Alternanthera, Calico Plant, Joseph's Coat, Ruby Leaf 'Purple Knight'

Very likable and accommodating plant. I first got a couple to add some color to the yard and liked it well enough to see if it would over...Read Morewinter as a house plant. That was maybe eight years ago and now I have several pots of it in both south and east windows. During the very shortest winter days, it grows greener but as soon as the days start to lengthen, it turns wine red again and can be cut back severely to make it bushy again. Some of them go outdoors for the summer, another stays inside year round and it's happy either way. It's a bog plant and likes to be wet but if it wilts from drying out, it springs back to life when watered. One quirk: the white flowers apparently can eject their seed for several inches because it will come up in any pot near it. I occasionally have to pull the seedlings up from where they're not wanted. In the south, i hear it can be invasive but since it's not winter hardy, this isn't a problem in Michigan. Otherwise a beautiful and carefree plant, as long as it has its water.

I'm in Z8. I bought a small one this spring from someone selling plants on the side of the road. He called it Blood Plant. I searched the...Read More database here to see if that was actually it's name. I am glad to know it's also called Joy Plant Purple Knight since I hated the name Blood Plant. I love mine. I have it in part shade in front of some Hidden Lillies which are a med. lime green. I don't mind the legginess...the dark burgundy color of the whole plant more than make up for it. My house is pale yellow and I plan to get a pot of cuttings going for the porch. I think it would look awesome.

This is a fantastic plant, extremely heat and drought tolerant, and adding vibrant color to the garden. It overwintered well, both in th...Read Moree greenhouse and heavily mulched in the ground, and reseeds well.

This is a very adaptable plant for both sun and shade in my garden. It is less likely to be "leggy" in the shade, from my experience wit...Read Moreh the plant, but as noted above, it can be easily pruned back at any point along the stem with no damage to the plant. I generally just stick the pruned cuttings with no special care nor rooting hormone into the ground around the plant and within a week or so, they are already rooted and I have more plants to share. I've been passing this plant around to friends and all have been happy with it. The most recent experiment with it was to place it in a friend's garden in what I would call deep shade. It is thriving there. Another plus for this plant is that it seems to be drought tolerant. Though it will wilt somewhat if left dry too long, it will recover to full glory once water is reapplied. I agree with the above comments that the dark purple, nearly black, color of the leaves makes an effective, contrasting accent in the garden.

Jeremy