Plant Finder

Moana Nursery High Desert Plant Finder & Guide

Other Names:  Joseph's Coat, Parrot Leaf

Description:

A low growing multicolored variety that features beautiful pink, bronze, and green foliage; bright colors lasting throughout the summer months look stunning in hanging baskets, patio containers and garden beds

Ornamental Features

Tricolor Alternanthera's attractive glossy pointy leaves remain dark green in color with showy rose variegation and tinges of coppery-bronze throughout the year on a plant with a mounded habit of growth.

Landscape Attributes

Tricolor Alternanthera is an herbaceous annual with a mounded form. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant. The flowers of this plant may actually detract from its ornamental features, so they can be removed as they appear. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Tricolor Alternanthera is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Tricolor Alternanthera will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Tricolor Alternanthera is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a canvas of foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.