Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Variegated Purple Heart

Purple Heart is a pretty great plant. The striking purple color of the leaves and little purple flowers are hard to beat.

Purple Heart is super easy to grow in sun or part sun and requires very little water.  It looks great as ground cover or sprawling over a wall.  The picture below was taken last November. 

Purple Heart is hardy in zones 8 - 11.  In Zone 8, where I live, Purple Heart normally dies back during the winter months, but comes back from the roots in the spring.  Of course, this winter was so mild it hardly died back at all.

With everything Purple Heart has to offer, it's hard to believe it could be topped, but check out this Variegated Purple Heart. 

The variegation ranges from dark purple to light purple and pink, with cream and green thrown in for good measure.

The Variegated Purple Heart is a welcome addition to my garden.  Hopefully, it will be a fast grower.  I have a feeling I'll be taking lots of cuttings of this fabulous plant.  

17 comments:

  1. So pretty! I've never seen the variegated variety before.

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    1. I had never seen the variegated variety before either, so when I found this little guy at the Tillery Street Plant Company, I snatched it up.

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  2. It's beautiful! I haven't seen it before--did you get it locally. Already thinking about where I could put it in my garden...

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    1. I bought it at the Tillery Street Plant Company, which shares a space with East Side Succulents. They are very close to the 7th Street and Pleasant Valley area of East Austin. The day I was there they only had the one plant, so I would definitely call ahead to confirm stock.

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  3. Purple Heart is one of my favorites, and that's before I knew about the cool variegated variety. I haven't got around to planting this in my new place, but it's on the list.

    Laura

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    1. I transplanted some of the regular purple heart into pots 2 weeks ago. My DH was digging some up that was in the way and I can't bear to throw away a good plant. Let me know if you want some at your new place.

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  4. Hey Ally - LOVE that bright purple color! You going to the Wed PM meeting? Bring me some cuttings! :)

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    1. I'm not quite ready to make cuttings of the variegated plant yet, but I have some of the regular purple heart already potted in 1 gallon containers. If your interested, I'll get one to you soon.

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  5. Hi Ally. Can you tell me where you got the variegated purple heart ? A friend said you got it in Austin (although I don't see where you said that). If you remember which nursery you might have bought it from, I'd love to know. I have a friend in Austin who could probably find it for me. thanks so much ! soriano471@sbcglobal.net

    patty

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    1. I bought the plant at the Tillery Street Plant Co at 801 Tillery Street, Austin, TX. They share retail space with East Side Succulents. Here's a couple of links which might be of interest. Be sure to call first to check supply. The day I purchased mine it was the last one. Hopefully, they can get more in for you.

      Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tillery-Street-Plant-Co/156825544385482

      East Side Succulents: http://eastaustinsucculents.com/

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  6. I love these plants. I have about a dozen of the regular purple hearts in my garden and, I have one of the variegated purple hearts. Do the variegated ones keep their variegation? Or will they grow out into regular purple over time?

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    1. So far mine have kept their variegation, but variegated plants sometimes send out shoots that are not variegated. These shoots should be removed in favor of the variegated parts of the plant. Removing any undesired foliage should keep the variegation going strong.

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  7. Hi Ally, I live in Melbourne, Australia. I really love the variegated purple heart plant and can't find anywhere here to buy one. I have just tried to email East Austin Succulents (info@eastaustinsucculents.com) but it was returned as "no such email recipient". Can you please help with an updated email address ?? I am hoping that they may be able to mail plant or seeds to Australia.

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    1. I just checked the website and that is email address listed. You could try contacting them through their Facebook page or their physical address which is: 801 Tillery Street, Austin, TX 78701. Good luck.

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    2. Merryl... once I have more I can mail you a piece... what's your email?

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