Spiderwort
Common spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis). ©Photo by Ann Murrary, UF/IFAS
With spring arriving, you may see flowering plants popping up in your yard, including spiderwort.
Spiderwort is a clump-forming, upright perennial that’s native to Florida. It blooms in spring with one-inch flowers that have three petals and come in either white, pink, blue, or violet. Each flower lasts less than a day, but the plants put out new flowers for six to eight weeks.
Some people see spiderwort as a weed, since it volunteers so readily in certain landscapes. They may get frustrated trying to remove it, since its cut stems ooze a jelly-like sap.
Other gardeners enjoy spiderwort and even seek out some of the improved cultivars to plant in their gardens. It just goes to show that even in gardening, beauty truly is in the eye of beholder.