My Favorite Weed

Every spring, grass-like clumps of growth start showing up in my back yard.  My wife is carefully instructed not to mow these down as they will eventually lead to these cute little blue flowers that look so cottagey and nice.  These clumps are the wildflower tradescantia that is native to my area.  It is also known as spiderwort.

I have never planted them and do not give them any care beyond not mowing them until they cease blooming and start to yellow.  They thrive in the back yard and add cheer to my daily walks.  They will eventually form a clump about 2' x 2' in size.  There is no fragrance to speak of.  Towards the end of spring, we mow them down and they disappear until the following spring.  Their bloom time lasts for about a month in my yard and is usually around the same time as the irises and azaleas.  The blooms on mine are medium blue and they close up when the sun gets hot around mid-day.  They will do best in part shade with moist soil.  They might be a good plant for a cottage style garden.  As it is, I will just let mine keep growing where they please in my back yard.

Spiderwort and more

What is this dimunitive little flower growing all over my yard every spring? It's tradescantia, otherwise known as spiderwort. It grows wild here in my part of Louisiana. It's cute and springy, so I try to mow around them till they are finished.

My purple bearded irises are going crazy again this year. I don't know what kind this is, they are just the old-fashioned purple ones and they are very fragrant. Jo has a bouquet in the kitchen right now that is smelling up the whole house. I've been told that other types of bearded irises don't do well here, but I'm thinking about trying some out just to see.

Why would I put a picture of such a boring little flower shrub? Well, this is a sweet tea olive or osmanthus fragrans (we call them sweet olives) and it's fragrance will fill an entire yard. It gets tall and full and it is evergreen. My mom has 3 huge ones that you can smell as soon as you get out of your car at her house. Everybody in the South should have at least one of these! I think they would make a good hedge too. Want another good reason to have them? Well, they bloom nearly all year, though late winter/early spring seems to be the best time. Don't try them if you live north of Arkansas because they can't take the cold.