The Easy-To-Grow Purple Perennial That Thrives In Hanging Baskets & Pots

If you're looking for a an easy-to-grow hanging plant for your outdoor space to provide some unique and vivid color, forget fuchsias and petunias. Give your neighbors something to talk about by choosing a lesser-known but incredibly striking plant: the 'Magic Mona' Purple Plectranthus (Plectranthus Hybrid 'De Wet F'). This plant can inject some stunning purple flowers and dark green foliage into your landscape. Even when the plant is not in bloom, the leaves have a purple underside which creates a striking two-tone effect.

This isn't a vining plant — instead, the 'Magic Mona' will mature in an upright and bushy plant with branched-out stems at around 2 feet tall and 2 feet across. You can plant it into containers, mix it into beds and borders or grow it in hanging baskets, too. It is a perennial plant in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 to 11, so it can keep coming back every year to bring you a little pop of color in the warmest climates in the United States. And if you do live in a cooler region, it can be displayed outside in summer then moved indoors before the temperature drops, or kept indoors year-round as a houseplant instead.

The most common advice online is to keep these plants in partial to full shade with a well-draining soil. But despite not being a plant that can thrive in direct sun, 'Magic Mona' is actually a heat-loving plant, so it makes a great choice if you're in a warmer climate where other flowering plants may struggle. It is thought of as an easy to grow plant because it tolerates shade well and doesn't require too much attention once it has established. Basically, it will be happy, and grow fast, as long as you live in a frost-free zone as it is not cold hardy.It's also a moderate feeder, meaning you won't have to fertilize much, and its water needs are considered medium – nothing fussy there either. When it comes to pruning, just shape it as you see fit aesthetically.

What truly makes 'Magic Mona' so appealing is that it actually has a fall blooming period, not a spring or summer one, producing its stunning display in the autumn during a time when other seasonal blooms are starting to fade and drop off. Plus, it's pollinator friendly, attracting bees to its bright flowers beyond the summer season. Between its relatively low maintenance needs, eye-catching flowers and fall blooming habits, this really is one of the easiest and best purple plants you can hang in your patio, balcony or shaded garden for a little extra autumnal color that doesn't ask for too much in return.