A Tradescantia that brightens up a spring border
For many, Tradescantia a.k.a. spiderwort is recognized as a worthy houseplant which tolerates less than ideal indoor conditions, coming in “plain” green, purple-leafed and variegated forms. There’s one release called ‘Feeling Flirty’ which was named the 2023 Houseplant of the Year by whoever makes such awards. Though the name has me feeling slightly nauseous, the plant has attractive leaves striped in green and pink. More commonly found is a variant of Tradescantia zebrina with green and silvery striped foliage. I grow a variegated leaf form of Tradescantia spathacea (‘Sitara’s Gold’, see below) which makes a nice trailing pot plant.
Another mainstay of the indoor garden, Tradescantia pallida ‘Purple Heart’ also has value as a groundcover outdoors where it can be paired with plants having contrasting foliage, such as forms of sweet potato vine. It is surprisingly tolerant of chilly winters, surviving into zone 7. I haven’t yet grown it here so have no personal knowledge of its ability to overwinter in our zone 7a climate.
The Tradescantia I grow, which was valued enough to merit bringing it here with a select group of perennials when I moved from Ohio, is Tradescantia ‘Sweet Kate’, which in addition to chartreuse foliage brightest in spring has true-blue three-petaled flowers.
The genus name Tradescantia honors 17th century botanists and gardeners John Tradescant and his son John Tradescant (to avoid confusion, they are customarily referred to as John Tradescant the Elder and John Tradescant the Younger). The chartreuse-leafed form was discovered in the U.K. in the garden of a woman from Kent, and it was named after her daughter.
‘Sweet Kate’ is a tough perennial that is easily propagated by division, doing best in full sun with average soil, hardy in zones 4 (5a)-9. Here it flowers in mid-spring for a few weeks. Individual flowers last a day, and tend to close by afternoon. Given the plant’s tendency to sprawl outwards unattractively after flowering, I plan to to cut it back sharply later this month, a process that’s supposed to result in a flush of new, healthy foliage and late season reblooming.
Species of Tradescantia that are valued in the perennial garden include T. virginiana and T. ohioensis. A variegated foliage selection with pink flowers is known as “Blushing Bride” (one imagines a personality conflict if it’s grown too close to ‘Feeling Flirty’). If you like the idea of a hardy Tradescantia with pale lavender-blue flowers, 'Bilberry Ice' may be for you.
Some additional Tradescantias to consider are offered by Plant Delights nursery. More discussion of indoor and outdoor culture can be found here.
