Joseph's coat

The two common names given to this tropical plant -- calico plant or Joseph's coat -- say it all: Its richly colored leaves in purples, bronzes, oranges, reds, purples, and yellows make it an interesting addition to the bed or border. In the tropics, it's a perennial, but most gardeners grow it as an annual. It's a top pick for containers, and if you have a sunny window, you can even bring it inside and use it as a houseplant. Like so many tropical plants, it likes rich, moist, but well-drained soil.

Light:

Sun,Part Sun

Zones:

11

Plant Type:

Annual,Perennial,Indoor Plant

Plant Height:

6-36 inches tall

Plant Width:

6-18 inches wide

Flower Color:

Red, purple, or variegated foliage

Landscape Uses:

Containers,Beds & Borders,Slopes,Groundcover

Special Features:

Attractive Foliage,Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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Joseph's coat

Alternanthera ficoidea bears purplish foliage on a spreading low plant perfect for containers.
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'Gail's Choice' Joseph's coat

Alternanthera 'Gail's Choice' offers dark purple-red foliage on an upright plant that can reach 3 feet tall.
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Garden Plans

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Garden Plan to Soften a Fence
Annual Garden for Shade

Plant It With

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Angelonia

Angelonia's richly colored upright flower spikes look great paired with a variegated form of alternanthera.

Dusty miller

Go for the high-contrast look by contrasting a deep purple-red variety of alternanthera with the silvery foliage of dusty miller.

Fountaingrass

In containers, create a dark-on-dark look with an explosion of purple fountaingrass foliage bursting out from a carpet of alternanthera.