white velvet
Tradescantia sillamontana
RHS AGM 1993
USDA zones10 to 12
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size12 inches tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Habit
- Ascending
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Pink, purple
- Foliage color
- Gray/silver, green, purple/lavender, variegated
- Soil types
- Loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Notes
White velvet (Tradescantia sillamontana) is a perennial for containers, rock gardens, and xeriscape. It grows outdoors year-round in USDA zone 10 and warmer, down to about 30°F (-1°C). In colder areas, grow it as a houseplant or bring it indoors for winter. This plant likes full or part sun and dry to moist, loamy soil. Its fuzzy gray leaves are evergreen, and it is drought tolerant. It is not a favorite of deer, though hungry deer will eat almost anything. Pink or purple flowers add color.
Pairs well with Tuscan Blue rosemary, Spanish dagger, and Stella de Oro daylily.
Native range
North America.