Description
Scientific name: Trandescantia ohiensis
Range: downstate Michigan
Light: Full sun, partial
Soil: Loam, sand, clay
Moisture: dry, medium, moist
Benefits: Birds, pollinators, Deer Resistant
Height: 2-4′
Blooms: June-July
Zones: 3-9
Color: lavender blue
Spacing: 1′
Root: Fibrous
Some people swear they will never again plant spiderwort. That’s because they didn’t start with Ohio spiderwort. Yes, it’s a spreader, and it’s vigorous, but it doesn’t conquer the world like some other spiderworts. It offers up cool foliage and lovely lavender blossoms at a time when not much else is blooming, which the pollinators definitely appreciate. It has a long bloom time, in part because its flowers open only in the morning and close in the afternoon, so do interplant it with some other lovely thing. Prairie Nursery recommends smooth penstemon, and who are we to disagree?
Ohio spiderwort flowers best in full sun and is not especially picky about soil and moisture. You can cut it back to six inches once the foliage starts to die back, which will minimize self seeding.
