Purple passion

Purple passion: how do you recognise it?

Growth habit

Creeping to climbing, sometimes trailing plant with soft stems; about 50 cm tall and 60 cm wide if kept in shape.

Leaves

Oval to lance-shaped with a toothed edge, 5–10 cm long, covered in velvety purple hairs. The young leaves have the most intense colour.

Flower

Small, orange, thistle-like flower heads with an unpleasant smell; they appear mainly on older plants.

Hairs

The purple colour sits in the fine hairs. They are sensitive to water and rubbing.

Roots

Fine and fibrous; roots easily from stem pieces.

Plants: March–April · Pruning: March–May

Why grow it?

• Striking, velvety purple foliage that almost glows in the sun.
• Grows fast and fills a bright spot without much work.
• Lovely in a hanging basket or on a tall cupboard, where the shoots trail down.
• Very easy to propagate from cuttings, in water or in compost.
• Stays compact and bushy with pruning.

Purple passion: where does it grow best?

• Plenty of light, including a few hours of sun: the colour is best in bright light. Protect it from hot midday sun behind glass.
• Humus-rich, loose potting compost that holds moisture yet drains well; slightly acid to neutral.
• Room temperature: 15–25 °C and never below 13 °C. No cold draughts.
• Hang or place it so that the shoots can trail freely or climb up a support.

Light

Sunny or bright, out of direct sun

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Moderately

Size

0.5 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 13 °C

Goes well with

• Tradescantia: A trailing plant with purple foliage, for a colourful hanging basket.
• Ivy: A green counterpart for a bright corner.
• Spider plant (Chlorophytum): A fresh green trailing plant happy in the same bright spot.
• Succulents: They need plenty of light and fit the same bright corner.

Purple passion: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Repot in March–April, when the roots fill the pot or the plant goes limp.
2. Choose a pot with drainage holes and put clay pebbles in the bottom for drainage.
3. Use ordinary, loose potting compost and mix in a little perlite or sand.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before and firm the compost lightly; add a support if wanted.
5. Give it a good drink of lukewarm water and let any excess drain away.

Care

Water

Water when the top 2 cm feels dry. Pour at the edge of the pot or into the saucer, not over the leaves: wet leaves get spotted.

Feeding

From April to September, every 2–4 weeks, give half the dose of a houseplant feed. Not in winter.

Humidity

Normal room air is fine. Do not mist the leaves.

Spent flowers

Snip off the buds and flowers: they smell unpleasant and cost the plant energy.

Support

A bamboo cane or ring gives the long shoots something to hold; in a hanging basket they trail by themselves.

Tip: The purple hairs colour best in plenty of light. Do not pour water over the leaves and snip off the orange flowers, because they smell unpleasant. Pinch out the tips regularly for a bushy plant.

Purple passion: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March–May.

When: Regularly between March and May, and trim lightly in summer if it gets too long.

How:

• Pinch out the tips of long shoots for a bushy plant.
• Cut shoots that are bare or too long back to just above a leaf.
• Remove dead or faded leaves and the flower buds.
• Use the pieces as cuttings; this keeps the plant young.

Caution: Cut with clean scissors and touch the leaves as little as possible because of the hairs.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

All through the growing season, best in spring: cut a tip of 8–10 cm, remove the lower leaves and put the cutting in water or moist compost. Roots in 1–3 weeks at room temperature.

Renewing

An old plant becomes bare and long: replace it every 2–3 years with one or more new plants from cuttings.

Purple passion: how does it get through the winter?

• Not hardy: the minimum temperature is 13 °C. It must never overwinter outdoors.
• Keep it bright and at 15–18 °C, away from a cold window.
• Water less: the compost may dry out on top between waterings.
• Do not feed in winter. In a dark corner the colour fades.

Diseases and pests

• Faded leaves: Too little light: the purple colour fades and the shoots become long and thin. Move it somewhere brighter.
• Spots on the leaves: Water on the leaves leaves ugly marks. Water at the edge of the pot and dry any splashed leaves.
• Aphids and whitefly: Small insects on young shoots and under the leaves. Rinse with lukewarm water or wipe them off; repeat weekly.
• Spider mites: Fine webbing and speckled leaves in dry air. Raise the humidity and remove badly affected shoots.

Through the year

• January: Rest: bright spot, 15–18 °C, little water.
• February: Rest. Do not feed yet.
• March: Repot and prune. More water again.
• April: Prune. Start feeding.
• May: Prune and pinch out tips. Take cuttings.
• June: Growing season. Snip off flower buds.
• July: Growing season. Water, protect from hot sun.
• August: Growing season. Trim if needed.
• September: Feed less.
• October: Stop feeding. Move away from cold draughts.
• November: Rest. Little water.
• December: Rest: bright and not too cold.

Did you know?

• The plant belongs to the Asteraceae, the same family as daisies and sunflowers.
• The purple colour sits in the fine hairs on the leaves and is best in bright light; in a dark corner it fades.
• Cuttings root within a few weeks, in water or in moist compost.