Virginia Spiderwort (Common Spiderwort, Widow’s‑Tears)
Tradescantia virginiana. COMMELINACEAE.
Planting and Growing Virginia Spiderwort
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow Virginia spiderwort in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of Virginia spiderwort
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for Virginia spiderwort
- Season of bloom and planting time for Virginia spiderwort
- When, how deep, and where to plant Virginia spiderwort
- How to plant Virginia spiderwort
- Watering, fertilizing, care, and pests or diseases of Virginia spiderwort
- Landscape and container uses of Virginia spiderwort
- Comments about Virginia spiderwort and its features
Growing Virginia Spiderwort
A few cultivars of erect, bunching, deciduous perennial herbs, 1–3 ft. (30–90 cm) tall. Smooth, deep green, grasslike, arching and folded, pointed leaves, to 1 ft. (30 cm) long.
Wandering Jew, Tradescantia fluminensis, is a related species frequently grown as an indoor houseplant.
Planting and Care Guide
Blooms
Showy, blue, pink, purple, white, open, 3-petaled flowers, to 1 in. (25 mm) wide, in late spring–early summer, in dense, rounded clusters of single-day blooms.
Best Climates
Semi-hardy. Self-seeding. Plant as annual, zones 3–6; ground hardy, zones 7–11.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained humus. Fertility: Rich–average. 6.0–7.0 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Spring in full sun to partial shade, 1–2 ft. (30–60 cm) apart, when soil warms.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep moist; allow soil surface to dry between waterings. Fertilize annually in spring. Propagate by cuttings, division, seed.
About This Plant
Good choice for hanging baskets, borders, containers, ground covers in natural, rock, shade, woodland gardens. Invasive. Pest and disease resistant.