Garden Scheme
Plant library · Perennial Flowers
Tradescantia virginiana
Spiderwort is a native perennial that makes a leafy, flower-bearing clump about 2½ feet tall and 2 feet wide. Blue-purple, three-petaled flowers carry the display from late spring into midsummer. Its moderate height and softly arching presence suit the middle of a part-shade planting, where lower plants can keep the bed edge defined and taller planting can provide a quiet backdrop.
Space Spiderwort 18 inches apart, measured center to center (45 cm).
The mature spread is about 2 ft (60 cm), so plants set at that distance grow together into a solid mass.
Treat 18 inches as a planning baseline — cultivar and local growing conditions shift the final footprint.
Use spiderwort in part-shade borders, woodland-style beds, naturalized areas, or the less formal stretches of a pollinator planting. Give it regular moisture and place it where a summer change in foliage will not leave a highly visible gap. It works especially well a step back from a path rather than as a crisp front-edge plant, with neighboring foliage ready to carry the composition later in the season.[1][2]
Plant on 18-inch centers for a connected planting that fills in as the clumps mature. Individual plants can reach about 2 feet across, so this spacing allows neighboring foliage to overlap slightly rather than leaving bare soil between crowns. In a narrow border, reserve roughly 2 feet of depth for each drift and keep the planting far enough from a path to allow for its full leafy outline.
Choose a part-shade position and maintain regular moisture, particularly through dry spells. Spiderwort can handle clay soil, making it useful where a shaded bed holds moisture longer than a raised or sandy planting. Avoid treating it as a dry, exposed edging plant; its placement should make watering practical without requiring a route through neighboring plants.
The flowering season runs from late spring into midsummer, but the foliage can become lax or decline in summer heat after the main bloom. Cut plants back after flowering to refresh the clump; renewed late-season foliage and occasional rebloom can then restore the planting. Plan nearby plants to hold the bed visually while spiderwort resets.[1][2]