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.
