Alternanthera Plant Features
We adore alternanthera for its colorful foliage and its versatility! It's a popular houseplant and also valued for its use outdoors in landscapes and container gardens.
As an indoor plant, alternanthera's colorful foliage adds bold appeal to desks, tabletops, and other surfaces where you can enjoy its richly colored foliage. The fine-textured leaves complement just about every houseplant, especially broader-leafed types such as begonias, nerve plants, and pothos. Accent alternanthera's colorful foliage with neutral or contrasting pots.
Outdoors, low-growing varieties of alternanthera are useful as an edging plant next to sidewalks, pathways, or the front of the border. Taller varieties are fun mixed in the middle of the border where their colorful foliage adds playful hues without flowers. Their compact size and bright color also makes varieties of alternanthera excellent choices for container gardens.
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Alternanthera Growing Instructions
Indoors, grow alternanthera in bright light. It's one houseplant that can tolerate a lot of direct sun on its foliage (in fact, the more light it gets, the better its foliage color will be). Water enough to keep the soil moist, but not wet or soggy. Alternanthera wilts fairly easily if it gets too dry, but quickly recovers when you water it.
Outdoors, grow alternanthera in sun or shade. Just like as a houseplant, alternanthera has better color in the garden or container gardens when it gets more light. Water regularly to keep the plant from wilting. In the garden, it thrives with about an inch of moisture a week; in container gardens, it benefits from watering every day or two in hot weather.
Please note: Alternanthera is not intended for consumption by humans or animals.
Indoors: High light
Outside: Part sun
Green, Pink, Purple, Red, Variegated
Moist, well-drained soil
Complement your Alternanthera with these varieties:
In the garden, alternanthera pairs beautifully with petunias of just about every color.
For a fun foliage combination, you can't go wrong with coleus and alternanthera.
Grow creeping variegated creeping ficus with alternanthera for a stunning, easy-to-grow pair of houseplants.
Varieties: Our Favorites
Alternanthera ficoidea 'Christmas Tree'
This interesting houseplant shows off shiny, dark green leaves reminiscent of the needles on a Christmas tree. It grows about 12 inches tall and wide.Exotic Angel® Plants