Don't want to become annoying and I am really new to all this. I never "gardened" a thing before and kill everything. I only know how to keep my kids alive. Bought a house and planted some purple heart. Loved the purple. Now I hear it is a pest. Anyway, now it's droopy. What do I do? And what would look good with that? I guess I need to add something larger behind it and some low growing color in front. Trying to keep up with the Joneses I guess!? Everyone in the new neighborhood gardens and I'm an idiot.
purple heart
Peach, welcome and just keep reading........everyone was a "newbie" once!! You'll find the folks here very helpful and, usually, neighbors that garden are as well. Your comment about kids was funny......raised three myself and they remember Mama's "madness". When money was tight and we went to the woods to bring back rich dirt in buckets to grow "pretties"! You might be interested in the Walter Reeves show...it airs on Saturday on PBS around noon and he also has a website WalterReeves.com.
Happy gardening.
Sharon
I love purple heart, but prune it back a bit when it really takes over. You can root the cuttings to share! My old neighbor had it planted in front of some nice junipers that were the shorter growing type (about 3-4 feet at the most) with a Crepe Myrtle in the center. The contrast of the dark purple against the light frosty green was nice.
I have lots of purple heart, and it's not at all a pest for me.
I plant it in fairly dry areas, with good drainage but not heavily fed soil. In the spring when the ground is easy to dig, and the purple heart returns, I can easily see where it's spread and dig out the extras to pass a long.
Most of my plants are planted in between deep rock "dividers", sort of rock garden style. The don't have as much space to roam that way. I love the texture of this plant with lambs ears, golden oregano, really blue grey dianthus foliage and creeping phlox.
GGG
ga peach,
WELCOME to Daves!!
I see you are from my old hometown- what a small world indeed.
When you say your plant is "droopy" do you mean it is sprawling/ flopping over? Or do you mean it looks like it needs water? If it is dry then do give it a good drink. I have one growing in a narrow bed near the hot sidewalk and it guzzles water. My other ones don't seem to need as much. I like mine to fall/flop over and lay on the ground and also trail from hanging planters- but some folks don't. There are a couple of varieites of purple heart and I believe one stays more upright than the other.
You can prune off the limbs you don't like- won't harm the plant at all. And as has been previously mentioned you can easily root the cuttings.
I also don't find mine to be invasive at all. In fact, I have one lone specimen in a large area and I wish iot WOULD take over and fill in- lol!
Im growing purple heart with purple petunias,purple and red verbena and spider plants.It all fills out a tiny little side garden very nicely.