Basil likes full sun. The plant may get "leggy" or not be as robust if shaded. The color with some plants can be be affected by the amount of light it gets but I don't know specifically with this plant.

Basil likes water but not too moist. Let the soil dry in between waterings. Pinch it to encourage more bushy growth - which is what you want. Get the size and shape you want before it starts to flower. It will pretty much stay the size it is once it starts to flower.

FataMorgana

I would use the speckled one in another planting, or pinch it way back and see if the new growth comes out red. I often find off types in red basils. Those plants do need to be pinched back by at least half their size. The secondary shoots on the stem will then grow into new branches. Then pinch those back before you allow the plants to bloom. I grew Red Ruffles and Red Rubin last year and used the blooming stems a lot in flower/herb arrangements.

Poor old Purple Ruffles - it's renowned for reverting to the original green. There are more recent purple cultivars which don't revert so easily - you'll have to hunt the WWW for those, as I don't recall the names off-hand.

I think the speckled leaves are quite pretty, but they will always be the newest leaves to appear and can easily be chopped off and discarded if you don't want to use them. This way, there's more hope of the plant producing more purple leaves, but to revert is the nature of the beast, I'm afraid. Score for Mother Nature.

Thanks All !! Sorry took so long to respond. Internet problems :-(

From your feedback, sounds like if I want true purple in that particular spot then I may need to pick another plant. And I've picked the wrong spot anyway since it's not going to get enough sun there, either.

So much for that idea....LOL. But I DO like the way it looks speckled. Might put it in container on my steps instead.