A Plea for Purple Heart

All gardeners dream of the perfect plant that requires no maintenance, comes back every year, and remains strikingly beautiful nearly year-round.  There is one such plant in my landscape that I never have to fuss over and always looks the part.  One plant stands unflinching through summer heat or winter cold.  One plant is never fazed by excessive rainfall or parching drought.  One plant remains unbothered by pesky insects or disease.  That plant is Purple Heart (Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’) and it will always have a place in my garden.

Purple Heart is a tender perennial groundcover native to tropical Mexico and, as its name might imply, purple is the primary hue the species adds to landscapes.  A true all-round performer, Purple Heart offers stunning purple foliage and small purplish-pink, pollinator-attracting flowers from spring green up to the first killing frost.  In some mild winters, Purple Heart even behaves as an evergreen in the Panhandle!

Purple Heart planting in July. Photo courtesy of Daniel Leonard.

Since attractive foliage is the primary draw with Purple Heart, siting it to maximize leaf color is important.  For the deepest, most vivid shades of purple, plant in full sun; 6 or more hours of direct sunlight is ideal.  Also, like many tropical plants, Purple Heart will look its best with ample moisture but, once established, is among the most drought tolerant options for Panhandle landscapes.  I’ve found my Purple Heart stands look their best with occasional watering during extremely hot, dry periods, but other than that, they thrive on rainfall alone.

If there is a drawback to the species, it might be a little too vigorous and easy to grow.  Because plantings can rapidly grow and expand, rooting along stems as it goes, Purple Heart can sometimes become weedy in landscapes.  In my experience, Purple Heart plays nicely in the landscape with other perennials and isn’t aggressive to the point of choking out its neighbors.  However, if you desire an extremely neat and orderly landscape, Purple Heart’s freewheeling nature might best be used as a spiller plant in large containers or planted in an area confined by hardscape features.

If you decide to color your landscape purple with Purple Heart, plants can be found for sale at nearly any garden center or nursery and are extremely easily propagated, making it a popular passalong plant – chances are you might know someone who would willingly share a cutting (or three) with you.  For more information on this popular purple perennial or any other horticultural topic, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension county office.  Happy gardening!