. The foliage holds its colour best when the temperatures are cooler so a touch of shade (rather than hot noonday sun areas) will help keep its yellow tones. The contrast between the leaves and flower is delightful and this will be a hit in your garden.
This is the plant that started blooming for me this morning and I confess I put it right on the top of my favourite plant list.
Do you have a question about Spiderwort or Spider Wort?
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