Tradescantias are named after the
famous English plantsman John Tradescant the younger who discovered and
named the Genus in the 1630's.
They are a fascinating group of plants,
though not showy in the way that some other plant groups are, one for
the plant connoisseur who knows what they are looking at.
Having said this, these plants will
flower continually for months on end from mid to late spring into the
fall if deadheaded regularly. They do best in full sun, tolerating
partial shade for some of the day, the yellow leaved varieties coloring
up better in full sun.
Propagation is by division in the spring
or fall or by seed sown in mid spring, germination is slow and so the
pots used should be retained for several months rather than discarded.
