My flashy annual of the year…

There’s a history behind this latest obsession. It seems each growing season I fall under the spell of a different "annual" (whether or not it's a true annual, it's one in my climate), something new to my garden and something a little…flashy. There was the year of the Caladium, the year of the hyper-colored Coleus, and yes, even a year where I was a little obsessed with the hot pink and black Fuchsia. I know, crazy. This year's fixation? Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart'...

Or as the labels are calling it Setcreasea purpurea 'Purple Heart'

 I could blame the owner of this garden, after all it's the first time I noticed it used well.

My plant lust partner Patricia has a couple plants that came back from last winter, which wasn't bad as winters go, but does alert me to the idea this might be an annual with a bit of staying power.

I started with a pair, scored at Portland Nursery. This one is helping to make wiry foliage visible.

And this one is just providing a little color in the gravel mulch, it needs a Melianthus major 'Purple Haze' to keep it company.

Funny thing, the very hour I'd planted that first pair I came in for lunch and saw this photo, tagging me, posted to Facebook by Ms Vicki Blachman, Oh how I wish I could replicate that Dyckia/'purple heart' combo in my garden. Perfection!

After I realized two plants weren't going to be enough I went back to where I'd bought them, only to discover there were no more. Thankfully I found a new shipment at Dennis' 7 Dees on Powell.

I bought three more...

And one of these...

And I momentarily paused in front of this, remembering having fallen in love with them at the 7 Dees garden at the Yard Garden & Patio Show. They're selling them at the nursery, $139 and it's yours!

So what's your flashy annual of the year? Or are you above such fleeting passions?

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.