can be prolific in certain cases.
Spiderwort has a tendency to flop
and often requires staking. Cutting the
plants back by half in early May or
when they are about 12 in. tall can
produce more-compact plants. I have
even cut plants back by about a third
later in May when they were in tight
bud—I had forgotten to do it earlier in
the month—and although the
flowering was slightly reduced with
the removal of many of the terminal
buds, the plant’s habit was more
pleasing.
If plants are cut to the ground in the
summer, pruning again for the winter
is usually not necessary except to
remove any flowering stalks that may
be present. The new low foliage often
remains fairly green into the winter.
Plants that are not cut back in the
summer should be pruned after a
killing frost, as the old flowering stems
turn to mush.
other maintenance This is a
good plant for moist areas. Better
flowering occurs in sunny locations.
Staking may be necessary unless
plants are pruned or short-growing
cultivars are selected. Divide plants in
the early spring or autumn to keep
them vigorous or to control their
spread.
related plantS Tradescantia
×andersoniana ‘Bilberry Ice’ (white
with a touch of lavender), ‘Concord
Grape’ (purple), ‘Red Grape’
(violet-pink), and ‘Zwanenburg Blue’
(deep blue) are all readily available
varieties and are strong performers.
Amethyst Kiss (‘Redtrad’) is an
extra-long-blooming blue form. ‘Little
Doll’ stays under 1 ft. tall and doesn’t
need pruning to stay compact. ‘Blue
and Gold’ (also known as ‘Sweet Kate’)
sports blue flowers and neon-yellow
foliage; it appreciates afternoon shade.Tradescantia ×andersoniana
‘Zwanenburg Blue’