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Houseplants

Tradescantia fluminensis 'Tricolor Minima'

spiderwort 'Tricolor Minima'

A trailing, evergreen perennial houseplant, with fleshy dark green leaves that are striped light pink and cream with a pink underside. Tiny white flowers are produced intermittently throughout the year

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Ultimate height

Up to 10cm

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Loam

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

H1C

Botanical details

Family: Commelinaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Spreading branched, Trailing
Potentially harmful: Skin allergen. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
Genus: Tradescantia can be trailing or tufted perennials with usually fleshy, evergreen foliage and distinctive, 3-petalled flowers
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in peat-free compost. Place in bright, filtered light but not direct sunlight. Pinch the growing tips to keep bushy and pinch out any plain green shoots of variegated cultivars. Plain green reverted shoots, if left, will take over the variegated growths.

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings using stem tips in spring and summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Houseplants
Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

Pinch growth tips to encorage bushiness and remove plain green shoots from variegated cultivars, to stop reversion

Pests

May be susceptible to red spider mite, mealybugs, aphids, vine weevil and thrips

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

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