Spider Flower, Cleome – Care & Propagation

location

So that the spider flower can fully develop its unrestrained zest for life in the one season that is available to it, it hungers for nutrients and every single ray of sunshine.

• Fresh, nutrient-rich soil.
• Humous, well-drained soil without waterlogging.
• Common potting soil is suitable as a substrate for planters.
• Preferably in full sun, warm and sheltered from the wind.

The spider plant knows how to arrange itself well with a partially shaded location. Of course, gardening enthusiasts will have to accept slight compromises in terms of the abundance of flowers. The Cleome will refuse completely when faced with a waterlogging, cold floor.

Watering and fertilizing

The prudent hobby gardener always keeps an eye on the water supply so that the spider flower doesn’t just make a short guest appearance in the flowerbed or tub during a dry, hot summer. The same applies to the supply of nutrients, because the Cleome has nothing in common with the hunger artists among the garden flowers.

• The potting soil is allowed to dry out, but it should not dry out.
• If the summer drought threatens, the spider plant is watered daily.
• If possible, do not water overhead, but rather directly at the roots.
• Repeatedly fertilize with manure or good garden compost.

In potted culture, the beauty of the flowers shows a higher water consumption than in garden soil. The ‘thumb test’ quickly provides information on how the moisture in the root ball is doing. Regardless of this, the knowledgeable gardening enthusiast empties any coaster no later than 20 minutes after the water has been added. The risk of waterlogging in the lower root area is simply too great.

Tip : As a matter of principle, do not put mineral-organic fertilizers on the dry substrate, but only apply after watering.

To cut

The annual spider flower is not pruned in the true sense of the word. Nonetheless, it has a positive effect on the ability to flower if faded and withered parts of the plant are cut out every few days. In addition, the knowledgeable hobby gardener removes the capsule fruits early on. Otherwise, the Cleome would invest a large part of its energy in their growth and reduce the number of new flowers. Only the inflorescences in autumn remain on the stem, if a flower lover considers self-sowing to be desirable.

The straight upwardly directed stems make a pretty vase decoration. Cut at an angle with a sharp knife, they decorate the home for a week or more. With a tiny drop of washing-up liquid applied to the filled flower water, experts for cut flowers dissolve the surface tension, which further extends the shelf life.

Overwinter

For one summer, the stately spider flower blooms with all its might well into autumn. If the growing season is coming to an end, the plant has completely exhausted itself, so that wintering in the house has no chance of success. The associated effort is hardly worth it anyway, given the unproblematic multiplication.

Multiply

The hobby gardener collects the ripe seed pods at a suitable time in autumn in order to store them for sowing in the coming spring. It should be noted, however, that the seeds of the hybrids do not guarantee single-variety reproduction. If the creative gardening enthusiast has a specific flower color in mind, it is advisable to purchase the seeds from specialist shops.

• A good time to sow under glass is in March.
• The seeds swell in a bowl of room temperature water.
• A seed tray filled with seed compost, small seed pots or peat press pots are available.
• Sow the seeds in it and then sift them thickly with substrate.
• Spray with water and cover with a glass plate or cling film.
• At 18 ° Celsius and higher, germination begins after 3 weeks in the bright window seat.

If the temperatures are below 18 ° Celsius, germination takes a little longer. Below 14 ° Celsius there will be no life in the seeds. If the seed pot becomes too tight after germination, the pricking stick can help. In larger individual pots, the young spider flowers now have the opportunity to spread unhindered and to form a strong root system. So that they really exert themselves, the substrate still consists of nutrient-poor potting soil, under which there is a thin layer of compost. The cover can be omitted in this phase, provided that the fast-growing plants touch them.
Direct sowing is not recommended, because the start-up time until it is in full bloom extends far into summer. On top of that, unprotected seeds in the bed are welcome prey for birds, mice, snails and other animals.

Plants in the bed

In the second half of May, when the last frosts have passed, the hobby gardener plants his Cleome in the intended location. If he did not have the time to cultivate on his own, well-stocked garden centers have ready-made spider flowers in numerous varieties in spring.

• Clean the planting area of ​​weeds, roots and stones.
• Improve heavy soil with sand for good permeability.
• Enrich very sandy soil with compost and horn shavings.
• Create small planting pits with a drainage on the sole.
• Put the spider flower in the ground, press it down and water it abundantly.

Cleome put themselves in the limelight very well when they are planted in small groups of three. The planting distance between the individual flowers is around 40 cm. The spider plant masters the somewhat delicate phase of growth without any problems if it is sufficiently watered.

Tip : If the gardener takes the time to peel off every seedling, this simple measure promotes a lush abundance of flowers.

Plants in the tub

Spider flowers in the large tub offer a breathtaking flower spectacle on the balcony and terrace. If the unusual appearance of the bizarre flower heads is repeated in different places in the garden, this arrangement gives the impression of stylish harmony.

• Only planters with drainage in the ground are suitable.
• Lay a drainage system over the opening, consisting of gravel, lava granulate or perlite.
• Plant the Cleome in the potting soil, press down the substrate and water.

A sufficient watering edge prevents wet earth from spilling over during watering. As in the bed, the spider plant in the bucket grows into an enchanting bush in a group of three. The flowers between each other should keep a minimum distance of 40 cm. If they are too close, there is an increased risk of fungal infections and the formation of rot on rainy days.
Imaginatively combined

The light and airy spider flower attracts even hidden creative talents in the hobby gardener. Thanks to the pretty flowers, proudly enthroned on straight stems and an average size of 100 cm, it is ideal as a sublime background plant, side by side with its peers and as a decorative underplant. She cultivates stylish neighbors with other annual summer flowers, such as decorative baskets (Cosmos), zinnias (Zinnia), foxtail (Amaranthus) or ornamental sage (Salvia coccinea). Magical eye-catchers are created especially in a balanced collective with perennials and grasses:

• Dahlien (Dahlia)
• Flammenblume (Phlox)
• Sun hat (Echinacea)
• Rutenhirse (Panicum)
• Lampenputzergras (Pennisetum)

Last but not least, within the clustered flower beds of the perennial beds, the Cleome provides a distinctive loosening up every year.

Diseases and pests

The spider flower is not allowed to enjoy its existence completely untroubled by infections and pests. On the other hand, experience has shown that attentive care in connection with a species-appropriate location strengthens the resistance so that uninvited viruses, spores or caterpillars have to work very hard if they want to infect the cruciferous plant.

Aphids
The tiny pests target the tender shoots and leaves of the young plants in particular. Aphids use their pricking tools to suck out the sap until the foliage bends and changes color. The injured tissue areas use the spores of various fungal infections as a gateway to the inside of the plant. Since aphids also excrete honeydew, they attract hosts of ants. The experienced hobby gardener therefore endeavors to recognize an infestation at an early stage in order to eliminate the plague with biological means:

• Clean the aphid-covered shoots and leaves.
• A powerful jet of water washes away the pests.
• Spray repeatedly with a mix of curd soap, alcohol and water.

Sooty mildew
Where aphids can spread unmolested, there is a risk of the fungal disease sooty mildew as a consequential damage. The symptoms are mainly expressed in a black coating on the leaves, which brings photosynthesis to a standstill, whereupon the spider flower dies. This is fatal in the perennial bed because infection threatens perennial plants.

• Remove and burn affected Cleome.
• Repeated spraying with nettle manure has a preventive effect.

Black weevil
Various types of black weevil have specialized in herbaceous garden plants such as the spider flower. The adult beetles feed on the leaves and flowers while their larvae attack the tender roots. Since weevils generally cause great economic damage, there are various effective control methods to choose from, from which the afflicted hobby gardener can benefit.

• Apply special nematodes if they occur over a large area.
• Set up a nematode trap every 6 weeks against adult beetles.
• Crumble the neem press cake and spread it around the plants.
• Attract predators of the beetles, such as birds, hedgehogs, millipedes or toads.

As a rule, problems that arise can of course be traced back to neglect of care, such as waterlogging, drought or over-fertilization. The weakened spider flower is then easy prey for pests.

Nice varieties

As a large genus, Cleome has produced some graceful species and varieties whose charming charisma an enthusiastic hobby gardener can hardly avoid.

Spider flower ‘Fesche Fanny’ (Cleome ‘Fesche Fanny’)

• Height of growth 60 cm.
• Flowers in delicate purple.
• Brushes itself and has no thorns.

Spinnenblume ‚Helen Campbell‘ (Cleome spinosa ‚Helen Campbell‘)

• Growth height up to 100 cm.
• Brilliant white claw blossoms.
• Proven rainproof variety.

Spinnenblume ‚Kirschkönigin‘ (Cleome spinosa ‚Kirschkönigin‘)

• Growth height up to 120 cm
• Lush, carmine-red flowers.

Spinnenblume ‚Colour Fountain‘ (Cleome hassleriana ‚Colour Fountain‘)

• Growth height up to 100 cm.
• Multi-colored, 15 cm large flowers in white and pink.

The specialist trade has a large number of very beautiful seed mixtures available, which in appealing tone-on-tone colors ensure a varied appearance in beds and tubs without being too colorful.

Conclusion

The spider flower conjures up filigree lightness in herbaceous borders, cottage gardens, flower beds and large buckets. Their flower gala only lasts for one summer; but maintenance and propagation are easy to do. A sunny location, nutritious, well-drained soil and a dose of water at the right time are more than enough for Cleome to produce exotic-looking flowers in abundance. If the ambitious withered and seed pods regularly cut out, the cruciferous plant will thank you for the effort with incessant vitality until well into October.