Wildflower Wednesday: Spiderwort

For this month's Wildflower Wednesday post, I am sharing a humble and lovely plant -- Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana). I first came across this flower 15 years ago at a neighborhood yard sale, where they had self-sown all along the driveway. The neighbor was selling plants from her garden for a few bucks each so I asked for a piece of this plant and brought it home to plant along a newly laid-out garden bed in fairly dry, part-shade.


Since this it has reliably returned and self-seeded along the path here-and-there, but is not aggressive and never need any care. I mean literally ZERO care. I never cut it back, water it, fertilize it, weed it nada, nothing. It has no serious insect or disease problems plus a long blooming period. Occasionally, a stem falls over into the pathway. I simple step on it and keep going -- it is that resilient.

If you are looking for a native wildflower to plant that is truly no-maintenance, Spiderwort is a great choice.

Wildflower Wednesday is about sharing wildflowers from all over the world. It was started by Gail Eichelberger on her "Clay and Limestone" blog. It is always on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

Wildflower Wednesday: Bachelor's Buttons

This month I decided to dive into Gail Eichelberger's Wildflower Wednesday garden blog meme. For my first entry, I chose a wildflower that has self-sown in my community garden plot and is blooming abundantly right now -- Bachelor's Buttons aka Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus).

Though they are not native to the Eastern US, they have naturalized well and provide a nice food pollinator source. They do self-seed, but are easy enough to yank out where you don't want them and don't run riot over other plants.

This old-fashioned heirloom is great as a cut flower, and, of course, worn as a boutonniere or stuck in a hat band!

By the way, they are famous for their brilliant blue color, but they also come in white and pinks.

You will find Bachelor's Buttons in most commercial "wildflower" seed mixes or you can buy straight Bachelor's Buttons seed packs. They need little from you. Just a spot in full sun. If they get too leggy, simply cut them back or place a tomato cage or peony ring around them.

Wildflower Wednesday is about sharing wildflowers from all over the world. It was started by Gail Eichelberger on her "Clay and Limestone" blog. It is always on the fourth Wednesday of the month.