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Plant care

Queen Mix Spider Flower (Spider Flower) care

Cleome hassleriana

Also called Spider Flower, Spider Plant, Bee Plant, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant.

RHS H2USDA 2-11Mildly toxic to petsIndoor 90-150 cm tall

Watering rhythm

7-10days

When the top 3-4 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-10 days

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Light

Direct sun (at least 4-6 hours)

Soil

Well-drained, average to fertile garden soil

Humidity

40-65%

Temp

18-32°C

Pet safety

Mildly toxic to pets

Mature size

90-150 cm tall

Care at a glance

Light

Most houseplants will scorch where queen mix spider flower thrives. Give it the windowsill you'd otherwise leave empty because everything else burned there. Full sun is strongly preferred — at least 6-8 hours daily for the tallest, most floriferous plants. Cleome tolerates light shade but becomes significantly taller and less floriferous, and the stems weaken, often requiring staking. A plant moved abruptly from low light to direct sun bleaches in 48 hours — always acclimatise over a week.

Watering

Aim for when the top 3-4 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-10 days for queen mix spider flower, but treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. A south-facing summer windowsill will dry the pot twice as fast as a north-facing winter room. Lift the pot; if it feels noticeably lighter than it did wet, water it. Moderately drought-tolerant once established outdoors; deep, infrequent watering encourages a strong taproot. Avoid overhead watering — the sticky, hairy stems and foliage trap moisture and can develop fungal issues. Newly transplanted seedlings need more regular watering until established.

Soil and pot

Queen Mix Spider Flower grows best in well-drained, average to fertile garden soil. Thrives in most garden soils with a pH of 6.0-7.0. Overly rich or wet soils produce enormous but floppy plants that need staking. Moderately fertile, well-drained soil delivers the best balance of height and self-support. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Queen Mix Spider Flower sits happiest at around 40-65% humidity and 18-32°C (65-90°F). Adaptable to a wide range of humidity levels; hot and dry conditions are tolerated well. Very high, stagnant humidity can encourage powdery mildew on the large leaves. Open, airy planting in full sun naturally prevents most fungal issues. If you keep the room above 18 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed queen mix spider flower sparingly. Incorporate a balanced granular fertiliser at sowing or transplanting time. In moderately fertile soils further feeding is generally unnecessary. In poor soils, a monthly dilute balanced liquid feed through the growing season sustains the long flowering period. Avoid excessive nitrogen. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on queen mix spider flower in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

  • Self-seeding too freely — Cleome is a prolific self-seeder; deadhead promptly if you want to control spread, or leave a few seed heads for a manageable colony next year.
  • Skin irritation from handling — The sticky, aromatic foliage causes contact irritation in some people; wear gloves and long sleeves when deadheading or removing plants.
  • Aphids — Large colonies of aphids can build up on stems in warm weather; treat with insecticidal soap or blast off with a firm water jet.
  • Powdery mildew — Common on crowded plants in dry conditions; thin plantings and treat early with a bicarbonate-based spray.
  • Slow start in cold soil — Seeds are slow to germinate below 18°C; wait until soil is thoroughly warm before direct sowing, or start indoors under heat.

Companion plants

Queen Mix Spider Flower pairs well with Cosmos, Nicotiana, Verbena bonariensis, and Tithonia. These are species with similar light and water needs, so you can group them in the same room or on the same shelf and water as a batch.

Propagation

Direct sow into warm soil from late spring by pressing seeds onto the surface and lightly raking in; cold-stratify seeds in the refrigerator for 2 weeks before sowing to improve germination rates. Alternatively, start indoors at 21-24°C, 4-6 weeks before last frost; germination takes 10-14 days. Handle with gloves. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Queen Mix Spider Flower is mildly toxic to pets. The ASPCA does not list Cleome hassleriana as toxic to dogs or cats. However, the foliage and stems produce a strongly scented, mildly irritating sticky resin that can cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals and mild gastric upset if significant quantities are ingested; rated mildly-toxic as a precaution. Wear gloves when handling. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Queen Mix Spider Flower care — frequently asked questions

What is the common name for Cleome hassleriana?

Cleome hassleriana is most commonly called Queen Mix Spider Flower, but it is also known as Spider Flower, Spider Plant, Bee Plant, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant. The names refer to the same species, so care instructions for Queen Mix Spider Flower apply identically to anything sold as Spider Flower.

How much light does queen mix spider flower need?

Queen Mix Spider Flower grows best in direct sun (at least 4-6 hours). Full sun is strongly preferred — at least 6-8 hours daily for the tallest, most floriferous plants. Cleome tolerates light shade but becomes significantly taller and less floriferous, and the stems weaken, often requiring staking.

How often should I water queen mix spider flower?

Water queen mix spider flower when the top 3-4 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-10 days. Moderately drought-tolerant once established outdoors; deep, infrequent watering encourages a strong taproot. Avoid overhead watering — the sticky, hairy stems and foliage trap moisture and can develop fungal issues. Newly transplanted seedlings need more regular watering until established. The finger-test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) beats a fixed weekly calendar because pot size, light, and season all change how fast the soil dries.

Is queen mix spider flower toxic to cats and dogs?

Queen Mix Spider Flower is mildly toxic to pets. The ASPCA does not list Cleome hassleriana as toxic to dogs or cats. However, the foliage and stems produce a strongly scented, mildly irritating sticky resin that can cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals and mild gastric upset if significant quantities are ingested; rated mildly-toxic as a precaution. Wear gloves when handling.

What USDA hardiness zone does queen mix spider flower grow in?

Queen Mix Spider Flower is rated for USDA zone 2-11 (frost-tender annual, self-seeds in zones 7+) and RHS hardiness H2. Outside that range, grow it as a container plant that overwinters indoors before the first hard frost.

Queen Mix Spider Flower deep-dive guides

Every aspect of queen mix spider flower care, each with its own calibrated guide:

Featured in these plant shortlists

Queen Mix Spider Flower qualifies for 4 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

Related guides

Queen Mix Spider Flower is also known as Spider Flower, Spider Plant, Bee Plant, and Rocky Mountain Bee Plant.