T. zebrina Silvery Inch Plant in 2.5-inch pot. Spiderwort is not an especially alluring name, and different sources give varying reasons for this plant's unusual common name. Toe Beans: What They Are and How to Care for Them, Purple Pansies: Facts, Growing, Caring & More, Bridal Veil Plant: Everything You Need to Know, 13 Most Beautiful Fish in the World for Your Aquarium. Indirect or filtered light helps avoid leaf burn or scorch, but too little sunlight will cause foliage to drop. One story is that T. virginiana was brought to Tradescant the Elder as a specimen from an expedition to the Americas that he organized. Wandering Jew plants are great house plants because they are relatively easy to care for. They will adapt to light conditions ranging from full sun to medium light. If your plant is getting a normal amount of water, and your plant shows healthy growth, theres no need to worry. If your plants colour changes to brown, it is likely because there isnt enough moisture. Tradescantia Zebrina: Spiderwort Inchplant Zebrina pendula Is Wandering Jew Toxic for Cats? Earthworm Compost Tea Organic Houseplant Fertilizer. Its elliptical leaves are long, with purple undersides, and the plant also has purple stems. Like I have said in watering, fertilize regularly during the spring season and decrease it during winter. 'Purple Queen' is well-known to southern gardeners where it is often grown as a low maintenance perennial groundcover in zones 8 and warmer. I honestly cant think of any other houseplant that grows this quickly and is so easy to propagate can you? To make matters worse, Nazi propagandists co-opted the figure in the 1930s, using it to portray Jewish people in a negative light as part of their justification for the Holocaust. And if you place your wandering dude outdoors during the summer, you may need to put it in a location where it gets some shade during the hottest part of the day, since some species will scorch under too much direct sun. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says the name is because, "The angular leaf arrangement suggests a squatting spider." . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Stem cuttings in summer or fall will easily root in the soil. When I fertilized this winter the pink flowers went wild ! There are always projects, opportunities. But if you run into one of these more common issues, my tips can help you restore them to good health. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. To ensure that your plant will have nicely coloured foliage, its highly recommended to give it plenty of bright light. To remove these pests, you can pick them off by hand, or treat the plant with neem oil, such as this product from Monterey, available at Arbico Organics. And if you are reluctant to take any chances with your curious kids or fur babies, consider choosing a confirmed nontoxic houseplant instead. However, before you decide to take advantage of any species of spiderwort for its ground covering properties, do be forewarned that they can be quite invasive. Its also proven to survive freezes and comes back strong in the Spring! Here is more about what we do. Kristina Hicks-Hamblin lives on a dryland permaculture homestead in the high desert of Utah. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy to prevent the plant from rotting. Purple Queen Spiderwort is a native herbaceous perennial with blade shaped lily like foliage that emerges dark red and matures to deep purple. Shady areas make the plant appear greener in colour instead of purple. These species grow to about one to one and a half feet tall and wide. It has lovely purple leaves that are long and oval. It is best to water your Tradescantia Purpurea plants thoroughly. Spiderwort is considered a weed by some and a cheerful wildflower by others. Some cuttings take a few days to establish roots, while others take weeks or even months. As the host plant for the Gulf Fritillary butterfly, . It brings lovely shades of blue, purple, and pink to the landscape from spring to early summer and has an easy going attitude. A calyx is the base of a flower and is usually green, but queen's wreath boasts purple calyces as attractive as the true flower petals. It is also excellent in containers and ideal for gardening beginners. Treat them immediately with rubbing alcohol, neem oil, or an insecticidal soap for best results. Originally native to Mexico, this trailing perennial spiderwort provides a deep purple-colored mass of foliage with best color experienced in full-sun locations. Purple heart plants need rich, moist, well-draining soil to grow. Another time to prune is if your plant starts to look a bit scraggly. But do not overwater it. They are white and fuzzy, and may give your inch plant the appearance of having bits of cotton stuck on it, particularly on the stems. Immediately you plant your purple queen plant, start watering it immediately. Wilted and limp stems that have an unusual and unhealthy aspect can be a sign of root rot. It is a fun plant to use in combination recipes adding a unique dimension to mixed containers. Mealybugs can be wiped away with a damp paper towel, or they can be killed with an application of neem oil. Simply apply the product according to the manufacturers instructions. These tender evergreen perennials have a spreading growth habit, forming thick mats of vegetation, and they are able to root into the soil from their vines, particularly at leaf nodes. Purple queen plants can survive winter in zones 8-10. Undoubtedly, if you follow the above steps of caring for your purple queen plant, you will have an excellent plant that brings joy to your home and garden at all times and seasons, including holiday seasons. Go ahead and plant your purple queen plant now. We occasionally link to goods offered by vendors to help the reader find relevant products. You can read more about what type of lamps to use for your plants in our dedicated article on grow lights for indoor gardening. They need full sun, or 8+ hours of bright light indoors every day in order to maintain the deep purple color. The plant works best in well-drained, fertile soil. Thanks to some easy propagation and quick growth, those two tiny pots have been transformed into four medium-sized houseplants, plus two additional small specimens I just started from cuttings. Please note that this story is merely that a story. When it starts drying out too quickly between waterings, you may want to repot. 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. When the top few inches of soil are dry, water deeply to encourage hardier roots, but avoid making it sodden. You can trim periodically as needed. You have entered an incorrect email address! You can either take cuttings and let them root in a glass of water, or simply place your new, unrooted cuttings directly into a pot of prepared houseplant soil. Luckily, each plant produces many buds throughout spring and into early summer. purple spiderwort 'Purpurea' is a trailing evergreen perennial to 20cm in height, the purple stems with narrowly elliptic, purplish glaucous green leaves 8-15cm in length, bright purple beneath, and terminal bright pink, 3-petalled flowers 2-3cm in width Synonyms Tradescantia 'Purple Sabre' Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart' If filling your home with houseplants and creating your own indoor jungle sounds like a marvelous idea, here are a few other articles that are bound to get your indoor gardening juices flowing: Photos by Kristina Hicks-Hamblin Ask the Experts, LLC. Some species are variegated, while others are solid green or solid purple in color. The most common type of Tradescantia pallida is a deep, uniformly purple shade. Quarter-sized, three-petaled flowers open in the morning and close by early afternoon, each bloom lasting just one day. When roots begin to show out of the drainage holes, its time to size up. Tradescantia pallida is a perennial in zones 8-11. There are two different stories about how this father and son team became associated with the genus that bears their name. Small, tri-colored pink blooms come and go quickly throughout the summer, but you'll want this superb mixer for its distinctive foliage form and color. You can trim up to half the total size, which will result in more compact growth through the summer. Move the entire container into indirect sunlight for one to two weeks and keep the cutting moist. You can amend outdoor beds with peat moss or compost to increase organic matter, or add sand to help with drainage. If you have a worm compost bin of your own, you can use some of the castings to make a fertilizer tea for your wandering dude. Featuring trailing purple stems with violet-purple leaves and pink flowers that appear in the summer. Here Ive answered some of the most commonly asked questions about purple heart plant care. Or if you do want to use them outdoors, keep them safely confined use them as members of your container garden. Purple heart plants can survive cold weather, but frost typically kills the tops of the plant. Every plant has its suggested way of spacingthat information you can find that information on the label of your plant pack. The purple queen plant is a species of spiderwort (a genus of new world plants) and looks like T. Zebrina. To repot your spiderwort, choose a pot that is only one to two inches larger than the current pot, and make sure it has drainage holes. It is generally an annual but may come back in protected areas or in mild winters. Please remember, however, that although spiderworts may seem indestructible, they dont have quite the water storage capacity of a cactus, so dont think you can get away with total neglect. It is easy to propagate a purple queen plant. Though purple heart plants will only grow to a certain height, they do tend to fill a container fairly quickly when given the proper care. They can tolerate partial shade, but may begin to turn green or become leggy in dimmer settings. Place the cuttings in a bright place, but not under direct sunlight as this may prevent them from rooting. Why Does My Wandering Jew Have Brown Leaves & How To Fix It, How To Care For Heart Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum), How To Care For A Philodendron Birkin Plant, How To Care For A Pink Princess Philodendron, The Best Indoor Houseplant Supplies, Tools & Equipment, How To Care For Umbrella Tree Plant (Schefflera arboricola), What To Do With An Amaryllis After It Blooms, Terms Of Use, Disclaimer & Privacy Policy, Allow soil to dry slightly, do not overwater. Purple hearts are very easy to propagate with a stem cutting taken from any part of the plant. What do you love the most about this plant how easy it is to care for, how fast it puts out new foliage, or how supremely simple it is to propagate? Small, three-petaled flowers emerge from the ends of stems. Be inspired with our Gardener's Idea Book and Winner's Circle newsletter, Proven Accents 'Purple Queen' - Purple Spiderwort - Tradescantia pallida. Your email address will not be published. Spiderwort is a common name that refers to many species in the genus Tradescantia, pronounced trad-es-KAN-tee-uh or trad-es-KAN-shuh.. However, as allTradescantiaplants are toxic topeopleandpets, be mindful of where you grow this trailing plantjuice from the leaves or stems can cause skin irritation for some people and even some dogs. GARDENER'S PATH IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ASK THE EXPERTS LLC. If you want to be successful maintaining any indoor plant that you want, then you need a copy of my Winter Houseplant Care eBook. Its purple leaves are long and oval-shaped, producing small purple flowers in summer. Because of his taunting, the story goes, this man was doomed to wander the earth until the second coming of Jesus. Yes, purple hearts are easy to grow once you know how to provide the best light, water, and other care needs. Extreme heat and direct sun can scorch its leaves. For me, that means shifting to watering every ten days instead of every week. 2023 Proven Winners North America LLC. After several weeks, water your plants according to the weather. Like most plants, Tradescantia Purpurea needs to be watered more frequently in summer, and less in winter with the growth process is paused. Growing and caring for these houseplants is easy, making spiderworts great options for beginning indoor gardeners. It will teach you all you need to know in order to be successful growing houseplants year round. When planted outdoors, the purple heart plant grows best with regular watering and a balance of full sun and light shade despite being relatively drought-tolerant. Mealybugs are another group of nutrient suckers. Keep on reading to know more. You dont need to water the plant because the plastic will keep all the moisture in. The other common name is purple queen due to the color that makes up the stems, leaves, and flowers. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. 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