The Purple Queen (aka tradescantia pallida), is the perfect plant. I say this because it is literally the only plant that has ever survived under my watch. Due to negligence, bad luck, or a simple ignorance of proper care, dozens upon dozens of plants have withered and died under my black thumb of death. A friend of mine, a horticulturist, appalled by the complete lack of plant life in my home, wouldn’t take this as a fair excuse and insisted on giving me a cutting of his “purple plant” for my birthday one year. Gee, thanks, I thought…
Years later, and at times, throughout months of no watering, it’s still alive and proof that this is the only plant I’ll ever need… And a great bday gift.
Now, supposedly, this plant will flower, but I’ve yet to see any blooms… So maybe it could be cared for better, but whatever; it works for me.
BTW, I keep my Purple Queen in a pretty but cracked (and therefore useless for its original purpose) repurposed soup tureen, a lovely way to keep it around even though it’s no longer serving soup (or cocktails).
On a side note, another plus of the Purple Queen is that, unlike lots of other common houseplants, it is not considered poisonous to cats (although my kitties are such plant-munchers we still prefer to keep it out of paw’s reach, but it’s good to know it’s safe if they do make their way to it).
Oh, and I’m not the only one who’s on to this. Check out Design*Sponge’s ode to the Purple Queen.
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