Alternanthera Little Ruby

* Common name: Alternanthera Little Ruby™

Alternanthera Little Ruby

* Botanical name: Alternanthera dentata ‘LRU30’

* What it is: A trailing, non-flowering annual grown for its season-long, thumbnail-sized burgundy leaves that have brighter ruby-red undersides.

* Size: 10-12 inches tall, 15-18 inches in spread.

* Where to use: At its best as a trailer that adds dark foliage to a pot or hanging basket. But Little Ruby™ also does well in the ground, where it can be massed as a summer groundcover or spotted in beds to contrast green or light-colored plants. Good in heat and humidity and grows in full sun to shade.

* Care: Plant after danger of frost in mid-May. Work a balanced, granular fertilizer into the soil at planting, then fertilize with a half-strength, liquid flower fertilizer every 2 weeks in a pot planting. In-ground plantings usually won’t need more than the initial fertilizer. Yank when frost kills them in fall.

* Great partner: Goes nicely with anything gold, green or red. Yellow marigolds or ‘Zahara’ or ‘Profusion’ zinnias are good annual-flower partners. Spirea ‘Ogon’ (Mellow Yellow) and St. Johnswort are good shrub partners.