Looking to add a bold, rich splash of color to your garden or home décor? Purple heart plants are perfect for the job! Known for their striking foliage and easygoing nature, these plants deliver deep purple, violet, and magenta hues that effortlessly brighten up any space. Whether you’re designing a vibrant outdoor flower bed or a chic indoor corner, there’s a purple heart variety to suit your style. Let’s explore 10 stunning purple heart plants guaranteed to turn heads and transform your space with their dramatic color pop.
1. Tradescantia pallida ‘Purple Heart’
This is the iconic purple heart plant loved by gardeners and interior decorators alike. Known for its trailing stems and rich purple leaves, it’s often used as ground cover, in hanging baskets, or as a striking border plant. The foliage deepens to a velvety purple in full sun, and small pinkish-purple flowers bloom throughout warm months. It’s drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, and thrives both indoors and outdoors. Plus, it’s a fantastic contrast plant when paired with bright greens, golds, or silvery foliage.
2. Tradescantia zebrina (Wandering Jew)
Tradescantia zebrina offers a unique twist on the classic purple heart with its shimmering silver and green-striped leaves, accented by purple undersides. This trailing beauty adds a pop of color in hanging baskets, containers, or as a houseplant. It’s fast-growing and extremely easy to propagate from cuttings, making it a favorite for plant enthusiasts. The purple hues become more intense with brighter light, and its small purple flowers add to its year-round charm.
3. Purple Queen (Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’)
Purple Queen is another eye-catching cultivar of the purple heart family, known for its intense, dark purple foliage and durability. This plant thrives in sunny spots where its color reaches peak vibrancy. It works beautifully as a dense ground cover or as a bold accent in mixed container arrangements. Its ability to handle heat and neglect makes it perfect for beginner gardeners or anyone seeking a dramatic, fuss-free plant for patios and landscapes.
4. Tradescantia spathacea (Moses-in-the-Cradle)
This plant offers a more structured, upright form than traditional trailing purple heart varieties. Tradescantia spathacea boasts rosettes of sword-shaped leaves that are green on top and deep purple underneath. Its unique cradle-like flowers appear nestled within leaf clusters, giving it the common name “Moses-in-the-Cradle.” It’s excellent for adding vertical interest and a pop of bold color to both garden beds and indoor containers. This hardy plant is also tolerant of drought and partial shade.
5. Tradescantia sillamontana (White Velvet)
Known for its distinctive fuzzy, silvery-green leaves with rich purple stems, Tradescantia sillamontana is an exotic-looking addition to any plant collection. Its bold foliage pairs beautifully with other succulents and drought-tolerant plants in rock gardens or dry landscapes. In summer, it produces vibrant purple blooms that add even more color. White Velvet’s thick, velvety leaves give it a unique texture, making it a conversation starter whether grown indoors or outdoors.
6. Purple Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana ‘Purple Passion’)
Purple Spiderwort is a hardy perennial known for its grassy foliage and clusters of three-petaled, violet-purple flowers that bloom from spring to midsummer. Its striking blooms attract butterflies and pollinators, while the grass-like leaves create a lush, meadowy look in garden borders and naturalized settings. This adaptable plant thrives in sun or partial shade and adds a subtle yet rich color pop that’s perfect for cottage-style gardens and wildflower patches.
7. Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Lavender’
This variety stands out with its delicate, lavender-tinged green foliage, which is accented by purple stems and undersides. It’s a fast-growing trailing plant ideal for hanging baskets or as a lush, colorful ground cover in shaded gardens. Its soft purple accents create a more muted, elegant color pop, making it an excellent companion for pastel blooms and light-colored foliage plants. Regular pinching encourages fuller, bushier growth and more vibrant coloration.
8. Setcreasea pallida ‘Blue Sue’
‘Blue Sue’ offers a unique take on the classic purple heart plant with leaves that start out bluish-green and deepen to rich purple as they mature. This hardy, low-maintenance ground cover thrives in full sun and tolerates poor soils and drought. In summer, it produces charming, small pink flowers against its vibrant foliage. Ideal for rock gardens, borders, or sunny patios, Blue Sue adds a cool-toned yet dramatic color splash wherever it’s planted.
9. Purple Shamrock (Oxalis triangularis)
Though not a Tradescantia, the Purple Shamrock earns a spot on this list for its stunning, deep purple, triangular leaves that fold up at night and reopen in the morning. Its delicate, pale pink or white flowers contrast beautifully with the dark foliage. This easy-to-grow plant can brighten shaded garden spots or indoor plant shelves. It thrives in bright, indirect light and adds a whimsical, bold splash of color to any plant arrangement.
10. Gynura aurantiaca (Purple Passion Plant)
Another bold beauty, the Purple Passion Plant is famed for its velvety, deep purple leaves covered in fine, purple hairs. This tropical houseplant loves bright, indirect light and makes an eye-catching addition to indoor plant displays. While primarily grown for its dramatic foliage, it also produces small, orange flowers, though many gardeners prefer to pinch them off to keep the plant’s energy focused on its striking leaves. Its unusual texture and intense purple hues make it a favorite among plant collectors.