Design with Cleome
Cleome is the super-model of the landscape: statuesque and slightly unkempt yet strikingly beautiful and, in its own way, elegant. Spider flower, as it is also called, is a tall plant that we use for dramatic color up high. Normally it reaches 5–6 feet but newer varieties, like ‘Senorita Rosalita’ that we grow, are a bit shorter at 2–4 feet. That’s still tall, so we often use this plant in the middle or toward the back of a border. Sometimes we treat it like a shrub and make a hedge out of it.
You rarely see just one cleome in a landscape—it’s often planted in stands. The uniquely shaped lavender-pink flowers create a wide swath of color at an eye-catching height. We also use cleome in large monoculture containers, or set it as the thriller in the middle of a combination. Lower sun-loving plants look nice surrounding it—like Rudbeckia ‘TigerEye™’. Be sure to use a container that measures at least 16 inches when working with cleome. Also remember that spider flower is covered with thorns and requires special handling or gloves, except for our ‘Senorita Rosalita’—it’s thornless.
With cleome, it’s go big or go home—this is a plant to use when you need to create a large display. It’s often used in zoos and parks where there is a broad space to fill.
‘Senorita Rosalita’ is available in the 8-inch pot.
Rudbeckia ‘TigerEye™’ comes in the 8-inch pot as well.
