Setcreasea Purpurea Plant

Synonyms: Setcreasea purpurea 'Purple Heart'
'Purple Heart' is a trailing, tender perennial with purple stems and violet-purple leaves that produces pink flowers in summer. This plant is mainly grown for its foliage (leaves can reach 7 inches in length); best color is achieved in bright sunlight and a dry, cramped root zone. It is excellent as a groundcover or in containers or hanging baskets. It grows 8-12 inches tall and 16 inches wide.
Noteworthy Characteristics: Foliage may irritate skin.

Care: Provide moist soil in part to full sun. Pinch to encourage bushiness and cut back flowering stems after blooming. Water moderately and fertilize monthly during active growth.

Propagation: Insert 2- to 3-inch-long stem-tip cuttings in soil mix or water and pot up in soil-based mix.

This plants is grown for its striking purple foliage. It can be used as a hanging basket plant. It also cascades nicely over retaining walls and does well in a hanging basket. This sprawling evergreen groundcover produces deep purple foliage and stems when grown in full sun . It is a great plant for low maintenance areas. Setcreasea is attractive growing either singly in a 3-4 inch pot or grouped together in a larger pot.

Widely used as an ornamental plant in gardens and borders, as a ground cover, hanging plant, or - particularly in colder climates where it cannot survive the winter season - houseplant, it is propagated easily by cuttings (the stems are visibly segmented and roots will frequently grow from the joints). However, this very characteristic, in addition to the fact that it is remarkably shade-tolerant and can thrive in a wide range of soil conditions, makes T. pallida quite formidable should it be encountered in situations where it has not been intentionally cultivated and carefully maintained. In areas throughout the southern United States and Australia, it is considered an invasive species and has defied many attempts at control or eradication.