Tradescantia tharpii
Tharp's Spiderwort
Item #: 10610
Zones: 4a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Note: This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.
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Tradescantia tharpii is a little-known spiderwort named after the late Texas botanist Benjamin Tharp. His namesake hails from the hilly prairies and open woodlands in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. The small, 8" tall x 1' wide, deciduous, hairy-leaved rosettes are topped, starting in late April (NC), with clusters of violet to violet-blue flowers. After flowering ceases in late May, we recommend cutting the plant to ground for a new round of flowers and foliage. Tradescantia tharpii typically goes dormant for us in late summer. Tradescantia tharpii has been a top performer in our garden without the weedy reseeding traits of many of its cousins. Tradescantia tharpii is a moist woodland native plant, but it has also performed well for us in the dry, sunny rock garden.
