purple heart
Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart'
USDA zones9 to 11
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size6 to 12 inches tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Cascading
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Foliage color
- Deep purple
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Notes
'Purple Heart' (Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart') is a perennial for containers, ground cover, rock gardens, and accents. It grows outdoors year-round in USDA zone 9 and warmer, down to about 20°F (-7°C). In colder areas, grow it as a houseplant or bring it indoors for winter. This plant likes full sun to part shade and average to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It is not a favorite of deer, though hungry deer will eat almost anything. The deep purple leaves cascade over edges, and blooms appear from early to late summer.
Pairs well with Japanese forest grass, Green Spice coral bells, and Nasturtium.