From Tiny Seeds to Airy Summer Towers

A friendly guide to sowing, growing and enjoying Spider Flower in Hungary.

 

Come Into the Garden With Me…

Today, we're growing Spider Flower - one of those annuals that can turn an ordinary summer border into something tall, airy and slightly exotic.

Its botanical name is Cleome hassleriana. The flowers sit high above the foliage in loose clusters, with long stamens stretching outward like delicate spider legs. From a distance the plant looks almost weightless; up close it is wonderfully strange.

At Holland Kerteszet, our range currently includes two beautiful forms: Spiderflower 'Rose Queen' - 0.75 g and Spiderflower 'White Queen' - 0.5 g. Together they give us the classic soft pink and clean white versions of this old-fashioned summer flower.

Spider Flower loves warmth and sunshine, which makes it very well suited to Hungarian summers once the plants are established. It can reach well over a metre in height, flowers for weeks, attracts bees and butterflies, and creates a see-through layer at the back or middle of a border without feeling heavy.

In this book, we will start with seed, learn why warmth matters, raise sturdy seedlings, plant them out after frost, cope with July heat and summer storms, keep the plants flowering, and decide whether to save seed for next year.

Ready? Let's grow a flower that looks as though a firework has paused in mid-air.

1. Meet Spider Flower

Spider Flower belongs to the caper family, Cleomaceae. Cleome hassleriana is native to South America and is grown in temperate gardens as a frost-tender annual.

What does it look like?

The plant develops upright branching stems with palmate leaves made up of several leaflets. At the top of each stem, clusters of pink, white or rose flowers open in succession. The long stamens project beyond the petals and create the characteristic spider-like effect.

How tall?

Most traditional Cleome forms are tall plants, often around 100-150 cm in good conditions. They are not ideal for the very front of a border, but they are excellent for adding height behind lower annuals and perennials.

Annual means one fast season

In Hungary, Spider Flower is grown as an annual. Frost finishes the plants in autumn, but by then one seed has had enough time to become a large flowering specimen and often to produce seed for the following year.

GOOD TO KNOW Spider Flower is tall, but it is visually light. You can see through the stems and flower clusters, so it adds height without creating a solid wall of foliage.

 

2. The Spider Flowers We Grow With You

Holland Kerteszet currently lists two classic Spider Flower colours. Their growing method is essentially the same, so you can raise them together and choose the colour that best suits your garden.

'Rose Queen' 

Rose Queen brings soft rose-pink flowers to the border. It is the warmer, more romantic choice and works beautifully with purple, burgundy, apricot and silver foliage.

'White Queen' 

White Queen gives the same airy flower shape in white. It is particularly useful for evening gardens, moon-garden schemes and borders where you want to lighten darker colours.

• Botanical name: Cleome hassleriana

• Common name: Spider Flower / Spiderflower

• Life cycle: annual in Hungary

• Position: full sun

• Habit: tall, upright and branching

• Best uses: borders, cottage gardens, pollinator planting and cutting gardens

• Main strengths: long flowering, heat tolerance once established and excellent vertical structure

WHICH ONE SHOULD I CHOOSE? Choose Rose Queen for warm pink colour, White Queen for a cooler, brighter effect - or mix both for a soft pink-and-white cloud above the border.

 

3. Finding the Right Place

Full sun first

Spider Flower performs best in full sun. Aim for at least six hours of direct light. In deep shade the stems stretch, flowering weakens and the plant becomes more likely to lean.

Warmth matters

This is a plant that really starts moving when the soil and air warm up. A south- or west-facing border can be excellent, especially if it is open enough for air to move around the foliage.

Soil

Ordinary fertile garden soil is fine as long as it drains well. Cleome likes moisture while actively growing, but it does not want permanently wet roots. Heavy Hungarian clay is easier to manage if the planting area is improved and slightly raised.

Allow room

Give each plant enough space to branch. Crowded cleomes can become tangled, and better spacing also improves airflow around the lower leaves.

HUNGARIAN SUMMER NOTE Once established, Spider Flower handles heat surprisingly well. The critical stage is earlier: do not rush young plants into cold spring soil just because the daytime weather feels warm.

 

4. Sowing Spider Flower From Seed

Cleome seed can sometimes germinate unevenly, so this is one of those flowers where patience is part of the process.

When to sow

For an early start in Hungary, sow indoors from March into April. Direct sowing can also work once the soil has warmed and frost danger has passed, usually from late April into May depending on the year and location.

How to sow

• Fill trays or small pots with a fine, free-draining seed compost.

• Water the compost before sowing.

• Place seeds thinly so seedlings have room to develop.

• Cover lightly with compost or vermiculite rather than burying deeply.

• Keep the compost evenly moist but never waterlogged.

• Provide warmth for germination and good light as soon as seedlings emerge.

Do not panic if they are slow

Cleome can be less uniform than zinnias or marigolds. Some seeds may appear quickly while others take longer. Keep the conditions steady rather than repeatedly changing temperature or watering because nothing has happened after a few days.

BEGINNER TIP Label the tray with the sowing date. It is much easier to be patient when you know exactly how long the seeds have actually been in the compost.

 

5. Raising Strong Seedlings

Light is essential

Once seedlings appear, give them as much light as possible. Warmth without light produces stretched stems, and a tall annual like Cleome is much easier to manage if it begins life compact and sturdy.

Potting on

When seedlings have true leaves and are large enough to handle, move them carefully into individual pots or modules. Hold the seedling by a leaf rather than squeezing the stem.

Do not overfeed

Young cleomes do not need heavy feeding. Rich nitrogen growth creates soft plants. A balanced compost and sensible watering are enough until planting time.

Hardening off

Gradually accustom the plants to outdoor sun, wind and cooler nights over about a week. Bring them back under protection if a genuinely cold night is forecast.

THE MASTER-BOOK RULE A slightly later, sturdy warm-season transplant usually overtakes a plant that was put outside too early and chilled.

 

6. Planting Out in Hungary

Wait until frost danger has passed

Cleome is frost tender. In much of Hungary, May is the practical planting-out month, with the second half of May giving the safest conditions in colder gardens or exposed sites.

Spacing

Space plants roughly 35-45 cm apart. They look small at planting time, but the branching framework expands quickly once warm weather arrives.

Planting

Plant at the same depth as the root ball, firm gently and water thoroughly. A thin mulch around - but not against - the stem can help conserve moisture during the first weeks.

Support before you need it

In sheltered gardens, mature Cleome often stands well on its own. In a windy garden, add discreet twiggy supports or stakes early so the plant can grow through them naturally.

A COMMON MISTAKE Planting Spider Flower too close together because the young plants look sparse. By midsummer, those gaps disappear.

 

7. Summer Care

Water deeply

During prolonged heat, water at the root zone rather than sprinkling the foliage every day. Deep watering encourages deeper roots and helps the plant cope with hot weather between irrigations.

Feed modestly

If the soil is reasonably fertile, a light balanced feed is enough. Too much nitrogen encourages a jungle of leaves and stems at the expense of flowers.

Deadheading

Removing faded flower clusters can keep the plant looking tidier and encourage continued bloom. However, if you want seed, leave some of the later flowers untouched so the long seed pods can mature.

Sticky stems are normal

Cleome stems and leaves can feel slightly sticky or glandular. This is a natural characteristic of the plant, not a sign that something has gone wrong.

HOT-WEATHER ROUTINE During July and August, check the soil early in the morning. Water when needed, then leave the plant alone through the hottest part of the day.

 

8. Bees, Butterflies and a Living Border

Spider Flower is excellent for a garden that should feel alive. The open flower clusters are visited by bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects throughout the warm season.

A useful height for pollinators

Because the flowers sit high above the surrounding foliage, visiting insects are easy to watch. Place the plants where you can see them from a terrace, kitchen window or garden path.

Keep the season going

Combine Cleome with flowers that bloom before and after it. Lavender, catmint and early salvia can begin the season, while asters, vervain and late zinnias carry pollinator food into autumn.

POLLINATOR PARTNERS Try Spider Flower with verbena bonariensis, cosmos, zinnia, scabiosa and salvia. The mix gives several flower shapes and feeding heights in one border.

 

9. Design Ideas With Spider Flower

The back of a border

This is the classic position. Cleome rises behind lower flowers, giving height without blocking the whole view.

Repeat, do not isolate

Three or five plants repeated through a border usually look more intentional than one lonely specimen. The airy stems then create a rhythm rather than a single tall interruption.

Rose Queen combinations

Rose Queen is lovely with dark dahlias, purple basil, burgundy amaranth, silver artemisia, white cosmos and soft apricot annuals.

White Queen combinations

White Queen works beautifully with lavender, blue salvia, purpletop vervain and ornamental grasses. In evening light, the white flowers remain visible after stronger colours begin to disappear.

Containers?

Cleome can grow in a large deep container, but it needs stability. Use a substantial pot, rich but well-drained compost and regular watering. Small balcony boxes are too shallow for the traditional tall forms.

DESIGN SECRET Use Cleome as a see-through plant. Place it where you want height, but still want glimpses of the plants behind it.

 

10. Cutting Spider Flower

Spider Flower can be cut for loose, garden-style arrangements, although the stems are less conventional than those of zinnias or snapdragons.

When to cut

Choose stems when several flowers are open but there are still buds above them. Cut in the cool of the morning and place the stems into water promptly.

Condition carefully

Remove lower leaves that would sit below the waterline. Because the stems can be slightly sticky, use clean secateurs and wash your hands after handling if your skin is sensitive.

Best style

Cleome looks most natural in loose arrangements with cosmos, grasses, ammi, scabiosa and other airy garden flowers rather than in tightly formal bouquets.

FOR THE VASE Think movement rather than symmetry. One or two tall Cleome stems can give a bouquet the same airy lift they give a border.

 

11. Problems - and What to Do

Plants are tall but not flowering

The most common causes are too much shade or too much nitrogen. Move containers into more sun and reduce rich feeding.

Lower leaves yellow

A few older lower leaves naturally decline as the plant matures. Widespread yellowing can also point to overwatering, poor drainage or exhausted container compost.

Plants lean after storms

Tall stems can be pushed sideways by wind and heavy rain. Add support early and plant groups where neighbouring stems help one another.

Aphids or whitefly

Tender new growth can sometimes attract sap-feeding insects. Encourage ladybirds and hoverflies, remove badly affected tips and avoid spraying open flowers if pollinators are active.

Seedlings fail after planting out

Cold soil, cold nights or root damage are common causes. Harden off properly and wait for genuinely warm conditions.

A COMMON MISTAKE Treating Cleome as though it were a cool-season annual. It wants warmth. Give it time, and growth accelerates dramatically once summer arrives.

 

12. Seed Pods and Saving Seed

After flowering, Cleome produces long narrow seed pods. These become one of the plant's most distinctive late-season features.

Saving seed

• Choose healthy plants with the flower colour you want to keep.

• Leave several late flower clusters to form pods.

• Wait until pods are mature and beginning to dry.

• Collect them on a dry day before they split and scatter seed.

• Dry the seed thoroughly indoors, then label and store it in a cool, dry place.

Will saved seed come true?

If Rose Queen and White Queen flower together, bees may move pollen between plants. Saved seedlings can therefore show some variation. If exact colour is important, fresh named seed is the most reliable choice.

A NICE COMPROMISE Deadhead most of the season for continuous flowers, then stop deadheading a few selected stems in late summer so you can collect seed.

 

13. A Simple Spider Flower Calendar for Hungary

MARCH  Begin indoor sowing if you want an early start. Keep the seed warm and evenly moist.

APRIL  Continue sowing under protection. Pot on seedlings and give them strong light.

MAY  Harden off and plant outside after frost risk has passed and the soil has warmed.

JUNE  Growth accelerates. Water deeply while roots establish and add support in windy gardens.

JULY  Main flowering begins. Water during heatwaves and remove faded clusters if you want more bloom.

AUGUST  Peak flowering. Enjoy bees and butterflies; continue cutting and watering when needed.

SEPTEMBER  Flowering continues. Leave selected late clusters to form seed pods.

OCTOBER  Collect mature dry seed before strong autumn weather. Remove plants after frost.

NOVEMBER-FEBRUARY  Clean and label saved seed, then plan next year's pink, white or mixed planting.

THE RHYTHM OF THE PLANT Spring is about warmth and patience. Summer is about height, flowers and pollinators. Autumn is about seed pods and deciding what you want to grow again.

 

14. Your Spider Flower Cheat Sheet

• Botanical name: Cleome hassleriana.

• Life cycle: frost-tender annual in Hungary.

• Holland Kerteszet varieties: Rose Queen ; White Queen.

• Position: full sun and warmth.

• Height: traditional forms often around 100-150 cm.

• Sow indoors March-April, or direct sow after the soil warms.

• Cover seed lightly and expect germination to be somewhat uneven.

• Plant out after frost danger has passed, usually in May.

• Space roughly 35-45 cm apart.

• Water deeply during prolonged heat, but avoid waterlogged roots.

• Feed lightly rather than heavily.

• Support in exposed or windy sites.

• Deadhead for tidiness and continued bloom; leave some late pods for seed.

• Excellent for bees, butterflies and airy border height.

IF YOU REMEMBER ONLY FIVE THINGS Warmth. Full sun. Patience at germination. Space to branch. Leave a few late pods if you want seed.

 

15. One Last Walk Around the Garden

We began with a few rather unremarkable seeds. Then came the waiting, the first seedlings, the moment they were finally warm enough to move outside, and the sudden rush of growth that arrives when summer settles over the garden.

By July, the little plants are no longer little. Tall stems rise above the border, pink or white flower clusters open one after another, and bees move between them while the rest of the garden seems to weave in and out behind the airy branches.

That is the charm of Spider Flower. It looks dramatic, but it does not feel heavy. It can be taller than many of its neighbours and still let the garden breathe.

Now you know how to sow it, why warmth matters, where to place it, how to keep it standing through summer storms, how to choose between Rose Queen and White Queen, and how to save a few seeds when autumn arrives.

Your own garden will teach you the rest: where the warmest wall is, how tall Cleome grows in your soil, whether Rose Queen looks better with burgundy or silver, and which butterflies discover the flowers first.

Until then, enjoy the flowers. And whenever you're ready to grow something new…

Come into the garden with me.