Blue Heaven Streptocarpella (Streptocarpella saxorum 'Blue Heaven')
Streptocarpella saxorum 'Blue Heaven'

Evergreen Perennial (usually grown as an annual near you) Trailing, Mounding in the Gesneriaceae Family
A trailing African violet relative covered in airy blue-purple blooms from spring to frost. An easy, shade-loving spiller for hanging baskets and containers -- treat it as a tender perennial houseplant or a colorful annual in Chicago gardens.
Streptocarpella saxorum 'Blue Heaven' (more properly classified as Streptocarpus saxorum, in the former segregate genus Streptocarpella) is a trailing selection of the East African false African violet, native to rocky ground and cliff faces in Kenya and Tanzania. It's an evergreen perennial subshrub with slender, trailing, slightly hairy stems and small, velvety, gray-green leaves, growing 8 to 12 inches tall and spreading 12 to 15 inches. Airy, dainty blue-purple flowers rise just above the foliage on wiry stems and bloom nearly continuously from spring until frost. Hardy outdoors only in USDA zones 9a-11b, it's grown as a shade-loving annual spiller in hanging baskets and containers in colder climates, including the Chicago area, or kept as a houseplant year-round.

Pros

  • Continuous blue-purple blooms from spring until frost
  • Trailing habit makes an excellent spiller for baskets and containers
  • Thrives in shade to part shade where many flowering plants struggle
  • Non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses (ASPCA)

Cons

  • Not winter hardy in Chicago — grown as an annual outdoors or overwintered indoors as a houseplant
  • Dislikes direct afternoon sun, which can scorch the velvety leaves
  • Prefers consistent moisture; both soggy and bone-dry soil cause problems
This plant is probably not winter-hardy outdoors where you live.
Highlights A close relative of Streptocarpus (Cape Primrose) and African violets, 'Blue Heaven' is a trailing selection prized for its airy clouds of small blue-purple flowers held above velvety green foliage. It blooms nearly continuously from spring to frost and thrives in the shade to part shade that stops many other flowering plants, making it a dependable spiller for hanging baskets and shaded containers.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 8 - 12 inches tall. 12 - 15 inches wide.
Growth Rate Medium
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Shade
Moisture Tolerance Medium : Prefers consistently moist soil; does not tolerate extended drought or waterlogged soil well.
Zones 9a - 11b (Usually hardy to 20° F)
Tags Annual in Chicago, Container, Evergreen, Full Shade, Hanging Basket, Low Maintenance, Medium, Native to Africa, Partial Shade, Perennial, Shade Tolerant, Spillers
Bloom Period Spring to Fall
Flower Color Blue, Purple
 

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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 02/05 - 08/09
2024 : 02/08 - 08/24
2023 : 03/02 - 07/08

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!