Instant reaction:

Caladium
coleus
strobilanthes (persian shield)
sweet potato vine
hosta

Purple, your choices are good..All but the Hosta's can be grown in and outdoors.

My favorites are, Variegated Ficus, 'Benji's and Rubber Trees,' Variegated Dracaenas, 'Dracos, Marginata, Goldiana,' Schef's, diffferent species.

Outside I like all the plants you mentioned, 'but don't buy Caladiums,' Variegated Eyonomous, sp wrong, red Dog-wood, Spider Wort.

There's too many to name, lol. Toni

Doh! I just saw the "indoor" part.

In that case...

Tradescantias
dracaenas
parlor palm
rubber tree
sanseviera

As far as growing the first plants I mentioned indoors, I've tried them all except the SP vine. The Caladiums are easier to let go dormant. Coleus is easier to keep as cuttings in water. They make a huge mess dropping leaves if I try to bring potted plants inside. Persian shield will pout in a pot but should live through winter. I kept one for about 10 years that way. I found it best to remove most of the larger leaves since I never had a sunny enough window and they would always drop off anyway. You can also keep this as cuttings in water.

Purple...You never tried growing SP indoors? You must try. They're behave more like tender perrenials than annuals, 'cold climates.'

I like variegated and Blackie Very pretty.

I once had a Coleues for 10 yrs. 'This was a longgg time ago.'
It was sold as a 'house plant.' I thought it very pretty and colorful so bought it, and raised it as a house plant..
After 10 yrs it died.
It grew in soil..
But you're right, they do fine in water, too..don't know how long they last in water...would you happen to know?

Now that spring is here, go to your local garden center, look for the Sweet Potato Vine..don't buy one sold as a house plant, they charge 3-4 times more.
Home Depot usually sells SP vine.

Which Sans do you have? Toni

I don't know what kind my sans is, just an old friend. I've had it for about 18 years and once it made the most incredible-smelling little white flowers. Strangely, that was the winter it spent in a bedroom with dark green mini blinds that I never opened. The leaves get about 20" tall.

I will try SP indoors this winter, I get so "plant lonely" and really could fill up the windows with baskets.

That's incredible - a 10-yr. old coleus! Was it kept inside all year? I must try this, too, just never take it outside so it doesn't have the shock of changing locations.

About putting coleus in water, after a year or so, the roots will fill the bottle so much that they get very unhappy. I usually just do them over the winter & put back outside, usually in a pot, when it's warm enough. I usually remove most of the leaves before putting cuttings in water because they just die anyway before the roots can form.

Should also mention pothos and heart-leaf philodendron in this thread. Not as showy, but as reliable as the sun and sturdy as steel. Either will grow (or at least not die) anywhere in the house, are very accepting of strange watering practices, bad dirt, never get pests, extremely easy to propagate, can go years between repottings, and do not make a mess with constantly dropped leaves.

Persian Shield. Coleus is nice too.