PlantFiles: Prairie Spiderwort, Western Spiderwort
Tradescantia occidentalis

This plant is native to most parts of Louisiana. It grows wild in most yards of my town. I've seen purple, blue, pink, and white flowers on these 'weeds'. I've tried to dig up and save the pink flowered ones, but the next year the flowers came back purple. Maybe the color differences are due to environment instead of the plant itself. It makes large roots that survive year round in south LA. It also spreads from seed, which makes it pretty invasive. It blooms profusely in the spring and dies off in the heat of the summer, to return the next spring.

I thought this was the one I had here, but then I saw the one labeled "Virginiana", so that may be it, since I don't live in the west...I'm confused, as they look alike to me.

It spreads when it is happy and the leaves seem to get floppy in mid to late summer. I find that it does very well after cutting it down to the ground in early August. I get all new leaves and some blooms... which looks much nicer than the floppy leaves. I don't recommend it for a more formal styled garden though as it looks kind of messy.

Sudie Goodman, Zone 8b, Broaddus, Southeast TX
I am thankful this lovely, blue plant is growing on my property.
It is disease, insect, and drought proof, oh yes, no fungi problems.

I have no problem with it getting out of bounds by mowing regularily.

I have found that although tradescantias do blooms all season long, the leaves often look messy destroying the beauty of the flowers. I also found them to be highly invasive, once planted in the flower beds, they are almost impossible to remove. It will even more in in a moist location. Very hardy.

Planted more than twenty years ago, these plants come back year after year. Some of ours grow in full shade and are just as lovely as the ones growing in partial shade.