At our old place I grew Spiderwort in mostly-shade and they were lovely every year. Yes, they did quit blooming around mid-summer when it got really hot, but I've since read that if I had cut them back, they might have re-bloomed. I have several waiting to be planted right now and was planning to give them an area where some gets a little more sun than the rest. It will be interesting to see which ones do better!

Where do you live and where does the blog lady live? It can make all the difference.

In Oklahoma mine grows in partial/mostly shade and thrives. The one I have in full sun struggles. It desperately needs to be moved. I'm not sure how it ended up there!

I had some underneath a tree, in mostly shade. It did not really thrive there.

This is the only pic I have.

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Lisa

Here on Vancouver Island I have them growing in both full sun and afternoon shade. I find the one "Sweet Kate" I have growing in full sun not to be as sprawly as the ones in some shade. I think it depends on where you live as to where they will grow best. I sometimes cut mine right back after they finish flowering getting another flush of flowers later in the season. The link below is to a recent discussion on Spiderwort.

Annette

Here is a link that might be useful: Spiderwort question

They are a native plant in most of Missouri and grow in roadside ditches in shade and in full sun. I dug one up by the mailbox on the road and planted it on the east side of the house. It does great. Yes they will stop blooming in July but most perennials do not bloom all season so May to July is pretty good. When it gets ratty, I cut it down. I bought a reddish one and it gets morning and early PM sun, it is already on the ground so I will cut it back severely.

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I just have a picture of the blue native one, tradescantia ohiensis.

Yes, the plant that my pic comes from is quite sprawly, which probably does mean it could use a hair more sun than it gets :) This year I took a three panel tomato cage and used it as a "wall" to hold it off my walk. You can see it's hanging over the path there!

I have a few others that don't seem to sprawl as much.

Lisa

lisa, I'm in Oklahoma also. I may have a place to put it on the east side of the house, it will get mostly shade and some morning filtered sun there.

Do they spread? And I'll check out the thread about them. Thanks!

Different types I think just grow differently. I have Hawaiian Punch in full sun, it gets quite tall & leggy, then in mid June starts flopping over. About then I cut it back, it will often die back completely in July, but reappear when weather gets cooler & bloom again. Osprey & Bilberry Ice get a bit more shade, although Osprey doesn't get shade til after 2:00. They both do well, but get rough looking in July & then die back. I've had Bilberry Ice in full sun & partial sun, but it does better in more shade, at least for me. Sweet Kate is in full sun & stays nice & compact. They all rebloom for me when the weather gets cooler again.

Good grief, I didn't take the time to look for other spiderwort threads and the link above is only a few days old! lol.

Sorry, it's been a hectic day. :)

While I was and still am revamping a flower bed I gave my neighbor my Osprey, the plan is to get a piece back in the fall. She has it in full sun all day but this is the PNW :o).
I just whipped over and took a close up of a flower. A

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My observation is that the blooms open in the early morning shade and close when the sun shines on them. Each individual blossom lasts only a day.

Is that what you have observed?

Nell

Nell I haven't paid too much attention to that aspect of it, the pic I took of Osprey was around noon in full sun, Sweet Kate was still fully open but all the flowers have closed now I ran out and looked it's 3:20 here, yes each flower only lasts a day.

Annette who is hiding in the house staying out of the sun :o).

I have them down here in tropical s.e. FL and most of them are in full sun and they do well. They are one of my favorite flowers and they spread for FREE.

Annette I love that white one. It's a beauty. I hear you about staying out of the sun. :-)

FlowerLady

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Lots of Spiderwort in two beds, gone to sleep when the sun got hot.

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I later divided this big wad of spiderwort to make a line the length of the bed.

The only reason I leave this native thug where it is, is that it blooms continuously in the early spring before most other flowers get going. As soon as it gets ratty and poppies and larkspur get pretty, I whack it to the ground. Sometimes I dig some out, because it spreads. Your mileage may vary.

Nell

I posted a pic of my Osprey and posted it in the other Spiderwort thread (Spiderwort, a question); but I never knew that was its name until now. Thanks, Annette! Isn't is pretty? The blooms on mine open in the morning and are gone by afternoon - unless it's a cloudy rainy day like today.

I have the wild blue one. My son dug it up in a bar ditch, potted it and gave it to me. It is still in the same pot. I grow it in full morning sun, but filtered afternoon sunlight on the east side of my yard. It is shaded by a Redbud tree. It never sprawls and blooms on and on. When the flowers fade, I give it a hair cut and feed it and it blooms again. I just add fresh MiracleGrow garden soil or potting soil, either one, and water it, and in a few days, it is blooming again.

I've do see a red-violet var. sometimes growing amongst the blue ones. Must be a mutation of some sort. Very pretty. That Osprey is just plain gorgeous. I love that creamy color!
In May this year, it was blooming all over out here in the country. It was so pretty with the wild yellow Coreopsis, and Scarlet Indian Paintbrush. Just clumps of it here and in sunny meadows filled with Coreopsis and soft prairie grasses. Wish I had taken photos of the windflowers this year.

Pale Coneflowers and orange Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed) are in their glory right now with some Coreopsis still blooming. So beautiful!

~Annie

Well, if our fellow sourtherners are growing it in full sun in Georgia and Florida, apparently it will take full southern sun ;)

Lisa

This is another Tradescantia I have, I know what I bought it as but... I'm not sure it's what it's supposed to be. The first couple of years it had single flowers, the last few years it blooms mostly double with a few singles thrown in. In any case I think it's one of the prettier ones I've seen.

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I'm going to post this over on the Perennial forum also to see if anyone knows which cultivar it is.

Annette

Annette,i love that one!! Let us know what you find out about it.TFS
Kathi

I posted this on the perennial forum and the name that plant forum, hopefully someone will know which one it is. A

Kathy, mystery solved, I think :o). I bought this spiderwort from a mail order source, Sterling Perennials in Ontario along with 'Osprey' and 'Zwaneburg Blue' in the late 80's. 'Rondeau Sapphire' was one of their own introductions, I just found an old catalog of theirs and the color description seems to match.
The first few years it had single flowers and then it started throwing doubles so I guess it's just one more plant that has sported in my garden. Another spiderwort that is very close to mine in color is 'Mac's Double'.

Annette

Maybe the full/partial sun has to do with humidity, too? In coastal areas with lots of humidity, they can probably take more sun than in arid areas.

When I moved here ~ 25 years ago, I inherited a patch. Nothing special: they're rangy with sparse, plain purple blooms. Better suited to the edge of the woods than a prime location. BUT...

we're within 25 miles of a nuclear power plant, and the former owner told me Spiderwort is kind of like a canary in a coal mine when it comes to radiation detection. That may be an old wive's tale/urban legend, but I'm so happy to see them still alive every morning, even when not in bloom. LOL

I went out to one the nurseries today, I only went for a root stimulater type fertilizer, honest, that was all I was going for, well..... I was already there so why not have a quick look around.
My eyes just about popped out of my head, right in front of me was a whole flat of Blueberry Sundaes, soooo pretty and such big flowers. I was a goner, of course one had to come home with me. The flowers had closed by the time we got home so I'll take a pix tomorrow and post it.

Annette