Sweet Kate Spiderwort

Other Names: Widow's Tears

Ornamental Features:

Sweet Kate Spiderwort features beautiful clusters of royal blue flowers at the ends of the stems from early to late summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. It's attractive grassy leaves emerge gold in spring, turning chartreuse in colour throughout the season. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.

Landscape Attributes:

Sweet Kate Spiderwort is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance perennial, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Sweet Kate Spiderwort is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• General Garden Use
• Mass Planting
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Border Edging

Plant Characteristics:

Sweet Kate Spiderwort will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As this plant tends to go dormant in summer, it is best interplanted with late-season bloomers to hide the dying foliage.

This perennial does best in partial shade to shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder zones. This plant can be propagated by division.

This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.