Favorite Plants: October 2007 Archives

A few years ago while visiting the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens, a little low growing plant in a shady grove caught my eyes. I'd never seen it before, but it had a sign right by it (bless the Bot. Garden folks for a good job of signage - the bane of many public gardens), removing guess work and searching. The sign gave it a charming name, too - Widow's Tears - botanically Tinantia pringlei.

It looks a lot like a spiderwort or dayflower (Tradescantia), and indeed, widow's tears is a common name for several different types of spiderworts. The informative sign confirmed it was in the Commelinaceae family, and also indicated it is native to Northeast Mexico. A search revealed that Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery collected this gem from the Sierra Chiquita Mountains on a 1994 expedition to Mexico. Tony gives its common name as Speckled Wandering Jew. This intriguing, low-growing plant has dull green leaves with extensive dark-purple splotches covering the leaves. I had to have a cutting, and quickly got permission from the head horticulturist. They rooted easily, and found a home in a shady spot in my front yard. 

The next 2 years were a bit trying due to the grueling drought, but they didn't die!  This year, they not only grew luxuriantly and bloomed over several months, with attractive, small, medium blue flowers, but also started coming up hear and there (in true Commelinaceae fashion) - I hope it doesn't become a pest! Several of the Tradescantia clan can be invasive. I'll keep a watchful eye out, ready to eliminate every last one if it looks like a take-over plant. But, in the meantime, I'm enjoying Widow's Tears.

I've also been admiring a related plant, and a true Tradescantia (though a hybrid), in the IDEA Garden. She's called 'Sweet Kate', and has golden foliage in spring and early summer, fading to light green in late summer and fall, and is covered with sky-blue flowers for several weeks in the summer. 'Sweet Kate' has shown no indications of casting seedlings everywhere - maybe she is a sterile hybrid (or the Master Gardeners are doing a good job of deadheading). Click here to go to the IDEA Garden database to see 'Sweet Kate'.

When living in Corpus Christi, I enjoyed growing a plant called Firespike (Odontonema strictum). It's large, dark green glossy leaves emerged in late spring in a shaded spot in my yard, making a lush and luxurious clump. Then in late summer, firey red spikes emerged, drawing in every hummingbird to fight over the clusters of tubular blooms. When I moved 8 hours and almost 2 USDA cold hardiness zones north to Tyler, I figured had to leave this favorite tender tropical in containers. But, on a whim, I planted in a shady spot, and for the last 12 years have been enjoying firespike and fighting hummingbirds every fall. I'm testing out a new purple variety - supposedly not as hardy and vigorous - we'll see. It just started blooming in my garden. (click on image for a larger view)