Purple Queen

Purple Queen is grown for its deep purple foliage and small pink flowers. It's colorful, tough and very easy to propagate sometimes a little too easy.

About Purple Queen

Purple Queen is a sprawling plant with long purple stems and narrow purple leaves. It makes a striking groundcover or container plant and can fill an area surprisingly fast.

Planting Guide

Plant it where it has room to spread, or use a pot or a physically contained bed if you want to keep it within boundaries. A small cutting can eventually become a very large patch.

Sun

It grows in sun or partial shade. Brighter light generally helps the foliage keep its rich purple color.

Water

Water regularly while new plants or cuttings are getting established. Established plants are fairly forgiving, but container plants will need water more often during hot, dry weather.

Soil

Purple Queen isn't especially fussy about soil. Good drainage is helpful, particularly when it is being grown in a container.

How Big Does It Get?

The individual stems stay relatively low, but the plant spreads sideways and can eventually cover a considerable area.

Propagation

This may be one of the easiest plants you'll ever propagate. Stem cuttings root readily. A piece of stem placed in moist soil can become a new plant.

 General Care

Trim it whenever it starts getting too long, thin or unruly. Cutting it back encourages fresh growth and is also an easy way to control the size of the patch.

Spreading & Containment

Give this one boundaries. Purple Queen can spread aggressively because stems root easily where they touch the ground and broken pieces can start new plants.

A large pot, raised planter or bed surrounded by a hard barrier can make it much easier to manage. Keep wandering stems trimmed back and don't toss fresh cuttings onto bare or moist ground unless you actually want more Purple Queen there.

From My Garden

I started with about a four-inch piece that I found and brought home because I thought it was pretty. Years later, it is all over the area where I planted it. Luckily mine is surrounded by concrete although it still seems determined to find a way out.

So yes, I like Purple Queen. I also recommend deciding where you want it to live before you turn it loose.