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The Story of the Spiderworts and John Tradescant. The Spiderworts common name is obvious; the blooms look somewhat like spiders. (Wort simply means plant or root in Latin.) But the botanical name is more interesting.
These flowers are named Tradescantia after two very interesting Englishmen, a father and son, of the Elizabethan Age. John Tradescant, the Elder was a royal gardener and became very famous for his travels and exotic plants he brought home from the Continent. His son traveled much further. Even though he died in 1662, only 42 years after the Pilgrims arrived, he managed three different trips to Virginia. He introduced the North American Tulip Tree and other plants to Europe, but he and his father are immortalized forever in these beautiful American wildflowers. There are several wild species of Tradescantias in eastern America, with flowers ranging from blue to pink to white. All have the distinctive three-petaled form, and all are plants of wet places. Most hybrids today are created from crossing T. virginiana, the common blue Spiderwort, with other species in the group.
The Museum of Garden History in England celebrates the Tradescants, their travels, and their collections. You can visit their website and read even more: Click here to visit the Museum of Garden History.
SKU | 160PER3 |
---|---|
Common Name | Spiderwort |
Botanical Name | Tradescantia andersoniana |
Zones | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
Light Requirements | Half Sun / Half Shade |
Flower Color | Purple |
Mature Height | 14-18" tall |
Estimated Mature Spread | 12-18" wide |
Bloom Time | Early to late summer |
Planting Depth | Plant so that the top of the root is 1" below the soil line. |
Ships As | Bare Root |
Foliage | Gray-green grass like foliage. |
Native | Yes |
Planting Time | Spring / Summer |
Soil Type | Loamy Soil, Clay Soil |
Soil Moisture | Average, Well Draining |
Advantages | Deer Resistant, Containers, Native, Extended Blooms |
Ships to Hawaii, Alaska & Canada | No |
Shipping begins in late March based on ground temperatures, warmest zones first.
As soon as your order is placed you will receive an order confirmation email that will include your shipping information. We ship perennials and spring-planted bulbs at the proper planting time for your hardiness zone. Perennials and spring-planted bulb orders will arrive separately from seeds. If your order requires more than one shipment, there is no additional shipping charge. See our shipping information page for approximate ship dates and more detailed information. If you need express shipping or have any questions, please call Customer Service toll-free at (877) 309-7333 or contact us by email.
You will receive a second email the day your order ships telling you how it has been sent. Your order is scheduled to arrive at your door, fresh and ready to plant, usually within 3-5 days of leaving our warehouse, depending on your shipping address. We pack our plants to withstand up to 10 days in transit, in the event transit is delayed. We cannot guarantee arrival on a specific day. Please make sure to open your package upon receipt and follow the instructions included.
Reviewed by 4 customers
Displaying reviews 1-4
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Comments about American Meadows Spiderwort Red Grape:
HONESTLY I'VE ALWAYS BEEN HAPPY WITH PLANT PACKAGING AND DELIVERY
TIME, PLANTS ARRIVE VERY CLEAN, HEALTHY AND BURSTING
WITH ENERGY. THEY'VE GROWN BEAUTIFULLY AND SO FAR ARE
HEALTHY, AND SOOOO BEAUTIFUL ARE THESE SWEET LITTLE
FLOWERS. I FIND THAT BY CUTTING THE SPENT FLOWER
HEADS IS USEFUL IN KEEPING FOILAGE ERECT, MORE FLOWER
HEADS AND BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS ARE WAITING TO SHOW
OFF.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about American Meadows Spiderwort Red Grape:
Planted 6 in big pots a year ago to avoid feeding the gophers and didn't get many blooms. This year in May there are more blooms and the flowers are bigger. The leaves look a bit messy but love the flowers. The plants getting the most sun have more blooms. This area tends to be kind of cool but we've had some hot weather lately.
Comments about American Meadows Spiderwort Red Grape:
Out of 3 planted back in March (it's the end of May now; Zone 9)only one came up and is doing OK. Not thriving though. I think the heat is getting to it. Disappointing.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about American Meadows Spiderwort Red Grape:
I love the spiderwort plant. I have the purple and pink spiderwort both in my fish pond bog area and in my flower garden. It is like having iris' all summer. My plants are about six years old and very colorful. I thought a nice red would compliment the others. However, only one of the six is growing and produced nothing last year. The new pink variety all are growing and should be very colorful this year. They produced some flowers last year. They flower from early May to the frost in the fall. The red grape variety does not appear to be a healthy variety. Very disappointing to me as I really enjoy the spiderwort in the bog area. The purple variety works very well as a shallow water plant.
Displaying reviews 1-4
To determine if a plant is sufficiently cold hardy, the USDA created numbered zones indicating winter low temperatures; the lower the zone number the colder the winter.
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Merchant response: We apologize that your experience with our Spiderwort Red Grape was not what you expected. We fully guarantee all of our products and we would love to discuss possible solutions to ensure your success. We are here to help at your convenience.