Spiderwort, oh spiderwort, why does thou love my garden so much?
I remember seeing you growing in my grandmother’s garden many years ago, though I didn’t really know your name back then. I was just a kid. I just thought your flowers were pretty.
Then one day, I saw you at garden center and I remembered grandma’s garden. Oh, Tradescantia virginiana, you were more than willing to come home with me, weren’t you? I planted you in a lovely spot and enjoyed your first few blooms. You reminded me of grandma’s garden.
The following spring, I went out to the garden and could hardly believe my eyes. Your offspring were coming up all over the garden. Here, over there, yonder back, on the other side, by this, by that. Everywhere. Baby Spideworts. In places where I most assuredly didn’t plant you.
Funny, I don’t remember seeing spiderworts growing all over my grandma’s garden. I swear I saw it in just one spot, up by the back of the house, to the right of the backdoor as I stood facing the house.
Perhaps Grandma knew to watch you closely, to deadhead you quickly, to pull you out early before you managed to seed somewhere else. I was just a kid, so she probably didn’t think to tell me to do the same. How was she to know I’d grow up, see spiderwort in a garden center, remember her garden, and buy it to plant in my own garden?
I now know to watch you closely, spiderwort. I know that though you are lovely, you really need to be watched. Watched closely. Religiously. Like a hawk watches for a mouse. Without blinking. You can’t really be trusted in my garden. You steal spots from other flowers. You are, dare I say, almost a thug plant.
But still, you do remind me of grandma’s garden and you are a native wildflower, so if we can come to terms, I’ll always keep a few of you around.
Want to read more about spiderwort? Visit Gail at Clay and Limestone for her views on this native wildflower presented today for Wildflower Wednesday.
Yes, I think it's misbehaving in your garden! But, oh, when it's, good, it's very good! xogail
Thanks for the warning! I have enough thugs, thank you very much. Luckily the thugs are all lovely, as are your spiderworts.
Pretty!
Now I know to keep an eye on it if I buy it
Have a great day!
I love Spiderwort. Anything blue can find a place in my garden. It has always behaved in my garden. Maybe I should knock on wood. LOL!
I love spiderwort, and have several stands of it that grew naturally in our wild-isn hillside along our property. I even bought a gallon of a lovely chartreuse-colored variety called "Sweet Kate", to add a little lighter color to the mix of greens. Yes, it spreads but luckily it's easy enough to pull out after a soaking rain. I hope to always have spiderwort in my garden!
It's a sneaky one! I've had it for years and it behaved. This year? It's EVERYWHERE! What gives? Never have I had a plant that was so benign for so long, go absolutely crazy in my garden like this has this year. The other thing that I don't like about it is that after it's done blooming, it gets rather ugly and forlorn looking. I whack it back and then the new foliage is fine, but man, does it look awful for a bit there. Still, it will stay in my garden, as its good points outweigh the bad.
Here in Kentucky, Spiderwort definitely wants to take over all of my gardens…. I cut it back after the first bloom flush and then it pops up to bloom later in the season. Yes I am constantly pulling it out but I love the bloom.
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