If you’re looking to add a bold and vibrant touch to your garden or indoor space, purple heart plants are a stunning choice. Known for their rich violet hues, these plants provide a dramatic contrast against green foliage and bring depth to any planting arrangement. Whether you love tropical textures or dainty blooms, there’s a purple-leaved or purple-blooming plant for every taste. Below are eight gorgeous purple heart plants that will add a vivid color pop to your home or garden.
1. Tradescantia pallida (Purple Heart)
The classic Purple Heart plant, Tradescantia pallida, is famous for its deep purple trailing stems and lance-shaped leaves. It’s perfect for hanging baskets or as ground cover in warmer zones.
- Light Needs: Full sun to part shade
- Growth Habit: Spreading or cascading
- Bonus: Small pink flowers appear throughout summer
This drought-tolerant beauty not only adds vibrant color but is also incredibly easy to grow and maintain, making it a top pick for beginners.
2. Persian Shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus)
Persian Shield is prized for its iridescent purple foliage with silvery undertones. The large, textured leaves shimmer in sunlight and create a dramatic focal point in containers or beds.
- Light Needs: Bright indirect light (indoors) or partial shade (outdoors)
- Growth Habit: Upright, bushy
- Height: Up to 3 feet tall
With proper humidity and care, Persian Shield can be an eye-catching indoor showstopper or a seasonal annual in temperate gardens.
3. Purple Basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Purpurascens’)
For those who want both beauty and utility, Purple Basil is a stunning herb that delivers on taste and color. Its dark purple leaves add a unique twist to culinary gardens and salads.
- Light Needs: Full sun
- Growth Habit: Compact, bushy
- Uses: Edible leaves with a slightly spicy flavor
Add it to your herb garden, patio containers, or kitchen window box to enjoy both color and flavor year-round.
4. Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) – Purple Varieties
Coleus offers a variety of purple-hued cultivars like ‘Black Prince’, ‘Dark Star’, and ‘Vino’. These foliage plants are perfect for adding multicolored drama with deep purples, maroons, and splashes of green or pink.
- Light Needs: Part shade to full shade
- Growth Habit: Upright or trailing, depending on variety
- Bonus: Very easy to propagate and grow
Whether planted in the ground or containers, coleus brings constant visual interest and works beautifully in mixed arrangements.
5. Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina)
Wandering Jew, or Tradescantia zebrina, is known for its purple and silver-striped leaves that shimmer in sunlight. It’s one of the most loved trailing houseplants for shelves and hanging baskets.
- Light Needs: Bright indirect light
- Growth Habit: Trailing or creeping
- Maintenance: Fast-growing, easy to prune and propagate
It adds a lush, cascading texture that combines well with other green or variegated plants indoors or outdoors.
6. Heuchera ‘Forever Purple’ (Coral Bells)
Heuchera, commonly known as Coral Bells, has many cultivars, and ‘Forever Purple’ is one of the most striking. Its deep plum-colored, ruffled leaves provide year-round interest in temperate gardens.
- Light Needs: Partial sun to full shade
- Growth Habit: Compact rosette
- Bonus: Small pinkish flowers on tall spikes in summer
Ideal for borders, rock gardens, or under trees, this perennial is hardy, low-maintenance, and loved by pollinators.
7. Purple Shamrock (Oxalis triangularis)
With its triangle-shaped purple leaves that open during the day and close at night, the Purple Shamrock adds a unique, almost whimsical charm to any garden or indoor space.
- Light Needs: Bright indirect light
- Growth Habit: Low-growing and clumping
- Flowers: Delicate white or pale pink blooms
This plant is perfect for container arrangements or as a charming windowsill accent, and it can also be grown as a seasonal annual in cooler climates.
8. Alternanthera ‘Purple Knight’
Alternanthera ‘Purple Knight’ is a heat-tolerant, low-maintenance annual known for its rich burgundy to deep purple foliage. It creates stunning contrast in mixed beds and container plantings.
- Light Needs: Full sun for best color
- Growth Habit: Sprawling to bushy
- Bonus: Excellent for edging and mass planting
Its intense color deepens in sunlight, making it one of the best choices for vibrant summer gardens or tropical-themed landscapes.
Conclusion
Purple heart plants are more than just beautiful—they’re versatile, bold, and perfect for brightening up any space. Whether you’re planting in containers, garden beds, or indoor pots, these eight purple-leaved or purple-blooming plants offer texture, elegance, and a splash of color that stands out all year long. With options ranging from foliage plants to flowering vines and herbs, there’s a purple plant to match every gardener’s style and skill level.