Consider
the Spiderwort
by
Julie Lavender
When
I step off the porch to begin my walk, I spot the Virginia spiderworts
bordering the sidewalk. Dainty flowers sit atop upright but flimsy stalks and
the leaves stretch long and thin. And the flowers – oh, the flowers – exquisite
and delicate and lovely.
I’m
most likely partial to the flowers because of the coloration. The spiderwort
displays three purple petals surrounding yellow anthers and purple, hair-like
filaments.
Surprise!
I
remember when my husband, David, brought home the first spiderwort plant. He’d
confiscated it from the yard at an old abandoned homeplace on my brother’s property
in the next county over.
“Look
– your favorite colors, sweetie. Purple and yellow.”
David
loves picking wildflowers; it’s his love language to me, and I have adored it
for well over thirty years now.
We
didn’t know the flower by name at the time, but he thought if he replanted it
carefully, we could enjoy it for a season.
Taking root
Little
did we know just how hearty this dainty flower was! Turns out, the Tradescantia virginiana by scientific
name is a self-sowing perennial that practically takes care of itself.
