How to Grow Purple Heart
Tradescantia pallida
Purple Heart is a fast, forgiving trailing plant with long violet leaves and small pink flowers in summer. Give it as much light as you can, ideally a few hours of direct sun, because the purple colour fades to green in shade. Let the top few centimetres of soil dry between waterings, feed lightly in spring and summer, and pinch the tips often to keep it bushy. It is a classic houseplant, and in warm climates (USDA zones 9-11) it is also grown outdoors as a drought-tolerant groundcover or container plant. Cuttings root in water within a week or two.
In your Leaftide garden 
- Height
- 30 cm
- Spread
- 60 cm
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Moderate
- Feed
- Half-strength feed monthly, spring to late summer
- Prune
- Pinch tips regularly
Yearly Lifecycle
Care Essentials
Feed every 4 weeks with a half-strength balanced liquid fertiliser from spring to late summer. Stop feeding in autumn and winter, when growth slows.
Watch For
- Green, washed-out leaves from too little light
- Long bare stems (legginess) in low light or after a few years
- Spider mites in dry indoor air
- Mealybugs in leaf axils
- Root and stem rot from waterlogged soil
- Slugs and snails on outdoor plants
Pet Safety
Care Requirements
Light
Full sun to partial shade; brightest window indoors
Needs strong light, ideally several hours of direct sun, to keep its deep purple colour. Indoors, place it in a south- or west-facing window; outdoors, full sun suits it, with light afternoon shade in very hot climates. In shade the leaves turn greenish and the stems stretch.
Watering
Water when the top 2-3 cm of soil is dry
Water thoroughly, then let the top few centimetres dry before watering again. Established outdoor plants are fairly drought-tolerant, but pots dry out quickly in summer. Water sparingly in winter, as soggy soil causes stem and root rot.
Fertilizing
Half-strength feed monthly, spring to late summer
Apply a balanced liquid fertiliser at half strength every 4 weeks from spring to late summer. Do not feed in autumn and winter. Over-feeding produces soft, lanky growth.
Pruning
Pinch tips regularly; cut back leggy stems in spring
Pinch the growing tips every few weeks to keep the plant compact and branching. Cut long, bare stems back by half in spring, and remove frost-blackened growth on outdoor plants. Wear gloves, as the sap can irritate skin.
Spacing
30-45 cm apart as groundcover; several cuttings per pot
Outdoors, space plants 30-45 cm apart and they will knit into a continuous mat within a season. In containers and hanging baskets, plant several rooted cuttings together for a full look.
Support
No support needed
The stems trail and sprawl naturally, so no staking is required. Let them spill over the edges of pots, baskets and walls, or pinch them back for a more upright clump.
Growing Tips
Sun makes it purple
The violet colour depends on strong light. Indoors, use a south- or west-facing window; outdoors, full sun or light afternoon shade in very hot regions. Green-tinged leaves and stretched stems are a sign it needs more light.
Pinch for a fuller plant
Stems naturally sprawl and become bare at the base. Pinch out the tips every few weeks in the growing season to encourage branching, and root the pieces you remove.
Groundcover in warm climates
In USDA zones 9-11 it stays evergreen outdoors and makes a tough, drought-tolerant groundcover or edging. In zone 8 the top dies back in frost but the roots usually resprout in spring.
Wear gloves when cutting back
The watery sap can cause skin irritation in some people and pets. Wear gloves when trimming large plants and keep clippings away from curious animals.