Meet the Purple Heart

Purple Heart | Tradescantia pallida

How do you know it’s me?:

• I am a low-growing tender perennial. In cooler climates I’m grown as a houseplant or annual.

• I have long lance-shaped leaves, in a deep purple color. They are covered in tiny hairs.

• My leaves are alternate, and often curl in at the edges to create a flume shape.

• My flowers appear at the ends of my stems, usually in the nook between leaves. They are small, 3-petaled, and have bright yellow stamens.

How big do I grow?: 1’ - 2’ height and spread.

Sun-seeker or shade-lover: Full sun to part shade. Best foliage color in full sun. I am tolerant of salt and drought.

Where I prefer to put my roots: Well-drained, rich soils.

Hardiness: Tender perennial in Zone 8 -11. When grown in cooler zones, I’m used as an annual.

Original home: I am native to Mexico.

Colors: Pink or purple flowers and colorful foliage.

When I bloom: Midsummer.

Wildlife friends: I am not a significant pollinator plant, but sometimes attract bees.

Flora Fun Facts: My flowers typically only bloom for one day.

More Info: Often grown as an annual for its colorful foliage, Purple Heart is an outstanding “spiller” for planters, or a vibrant groundcover. Almost snake-like in its long leaves and ropey stems, it adds an interesting texture to the garden.

• A member of the Commelinaceae (Spiderwort) family.

• Can grow as a groundcover or a trailing plant - perfect for a wall, planter, or rock garden.

• Also called Purple Spiderwort.

• Pinching back this plant to a leaf node will promote more of a bushy growth habit.

• Purple Heart is easily propagated. Take a stem cutting and place it in water, and roots will form.

• The sap from the leaves and stems can sometimes cause skin irritation.