Tradescantia andersoniana 'Leonora' - 2026

Tradescantia ‘Leonora’ is a handsome perennial that combines graceful foliage and plentiful summer flowers for a lovely display. The plant forms clumps of lance-shaped, mid-green leaves, which provide an elegant backdrop even when not in bloom. During the summer months it bears clusters of large, three-petalled, violet-blue flowers on branching stems held just above the foliage. The blooms are generous and striking, giving colour and interest from early summer into early autumn.

Ecologically, ‘Leonora’ is good for pollinators such as bees, which are attracted by the bright violet-blue flowers. It thrives in moist, fertile, well-drained soil and prefers a position in full sun to partial shade so that flowering is at its best (though some shelter in very hot afternoon sun helps). Maintenance is fairly simple: removing spent flowered stems will encourage more blooms, and a cut-back in late winter or early spring helps tidiness and fresh growth. It is well suited to borders, mixed perennial beds, or containers.