I have purple heart wandering jew. If your interested, please email me at crosbyphyllis@yahoo.com

I just got a Dicentra spectablis 'Alba' last year. I also have several of the pink ones too, but they are growing in separate beds. They are all growing in mostly shade, with a well-drained soil. The pink ones are growing close to the hose, so they get more water, which they probably like, nevertheless IIRC the white one retained its foliage longer than the pink. Mine bloom in early-mid May and that could be 2 weeks earlier this year, so I would get yours in the ground ASAP. I have never planted bare-root, however, they have been very easy to divide and transplant and would guess that the roots would do best if they fan out? Lovely plants - these are the pink ones from last year - they bloomed well despite having been divided the fall before, into 4 different plants. I expect them to be much bigger this Spring because the pink ones get huge. I have a pic of the white one but not on this computer. I expect a bigger show on that one this Spring too.

That sounds great. As long as it stays purple & blooming well, it's getting enough light. If it fades or stops blooming, try a bit more. Should stay alive inside for winter but will need to be close to an E/S/W window to stay looking good during those shorter days. If it does get a little pale & etiolated, don't worry, it will come back to looking great outside again next summer.

Taking a plant to where it can't survive perennially does not make it an annual. All Tradescantias are perennials, AFAIK, pallida definitely is. Survival is not about the air temp, a hard frost will kill the above-ground parts, but as long as the ground doesn't freeze, the roots will stay alive. Hardy to the warmer parts of Z7. If one doesn't have sufficient light for winter, that's OK. There will be etiolation & fading but as long as it's still alive in the spring, it should grow gorgeous new foliage outside again next summer. Even though I live where this plant is hardy, I still take cuttings in the fall & stick them in pots to get more going over winter. The cutting usually fades away quickly, but roots form & new stems grow when pots go back outside.