Tradescantia pallida – Proven Accents^® Purple Queen – Purple Spiderwort

'Purple Queen' is well-known to southern gardeners where it is often grown as a low maintenance perennial groundcover in zones 8 and warmer. This plant is surprisingly drought tolerant for such a tropical looking variety, but it also thrives with regular watering so it is easy to pair with many other types of medium vigor annuals in both sun and shade. It also makes an interesting groundcover for rock gardens and spills beautifully over retaining walls. In addition to the purple foliage, it also produces small pink flowers. Deer tend to leave this plant alone due to the sticky sap in its stems. 

Features

'Purple Queen' is well-known to southern gardeners where it is often grown as a low maintenance perennial groundcover in zones 8 and warmer. This plant is surprisingly drought tolerant for such a tropical looking variety, but it also thrives with regular watering so it is easy to pair with many other types of medium vigor annuals in both sun and shade. It also makes an interesting groundcover for rock gardens and spills beautifully over retaining walls. In addition to the purple foliage, it also produces small pink flowers. Deer tend to leave this plant alone due to the sticky sap in its stems. 

Resists: Deer

Adapatable as House Plant

Dead-Heading Not Necessary

Foliage Interest

Maintenance Notes

It can tolerate drought conditions once established, but will also thrive when grown with regular moisture. If the plant looks sparse, trimming the plant or pinching off stems tips will encourage branching and a full appearance. You can trim periodically as needed.  If you don't trim the plant back, it will have a more trailing habit. This may be adventatgeous if you are using 'Purple Queen' in a container recipe as it will allow the plant to mix more easily with the other plants and to trail longer over the edge of patio planters and hanging baskets.

Grow as an annual low maintenance groundcover in cold winter climates or as a perennial groundcover that is root hardy in zones 8 or warmer. Foliage will die back to ground level once temperatures begin falling below freezing.

Uses Notes

Grow as an annual low maintenance groundcover in cold winter climates or as a perennial groundcover that is root hardy in zones 8 or warmer. Foliage will die back to ground level once temperatures begin falling below freezing. It is a fun plant to use in combination recipes adding a unique dimension to mixed containers. It works well in both sun and shade and can function as a unifying element to give sun and shade plantings a common plant.

Maintenance Category Easy

Water Category Average

Bloom Time

Flower Form Groundcover, Landscape, Mass Planting