Purple Heart Plant Care Guide: How to Grow Purple Heart Plants

The purple heart plant (Tradescantia pallida)—also commonly called purple secretia or purple queen—is a fast-growing member of the spiderwort family, with dark purple leaves and long purple stems. The plants produce small pink and purple flowers, though the leaves are more attention-grabbing than the blooms.

Purple heart is a versatile plant. It works well as ground cover to add a pop of foliage color and flower color to your landscaping, or as a trailing border around rock gardens and other enclosed garden spaces. It will also thrive as a container plant on the patio, or in a hanging basket indoors or outside.

The purple heart plant is native to Mexico and was originally named Setcreasea pallida but was later reclassified in the genus Tradescantia by a botanist at the Royal Botanic Garden Kew in 1975. It’s still common to see the plant referred to by its former name, S. pallida or S. purpurea.

The showy purple heart plant is an evergreen perennial with a year-round growing season when planted outdoors in USDA hardiness zones 7–11. It will die back in freezing temperatures during the winters in northern climates, but the roots will remain alive, and new purple stems will appear in early spring. Bloom time in warm climates is from the late spring to early fall.

Plant purple hearts in a location with full sun to encourage bright purple foliage. The plant will also grow in partial shade, but without as much light it will appear greener with only touches of purple. Whether growing the purple heart indoors or outdoors as a container plant, choose a pot with drainage holes and use all-purpose potting soil.

The purple heart has a fast growth rate and will require some trimming to ensure it doesn’t take over the garden; otherwise, it is a low-maintenance plant. Here are tips to ensure bright flowers and deep purple foliage:

• Water regularly. Water your purple hearts regularly after planting them to encourage a well-established root system. The purple heart plant is relatively drought-tolerant, but you should water whenever the ground becomes dry or during periods of prolonged heat. If your purple heart is growing indoors, ensure the soil remains moist.
• Fertilize on a schedule. When growing them as houseplants, you should fertilize your purple hearts with a general-purpose liquid houseplant fertilizer twice a month from spring through fall, then just once a month during the winter.
• Prune often. Cut plants back after they’re finished flowering to encourage new growth. As the purple heart grows, you can pinch off the stem tips to create a fuller plant instead of allowing the stems to become long and spindly.
• Give it light. If you’re growing your purple hearts as indoor plants, place them in a spot where they will receive bright, indirect light. If your purple hearts live outdoors—for example, in a hanging basket—choose a location where the plants will enjoy some sunshine but not be burned.
• Try propagation. Purple heart plants are easy to propagate—just take a cutting from any part of the plant and place it in water until you see roots growing. This is a great way to ensure you always have a backup in case one plant reaches the end of its life.

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