Tradescantia virginiana. Picture courtesy Karl Gercens. Visit his flickr photostreamDescription, History & Interesting Facts:

The Spiderwort is an evergreen low-growing perennial plant that is native to the Eastern United States. It can be found growing wild in moderately moist habitats from North Carolina, south to Florida, and west to Texas. Habitats include open wooded slopes and on the edges of woodlands, moist shaded bluff ledges, moist to mesic black soil prairies, sand prairies, savannas, thickets, sandstone cliffs, and on disturbed ground - like power-line clearances through woodland areas and next to roadsides. This plant usually doesn't stray far from areas with trees and shrubby vegetation.

It has long arching, dark green, iris-like leaves which are folded lengthwise, forming a groove. Throughout spring and summer the plants produce terminal clusters of buds which open up a few at a time, each for only one day. The flowers are usually violet-blue, with beautifully contrasting yellow stamens; varieties in shades of purple-blue, azure-blue, carmine red, rose-pink and white are available.

When the stems of spiderworts are cut, a viscous stem secretion is released which becomes threadlike and silky upon hardening -like a spider's web - hence the common name. Bumblebees are the most important pollinators of the flowers; other bee visitors include honeybees and Little Carpenter bees.

In the Garden:

Spiderwort is a beautiful filler plant for the garden and does well in herbaceous borders. It grows well in a pot and forms a pretty border if planted alongside woodland garden paths and on the partly sunny edges of woodlands. It is great to plant in moist shaded spots in the garden and near water features and streams. This long-blooming perennial also combines well with other perennial plants and grasses in dappled shade, and grows well in containers.

Tradescantia virginiana. Picture courtesy Karl Gercens. Visit his flickr photostreamCultivation/Propagation:

Spiderwort grows well throughout the country; except for those regions that experience severe frost; it is not really suited to extremely dry areas, but can be grown in these regions if it is watered throughout the year. In the winter rainfall regions it needs regular watering in summer. In regions with moderate frost it may become semi-deciduous or totally dormant in winter, but if the roots are mulched new growth should appear in summer.

Spiderwort thrives in dappled semi-shade to sun; if the soil is sufficiently moist it can be grown in full sun. During droughts, the tips or outer lengths of the leaves may turn yellow or brown, so water regularly during dry spells.

Growth is best in light sandy to medium fertile loamy soils, but the plant is adaptable to most garden soils, even heavy clay; as well as neutral, acid and alkaline soils. It varies in height from growing +-20 to 50cm tall, with a slightly larger spread.

After flowering non-stop from spring, by mid-summer the foliage may sprawl in an un-attractive manner and even slowly start to decline. The plant should then be cut back almost to the ground, and an application of organic fertiliser applied; this will encourage another flush of blooms in late summer and autumn. Give the plants another light trim in autumn when they finish blooming, and apply a balanced fertiliser again in spring.