Tom's Life Bits

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===== Sweet Kate is a charmer =====

By Catherine Bollinger, Correspondent

Most of my yard is one big natural area. It's full of trees and shrubs, but you won't find many formal plant beds as you wander around. We do have some mixed beds at the front of the house, but I wouldn't characterize those as formal, because that implies a level of control that I don't have. In my yard, plants do pretty much what they want, and I try to avoid confrontations whenever possible.

Over the years I have devised strategies to minimize conflict. One key is to grow plants that are not only lovely, but also well-suited to their locations. In my front beds -- packed with a mix of small trees, shrubs and flowers -- plants must provide at least three seasons of visual interest, tolerate hot summer sun and play well with others.

One favorite -- a spiderwort hybrid called Sweet Kate (Tradescantia x andersoniana 'Sweet Kate') -- flourishes beside my ornamental fountain pool, where it doesn't mind an occasional bit of extra water when thunderstorms cause the pool to overflow. You can't miss Sweet Kate -- the bright chartreuse leaves pull the eye. The contrast with the three-petaled purple flowers -- about 2 inches across -- makes Sweet Kate a showstopper. And the flowers keep coming all summer long.

Nearby shrubs and flowers with similar yellow-green hues keep the eye moving through the garden. But when Sweet Kate is blooming, she draws admirers -- both human and insect -- all day long.

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