Tradescantia, Lady's Tears, Spider Lily, Virginia Spiderwort

This is my second variety of Spiderwort; the other being the common Ohio species. Unlike the T. ohiensis, this one likes drier condition...Read Mores, so is planted up near my prairie-to-be, away from the field runoff that we get every spring and summer.

This seems to be a hardy little plant, already beginning to bloom after being put in the ground about a month and a half ago. I do not mind plants with a little "flop", so what's to maintain? It can tolerate sun and only needs a little water. Some plants do better when left alone and this appears to be one of them.

Edited in spring 2016 to include:
The thing I found most amazing about this plant is the flowers are a deep purple. I enjoy the blue color of the Ohio species, but oh! I really like this and I am looking forward to this plant multiplying. The only sad thing about this species is that it does not have the extended blooming season if the Ohio Spiderwort. In fact, even the leaves die off and disappear shortly after the blooms are done.

Another common name for this is Cow Slobber. This is based on if you break off a stem, you will find a clear gooey slime.

This plant came with the gardens when we bought our house. At first I enjoyed the cheerful blue flowers - the bloom period is long and ab...Read Moreundant. Then I realized the tradescantia was encroaching on lots of other areas.
THEN my dog came down with a skin condition we thought was some horrible auto-immune disease and guess what - he's allergic to tradescantia. He rubs his face in the cool foliage in the heat of the summer. Go figure.
Eradicating this plant is the stuff of nightmares. It is twined around the roots of my iris and day-lilies and even digging those up last fall didn't clear everything. I'd like to keep the iris and lilies but I'm not sure I can do that AND get rid of tradescantia.
So I have to give tradescantia a big thumb's down for bad manners and dog allergies. I also get some skin irritation if I get the sap on my arms or face when weeding. Boo, tradescantia!

I think Spiderworts are delightful. They come up in the shady spots in my lawn in the spring, and provide a nice bit of color. They do ...Read Moreself sow, and I have nice groupings under a few of my large trees, where nothing but moss and ivy grow. They were a surprise when I moved in, but I am happy to have them, and to continue to let them naturalize.

I love spiderworts! They are pretty and long blooming and mine have come back every year without becoming invasive. I originally had pi...Read Morenk ones and then my son gave me some purple ones, dark and light. When they finish blooming in early summer the foliage does get ratty,so I cut them back. They don't bloom more than once a season.
I was surprised at so many negative ratings. I guess it depends on where you live. I live in Dayton OH, which is in zone 6A and also have them at my lake house in St. Marys OH which is kind of between 5A&B. They thrive in both places.

An aggressive, high-maintenance perennial grown for its long season of bloom. It's a tough, adaptable plant that requires little to survi...Read Moreve, but it takes a lot of attention for it to look good consistently.

Individual flowers last only a day, and while flowering goes on over a long season, the accumulating black deadheads make the inflorescence look ugly within a week. It isn't practical to deadhead each flower individually---you need to cut the stem to the ground. The plant responds well to cutting back with fresh foliage and sometimes more flowers.

The habit is leggy and sprawling. Plants need cutting back frequently.

This is a tough weedy plant that can spread aggressively by self-sowing. Resistant to glyphosate, and very difficult to dig out completely, as plants can regenerate from small bits of root.

To keep it looking acceptable, this plant requires more work than it's worth, in my opinion. This plant has been heavily promoted far beyond its garden value. It looks like the pictures only briefly, and looks a mess for most of the season.

Most cultivars are Tradescantia x andersonia, a group of complex hybrids developed from T. virginiana, T. ohioensis, and T. subaspera.

When I was a little girl, I painted with the juices from the blue and purple spiderwort (after the blossoms fold, squeeze) but it seems e...Read Morever since I have been trying to get rid of them in my yard. Mixed feelings. They are quite pretty when young. When going to seed they are rank and homely. They are invasive and require a lot of chopping out if you want any other plants. They love to settle in at the roots of your just planted roses, etc., requiring tedious excavation. Love them by the roadsides, just not in my yard. We have purple, blue and rarely, white, growing wild all over SE GA.

In OKC, this plant is a survivor and, considering the weather extremes and heavy red clay we have here, that is saying quite a lot. At a...Read More nursery where I once worked, it was planted outside the fence, between a hard packed, gravel driveway and the nursery itself, which was covered by heavy landscape fabric and railroad ties. Only occasionally did this beautiful blue bloomer receive a stray squirt of water from the hose during the hottest months of the year. If it began to look a little leggy, we just sheared it back with the weed eater. Nevertheless, it bloomed beautifully all season long. Planted in the right places, even the most stubbornly aggressive plants can be a great choice.

I have dry hot summers, cold sometimes frosty winters & I needed a plant for a north planter and wanted blue flowers and this is what the...Read Morey gave me. It is invasive and hard to get rid of. The flowers on mine are white, not blue, which is why I'd like to get rid of it. Is there something I can do to get blue flowers on it? With white flowers it looks more like a weed.

Although this is one beautiful plant, during March and April (in my area) it sprouts up everywhere, in flower beds as well as all through...Read Moreout the lawn. It is a beautiful sight to see around the neighborhood! We keep it in check by mowing the lawn but I'd prefer a native landscape, letting these and other wildflowers grow to their hearts content ... unfortunately my husband is one of those people who prefers a green expanse of lawn.

This plant (or a related species) somehow found its way to my full-sun boulevard garden from a neighbor's yard. I let it stay because it ...Read Morehad beautiful purple flowers.

Now it's formed two thick patches, one of which surrounds two clumps of Siberian iris (white and purple) and garden phlox.

To restrain it I deadhead it, and pull up any new shoots at the edge of the patch, but the deep and fleshy roots don't come up. Probably digging is the only way to whittle down its size.

My rating is neutral because it's invasive in full sun, but has showy flowers. It may be a good plant for part shade or difficult spots.

Changed to negative because even after I dig it out, the plant comes back in a summer and forms a mass of roots all through my Siberian irises.

A beautiful flower but yes, it's very invasive.

There are very few of these lovelies growing at the edge of our woods here, and I plan to clear the weeds around it so it will spread. It...Read More won't be invasive where it currently grows.

I bought this plant three years ago and in that short time it has spread throughout my lawn and all of my flower beds. I pull it up and i...Read Moret just keeps coming back.

Six years ago my family moved about 45 minutes away from where we were living. Moving just that short distance was like moving to somep...Read Morelace very far because where we moved from there were many neighborhoods and all of the land had already been developed. Where we moved to was plenty of undeveloped land and many people have acres not small lots that they live on. Every day was a wonderful discovery. I remember the first flowers to pop up on our acre was on the little spiderwort plants we inherited with the house. I was so delighted and I thought they were wild. I have never seen these plants for sale. I discovered them though looking through a plant book and now know they were lovingly planted here very long ago. I also love the natural beauty they bring to my yard. What very forgiving plants they are indeed. I hope never to lose them, which I fear I may if I don't do something about the goat we rescued !

Ive had this plant for about five years. Ive had mixed success with it. Most years it does good, but some years it does not (especially...Read More when its droughty). It does best in partial shade, and moist soil with good drainage. Helps to trim it back after booming, since it tends to get weedy. Does have many babys shooting up around it. They are some-what hard to get rid of; I have to dig them up. I would reccomend this plant if you dont mind a bit of spreading. It has pritty jewel-toned purple flowers; the dark green spiky foliage adds good texture to my garden too.

If you want a plant that is easy to move/remove, this one probably isn't it! If you want something that grows quickly and easily, require...Read Mores next to no care once established, and makes you smile each time you see it--spiderwort may be just the thing.

When my husband and I purchased our home several years back, some spiderwort plants came with it. Wanting a more "formal" garden, I set out to remove this "simple" plant. To my surprise, that seemed only to strengthen it's resolve to remain a part of the garden. Every time I'd think I had it all gone, up would creep another plant...or two..or three!

In a moment of inspiration (or desperation?!), I decided to "work with it" instead of fighting it, to see what would happen. The reward for this kindness/act of surrendor? A proliferation of low-care plants with simple-yet-pretty flowers that last for far longer in the gardening season than many of the other flowers in my garden! Now I look forward to seeing it return each year.

I have this plant all in my lawn. It pops up in early spring. By the time the grass starts greening up, the spiderwort starts looking ba...Read Mored. So I just mow it down with the grass and every spring it keeps coming back. I have noticed here that they do prefer a little shade over full sun.

I like to show people how the flowers turn to ink when they close up. I think I read somewhere that it was used as dye by the Native Ame...Read Morericans. At dusk the flowers stand out so much that they seem to glow. They are low maintenance; just crop them back when they look ragged, and they will grow back fresh and new. However, they seed themselves way too freely. My information says it is hardy in zones 3-10. Blooms May-July in my garden.

This plant was in my garden 18 years ago when I bought the house--it has taken me this long to try to get rid of it, with no success. I l...Read Moreive in NH, the plants get almost full sun during the summer and they still thrive-unfortunately. I find them to be very invasive. I thought I had dug them all out 2 years ago, but they are still here. Every phlox that I moved to new locations also has a new crop. I have thrown it in the full shade where I dump waste; it doesn't matter-it still lives. I left some in a wheel barrel full of water, in the shade for 4 wks and they were still alive-I gave them to my neighbor to fill her gully.

I planted a very small spiderwort last year (late summer) and it starting growing very quickly, although it needed to be supported. Afte...Read Morer the horrendously cold winter we had here I thought I would lose several of my plants. Lo and behold, this guy is just marvelous this year. It has very thick, bamboo or corn-like stalks and needs no support. It has been flowering for several weeks and it looks like there is no end in sight for it. I will need to seperate it in the spring as it has, at least, quintupled in size and is starting to intrude on some other flowers although the nieghborhood cats like to sleep under it when it gets hot. My spiderwort is pale purple to white on the outer edges with streaks of graduating purple to the purple fuzzy inside. In the spring it gets midday to afternoon sun, and morning to afternoon sun in the summer and fall.

It grew imperssively in clay soil against the NW wall of our previous house, but since moving across town to a wooded lot with much loami...Read Moreer soil, and dapled deciduous shade, we've tried unsuccessfully to grow it in several locations. I honestly don't know what the difference is.

I have HUNDREDS of Tradescantias as native plants growing wild in my garden. The blooms on T. virginiana and T. ohiensis are indistinqui...Read Moreshable to me, so I wasn't sure which variety I have. As it turns out (from a post in the DG Plant ID Forum), close examination with a magnifying glass of the plants' sepals is required to determine if you have T. virginiana or T. ohiensis. If the sepals are "hairy," then it is T. virginiana; if glabrous (smooth), then it is T. ohienis. My plants' sepals are smooth, and T. ohiensis is the species reported as occurring most frequently in Florida, so I am labeling my plants as T. ohiensis.

Distinquishing between the two species probably matters only to the very curious or those of us with nothing better to do, but you may want to examine your Tradescantias for signs of pubescence to determine which variety you have.

They transplant easily even when bare root. I move them around my garden almost daily and use them for effect at the rear of most all of my flower beds. They can grow to be about 4' tall at the backs of borders when they have to compete for the light with other plants.

Spiderwort grows wild in the wooded section of our land in Oliver Springs, TN. I also transplanted some to my wildflower garden & it has...Read More performed well. It is a very dainty and delicate-looking flower--but actually a strong survivor as long as planted in partial shade. It also grows in full sun along the "shores" of our large creek, where it has plenty of water, but tends to be a lot smaller and less colored than the same plant gowing in part shade.

I first met these plants in open fields at the edge of Chicago in the 1940's. They were introduced to me as "snot-noses" because of the ...Read Moreoozing sap when picked. In more recent years I've dug them up where they were growing wild along a seldom used railroad track. They've always been easy to grow and mostly stayed put and "bloomed where they were planted".

I was given this plant by an elderly lady about 20 years ago and gave some to family and we all have in yards still. It is invasive but s...Read Moreo pretty. It pops up all over and grands love to pick. My son has some that are about 3 feet tall. It has always come back in S.C. for us. The color does same to change from light to dark purple - Blue.

I have a sunken back yard in Atlanta proper. Spiderwort has taken over almost all of the heavy shade areas. It even pops up in shade li...Read Morenes of trees in the sunnier areas. Creates a complete stand that blocks all other plants (even wild violet!) and I have seen individual plants as tall as 3'. Majority are typical at 18-24". Have naturalized and covered approximately 400 square feet of my shade area. May be native, may have been planted about twenty to thirty years ago as there is a beautiful specimen Mahonia in my yard that is 11' tall by 8' wide.

Perhaps because the stands of spiderwort are so thick, I have not noticed any flopping or falling out in the hot humid summers. My soil is just about solid Piedmont clay with a hearty earthworn population that keeps it quite workable. Soil stays moist year-round.

It grows and blooms year round in my Florida garden. Yes, it is invasive. Even knowing that I brought it here from a roadside find and ...Read Morehave been selectively removing all but the darkest purples. The colors are noticably darker anyway in the cool of winter and lighter during summer. Very beautiful, very carefree except for removal where they are not wanted. I find control easy. Bloom stays open till the heat of day closes them. Cool cloudy days they may not close till very late.

I grew a variety I believe was called "Osprey" in Sequim, Washington. The cheery little flowers were not large or impressive, but they w...Read Moreere a constant at my doorstep for as long as it was there. It bloomed from April through until the hard frosts finally knocked it down in the fall. I assumed it wouldn't be winter hardy in my mountainous zone 5 yard, but it returned the next spring with the crocus and graced us for another season.

It survived my toddler and his bigwheels, the lawnmower straying over it's crown, the love the cats had for it's neighbor, the catnip, and any other number of insults and didn't seem to mind. It just kept sending out happy little flowers, all season long.

The plant was indestructible, but I didn't have an issue with volunteers or undesirable spread. In fact, I lifted the plant two years later in a bed rework, and didn't get it back in the ground in time to save it, and was sad to have lost it. There were no returnees from the roots, and I certainly left some bits in the ground.

I live in Wisconsin, and have found this plant in several areas on the edges of the woods on my property. I was intrigued by one of them ...Read More(the largest and most noticeable bunch), so I moved it to a desirable area. I had no clue what they were until I found this site. The flowers are very dainty and delicate. They have been growing fine for me in both full sun and shady areas. Just when I think I have discovered them all, a new little group appears somewhere else!

I have Spiderwort in my garden for the first time this year & am quite pleased with it. I'm in Southern Ontario in a zone 5 to 6 garden ...Read Moredepending on varying micro-climates with-in my garden.

Here in south Georgia, this plant is considered an invasive weed that is very hard to get rid of.The root system looks very much like a l...Read Moreong-legged spider. If any piece of the root is left in the ground, it will form a new plant. Therefore, it is not easy to destroy.

I discovered a wild Spiderwort today while clearing brush. Lived here all my life, first I've noticed. Am in Blair Co. PA. Intend to dig ...Read Moreup and plant in my perennial bed beside tree stump.

This plant grows wild in central and southern Illinois. Mostly found in simishaded areas. Very nice in a woodland area. Thx. Beckykay

In the area of Connecticut where I grew up, this plant popped up just about everywhere there was light to medium shade. It would bloom f...Read Moreor most of the summer and I used to pick bouquets of it for my mother. I haven't noticed it in the area where I live now which is considered zone 3 to the colder portion of zone 4.

I found spiderwort growing wild in my yard in Fort Worth, Tx when I moved in 10 years ago. I gathered it all up and tried to corral it. I...Read Moret sometimes escapes but I like the way it goes on and on for weeks while other flowers are not up yet. It is a good cut flower as long as water is changed frequently. It needs no care except maybe staking. Dies completely back to let later plants have their glory. I have 6 or 7 colors around my yard and the bees and butterflies are regular visitors.

i have mine in dappled sunlight,mostly shade.it is doing fine, having grown and produced blossoms the first year transplanted. Still get...Read Mores floppy and needs to be cut back.

Purple flowers open for a day, with many opening over a 4-6 week period during the mid-summer season.

In warm climates, p...Read Morelants decline after bloom in summer heat. Cut back then and they usually reappear with new fall foliage and often bloom; in the north, cut back as well after flowering to keep plants from flopping and becoming straggly, and likewise they will return with fall growth and often bloom; divide every 2-3 years to rejuvenate

Native to much of the U.S., the common name's origin, 'Spiderwort' could have arisen because sap from the broken stem forms spider web-like filaments. The angular leaf arrangement, suggesting a squatting spider, suggests another possible origin for the name.