Cleome hassleriana
White spider flower, spider plant, prickly cleome: its long stamens extending beyond the corolla like slender legs have earned it its nickname. In white, the effect is spectacular at dusk—the flower seems to float in the fading light, and this is precisely when it releases its fragrance.
Characteristics:
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Architectural flowers: large white clusters with highly prominent stamens, giving them an elegantly tousled appearance.
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Tall annual: 1.20 to 1.50 m, ideal at the back of a flower bed or as a temporary screen.
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Very long flowering period: from July to October, as long as the sun is shining and the soil remains moist.
Precautions:
- Its stems bear small thorns at the base of the leaves: wear gloves when handling or cutting it.
- Its foliage is slightly sticky and gives off a strong smell when crushed—harmless, but worth knowing before planting it beside a narrow pathway.
- Frost-tender plant: it declines rapidly below 8–10 °C and is grown as an annual.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: full sun, in a warm position—it is a South American plant.
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Soil: ordinary, loose and well drained, while remaining moist in summer: this is the key to prolonged flowering. An addition of compost is beneficial, but avoid excess.
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Method: sow in pots under cover from March at 20–25 °C, or sow directly in place after the last frosts. Tip: placing the seeds in the refrigerator for a few days before sowing noticeably improves often erratic germination. See how to sow your seeds.
Planting advice:
- Transplant after the frosts, spacing plants 50 cm apart. Its height makes it an excellent choice for the back of a flower bed or as a summer screen along a fence.
Care advice:
- Water regularly to keep the soil moist. Discreet staking can help in windy locations.
- Remove the pods that form beneath the flowers to extend flowering through October.
Beneficial combinations:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its fragrant white flowers and long stamens are suited to nocturnal pollinators: hawk moths come to feed on them while hovering at dusk.
- During the day, bees and bumblebees visit it abundantly throughout its very long flowering period.
Uses:
- Backs of flower beds, borders, pathway edges, summer screens and large containers. Its flower stalks hold up well in bouquets.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Leave a few flowers to develop their long, slender pods, then harvest them when brown and dry, before they burst open—wear gloves, as the stems are prickly. Cleome also readily self-seeds. See storing your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose reproducible, non-hybrid varieties, test them for germination rates, and carefully sort and package them without any chemical treatment. Our conviction: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
A white spider flower that lights up at dusk.
