Tradescantia garden is a perennial bushy plant, the height of which reaches 50-60 cm. A variety of species, resistance to frost and drought made this plant in demand in the landscape design.
Tradescantia garden perennial
This decorative flower belongs to the Commeline family and is represented by dozens of varieties. Unlike indoor tradescantia, street plants form bushes. All species may vary somewhat in appearance, but most of these colors have a similar structure.
Tradescantia Anderson
The pointed broad leaves with smooth edges can be painted in different shades of green: from light green to saturated dark. Tubular tall stems form dense thickets. Flowers of all types of tradescantias (including domestic ones) consist of three large petals. Stamens with large bright anthers rise in the center of the flower.
For your information! The flower blooms for 1 day, after which it fades and falls. The attractiveness of the bush is maintained due to the large number of flowers that replace each other daily.
Country of Origin
The natural habitat of this plant is the temperate and tropical zone of the United States. From northern Argentina to southern Canada, there are about two dozen species.
Tradescantia Virgin
The flower got its name in honor of the father and son of the Tradescant, who were collectors, travelers and natural scientists. For one of the popular species (Virginian tradescantia), the country of origin served as the starting point for creating a poetic name.
Popular views
In nature, there are dozens of varieties of this plant, however, on the territory of Russia, only a few representatives of the genus are most popular.
- Anderson. Dense bushes of this breeding variety can reach a height of 80-100 cm. Branches are characterized by increased fragility. Leaves up to 20 cm long are located on them. They are painted in saturated green color, and the flowers can be blue, white, pink or purple.
- Virgin. This variety has a more modest size: the average bush height reaches 30-40 cm. Arrow-shaped leaves of bright green or dark color are attached to erect sturdy stems. Blossoms in pink, bright red or light blue flowers. The Virginia tradescantia is undemanding in landing and care, which means it is suitable for most regions of the country.
- Long Rhizome. A miniature representative of the genus, which rarely exceeds 10 cm in height. On juicy fragile shoots there are light green leaves and flowers of delicate blue and pink color. This species is characterized by increased resistance to drought.
Long-rhizome tradescantia
- Giant. Such a tradescantia is a garden perennial flower, which, despite the name, grows no higher than 40 cm. You can recognize this variety by wider leaves and fluffy sepals.
- Ohio. This is one of the largest species, its bushes in natural conditions often reach 1-1.2 m. The leaves of the plant are large, wide, covered with a light whitish bloom. There are villi on the sepals. The buds are often painted pink or blue, but there are also white ones.
- Subaspera. Such a tradescantia on the street will surely attract attention. Its zigzag stems can reach a height of 1 m. The leaves of this plant are wide bright green, often bare, but may have villi. Petals of flowers have a pale blue color.
When the garden tradescantia blooms
With good care, the plant begins to bloom in the spring with the onset of warm time. Flowering period ends in late autumn. Due to this feature, perennial is widely in demand among flower growers and landscape designers.
Giant tradescantia
Tradescantia garden perennial: planting and care
Perennial propagates in three ways:
- dividing the bush;
- cuttings;
- seeds.
If you plant a tradescantia in the garden, cultivation and care will not require much time and effort.
- Watering. This is a moisture-loving flower that needs regular watering. The abundance of moisture is especially important for those shrubs that do not grow in a shaded place. In this case, to protect the soil from drying out, it is worth mulching it with mowed grass or straw. Many species tolerate mild drought persistently, but a permanent lack of moisture blocks growth and flowering.
- Top dressing. Tradescantia perennial requires regular fertilizer. Once a month will be enough. Mineral and organic compounds (compost, dung humus, bone meal) are suitable for this purpose. The first feeding takes place in April, the last is carried out in August.
- The disease. This plant rarely affects disease. One of the most common is the appearance of pupae of nematodes, slugs, and bronze beetles.
Place for tradescantia in the garden
Many gardeners are afraid to plant these plants in open ground. However, experts say that most species survive well in such conditions.
Note! Before landing, it is extremely important to choose the right place. Tradescantia in the garden does not tolerate direct sunlight. It is best to select slightly shaded areas, for example, under the crown of trees.
Tradescantia: landing and departure
Garden ampel tradescantia in landscaping
Landscape designers often use this shrub to decorate flower beds and artificial ponds, create flower arrangements in private homes, parks, kindergartens and other facilities. It should be remembered that for the tradescany of ampel street, it is necessary to create partial shade to protect the leaves from midday heat. For this reason, it is better to select places near the fences, in the lower tiers of the Alpine hills and the shadows of other structures.
A feature of species with high stems is that over time, the bush begins to lean to the sides. To achieve a neat appearance, this plant must be placed next to other flowers. In this case, natural support for the stems will be formed.
Important! Best of all, the street tradescantia is compatible with plants such as irises, ferns, geraniums, daylilies, geyhera, hosts and astilbe.
Tradescantia in the garden: cultivation and care
During the entire flowering period, wilted flowers should be cut. This stimulates regular bud renewal and prevents self-seeding. This approach will keep the garden well-groomed.
After flowering is over, the bushes are prepared for wintering. For this, the stems are cut off at the roots. Most varieties are frost resistant enough to survive the cold without warming, but it’s better not to risk it. You can insulate the roots by mulching with moss, humus or peat.
Tradescantia in a cache-pot on the street
To grow tradescantia in a flower pot on the street, you should choose low-growing varieties: long-rhizome, white-flowered with creeping shoots, Venezuelan and some others. Thanks to creeping branches, these varieties allow you to create a cascading composition with a scattering of flowers.
Given all of the above characteristics of this flower, we can conclude that caring for this plant is simple. Observing the schedule of watering and dressing the plant, you can achieve magnificent and long flowering.
