Brazilian Red Hot Alternanthera
Wednesday, July 08, 2009Brazilian Red Hot Alternanthera is a tropical plant that is often used as an accent plant. Many gardens have accent plants to create borders, focal points, contrasting foliage colour or as a companion to other plants or flowers.
As for me, I love the striking bright pink and purple colour of this plant. I have a few pots in the garden to create contrasting colour to other green foliages. They enhances the purple, red and green colour palette of my garden. This plant enjoys the sun but need to have moist soil all the time.
The plant is very easy to propagate. As soon as they grow taller, just cut the overgrown stem, pin it into the soil and it will just grow. The more I prune the plant, the more bushy it will get and I would just pin the stems back on to the same pot. This way, the plant just multiply more and more shoots and leaves.
This Alternanthera that I have is very closely related to Joyweed :-)
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30 comments
Lovely color!
ReplyDeleteStephanie! THAT is so beautiful! I love the shot of the purple-and-pink sprouting from the green. Awesome.
ReplyDeletequite a nice border plant, i think i seen these in the united states alongside a sidewalk, but i can't remember where.
ReplyDeleteIt is very striking. It would be nice as a backdrop to something with a little yellow tone... I love plants that are so easy to root -- I am trying to root a petunia cutting that way in a planter I gave my neighbor. We'll see if it works. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteLovely colors, Steph. Seems to go very well with Caladiums. I don't have this plant. I tried to grow a black Alternanthera from seed this spring, but had no success. Perhaps I'll try again next year.
ReplyDeleteI love foliage plants with pink, purple, n other bright colors like Alternanthera too. Currently, I have a lot of Coleus in my balcony. For more variety, I can consider growing Alternanthera :) Thanks for the info Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteI like this plants "Brazilian Red Hot Alternanthera". But I can't plant any plants or flowers because if I do they all dry or die although everyday I watering & take care of it! I don't know why. Old peoples said I'm born in the year of goat so I eat all of them...haha! I don't believe it!
ReplyDeleteHave A Green Day!
by Jenny Eshjey.
Oooh I love the photos!! All that deep rich colour~~beautifully captured. I've grown this before but I didn't know what it was called. So glad you posted!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pics and lovely plant, Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThe dark red colour will surely brighten up a garden and it is so easy to grow. I try to plant this one next.
ReplyDeleteYes... I love the colour too :) I see this plant around a lot.
ReplyDeleteIs this what you gave me??
Very beautiful shrubs, it will make a nice colorful fence, I like it in the flower pot too.
ReplyDeleteI love your focus in this post... a nice color. and Thats the color when little girls blush, clearly visible on their cheeks.
ReplyDeleteJust so happen that I am propagating five Alternanthera cuttings in polybags. I just took a stem out from the bush by the roadside. I hope the town council guys wont be angry with me... I just want to green my plot with red Alternanthera !!.. haha... the cuttings are shooting now.
Cheers,
~ bangchik
Bangchik, ha ha ha... actually Autumnbelle can do the same. Just a few cuttings will do. The municipal garden workers will have to trim the bush anyway ;-) Remember the Bangkok Rose shrubs I have posted earlier? They are all gone now (chopped!). The consolation is that the roots and trunks are still there... so given time, the shrubs will grow again ;-(
ReplyDeleteMarvelous colors, I've never seen that plant before. Each and every one of your images is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI love all the different ways you have shared the alternathera. Wonderful color!
ReplyDeleteHappy Summer - I enjoy your blog each time I stop by!
Stephanie is a wonderful lady ...
ReplyDeleteA hug and a kiss ... Loris ...
Stephanie è una meravigliosa signora...
Un abbraccio e un bacio...Loris...
I used to have this plant at my backyard, never know the name until I read this post. Very nice when you line them up in a row, mix with other plants.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Tell me are the pictures all of your plants? Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYes danger garden, they are my plants in my garden ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your compliments!
Hello! I live in Florida and was wondering if these can survive my "winter". I live in central florida. Rare freezes. Think it will live year around? :)
ReplyDeleteNice foliage. Really cheer up the whole garden with its vibrant look!
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention, I like the new header of your blog! Nice photo!
ReplyDeleteHi, was wondering whether are there few types of these as I had seen some in a maroon shades, some with green - or all of them are same as they change colour due to sunlight difference.
ReplyDeleteAny idea?
Hey Avis, how's your petunia cutting coming along? I haven't successfully made it root yet.
ReplyDeleteI have this plant and it grows like a weed and I have made more plants for my mom and daughter. It survived the cold cold winter and looks better than ever. I also have some calydiums mixed with it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tip about propagation - I will try that with mine. Do you think this plant would work in a self-watering pot?
ReplyDeleteDon't mention it. Self-watering pot? Hmm, I think the plant should grow well in this kind of pot too. Try with one first ;)
DeleteI have one of this, I love the color... but I just cannot make more. The stalks I cut do not make roots, not in water and not in soil :( do you have any tips? could you maybe post a photo of how you take cuttings?
ReplyDeleteI just need to take cutting and poke them into the soil. They root very fast here.
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