I have "Zwanenburg Blue" that looks pretty much like yours does. I love it! It really makes a show.

Sally

Very beautiful! I had tradescantia in my last garden and keep forgetting to buy some for my new place. It blooms for an incredibly long time, right?

Yes Carol...and it spreads!!! LOL

How do you who have this thug keep it from seeding into every single perennial you own, to say nothing of tree roots, shrubs, etc.? I had a big clump when we moved here and it was well behaved at first. Then it started going to seed and I just dug out still more of it. I've been trying to eradicate it for about 6-7 years and can't get rid of it. If it blooms & I don't see it, the seeds drop everywhere. Since you can't pull it up, but have to dig up the roots, it's not fun to find new seedlings, especially in the middle of a clump of daylilies or the like.

You've got to deadhead the flowers before they turn into seed pods, which they do very quickly.
I'm still pulling up new little plants in 3 beds, but it's really not much trouble...just pull'm out like a weed, although it helps if the soil is dry and loose...sometimes I use a small hand-trough to lift the plants and their roots.