Designing With Purple Heart: Color Wheel Combinations for a Striking Landscape

Purple Heart (Tradescantia pallida, syn. Setcreasea pallida), a top-ten favorite at Dave's Garden, is a lanky, succulent-leaved ground cover thriving in zones 8a–11. Its foliage shifts from deep purple to reddish-purple or greenish-purple depending on light, overlaid with a dusky gray-blue sheen. This complex color makes it surprisingly versatile for creating both bold and subtle plant pairings.

Analogous Harmony: Purples and Reds

Pairing Purple Heart with neighboring hues on the color wheel—purples, magentas, reds—yields a harmonious, intensified effect. Resilient companions include Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana), fan flower (Scaevola aemula), trailing lavender lantana (Lantana montevidensis 'Trailing Lavender'), and Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus) with its iridescent purple foliage.

Red-flowered plants like hibiscus and fire spike (Odontonema strictum) also sit close on the wheel, but personal taste matters: the combination can accentuate the red undertones in Purple Heart, which some find reminiscent of liver. Test combos by placing potted plants together at the nursery before committing.

Softening With Tints, Tones, and Shades

When two pure colors clash, a muted version often works. Pink—a tint of red—pairs beautifully with Purple Heart's red-purple foliage. Nature itself highlights the plant with pink flowers: four o'clocks (Mirabilis jalapa), coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea), and sunshine mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa). The classic, indestructible parking-lot duo of Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) in pink or white is a testament to this synergy.

Burgundy and rust—shaded reds—also complement Purple Heart. Try knotweed (Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon') or burgundy-leaved coleus and canna cultivars.

Complementary Contrast: Chartreuse

Opposite reddish-purple on the wheel lies chartreuse. This high-energy hue can brighten shady spots but risks overwhelming. Vigorous chartreuse ground covers like creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) and 'Margarita' sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Margarita') can hold their own against Purple Heart's spread. Better-behaved chartreuse coleus varieties offer a tamer option.

Triadic Energy: Orange and Aqua

A triadic scheme—red-purple, orange/yellow, and blue-green—creates vibrant balance. Purple Heart with orange flowers is a personal favorite. Diascia 'Flying Colors Coral', marigolds, Crossandra infundibuliformis, Gaillardia aristata 'Oranges and Lemons', and Gazania krebsiana 'Tanager' provide the orange note. Orange-leaved coleus adds foliage interest.

For the aqua/blue-green vertex, consider agaves, Ajuga reptans 'Burgundy Glow', junipers, blue saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), Cuban oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus 'Wedgewood'), blue fescues, or blue daze (Evolvulus glomeratus) with its green-blue leaves and tiny blue flowers. Gray-green foliage plants echo Purple Heart's own dusky sheen.

Cultural Compatibility and Cautions

Color isn't the only factor; companions must share similar soil, water, and light needs. Purple Heart thrives in full sun to part shade, acid to alkaline soil, and is tough as nails south of the freeze line. It spreads aggressively, self-seeds, and is considered invasive in some regions—check your state's invasive plant list before planting. Pair it with equally vigorous neighbors or plan on regular trimming. It's an excellent candidate for hellstrips (sidewalk strips) where grass struggles.

Editor's Note: Originally published September 13, 2009. Comments welcome; author may not respond.