11 Stunning Purple Flowers and Plants

Combine different shades of purple to make your garden pop.

By: Lynn Coulter

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Dahlia

Introduced in the 1940s, dahlia 'Thomas Edison' still adds splashes of bright purple to modern landscapes. Dahlias can take full sun, although Southern gardeners may need to give them afternoon shade. They're available in a range of sizes, from 10-20" up to 5' tall. Depending on the species, some dahlia tubers will die when the ground gets cold. You can treat them as annuals and replace them each year, or dig up the tubers and store them for the winter.

Verbena

Verbenas are great plants for summer gardens, able to tolerate both heat and drought. They thrive even in poor soils, as long as they have full sun and soil that drains easily. When the blooms slow down, trim the plants to encourage more flowers. Most annual verbenas grow 6-18” tall. Perennial types, which tend to be short-lived, grow best in Zones 5 and above. ‘Santos Purple,’ pictured here, spreads up to 12 inches.

Gladiolus

Gladiolus are popular flowers for cutting gardens. You’ll find them in a variety of colors and in sizes that range from 2-6’ tall. Plant the corms in loose, well-drained soil that gets plenty of sun, and stake any tall stems that might be toppled by the wind. Once the flowers fade, cut off the stalks but leave the foliage, so the corms can store energy for the next growing season. Glads should be dug and stored in USDA Hardiness Zones 6 or colder.

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

Lo & Behold ‘Purple Haze’ Buddleia (butterfly bush) produces fragrant, purple-blue flowers that start in mid-summer and continue until frost. It needs full sun and is hardy to Zone 5. While butterfly bushes provide nectar for adult butterflies, you may want to grow host plants for their caterpillars, too. Your county extension service agent can tell you what kind of plants to grow.

Calla Lily

Elegant calla lilies are popular in wedding bouquets. In the garden, they’re undemanding plants that thrive in well-worked soil and sun. In warm climates, they can take part shade. Callas sold in gift pots often wind up in the compost pile after the flowers fade, but the bulbs are perennials and can be planted outdoors. Hardy in Zones 7-10, the plants can grow 24-36 inches.

Viola

Cheerful violas can tolerant a light frost, which makes them good candidates for early spring gardens. They take full sun to part shade, although they usually stop blooming or die when the weather heats up. (If you live where the winters are warm, your violas may keep blooming into spring.) These sweet flowers grow about 6-10” tall and make pretty companions for spring bulbs like early daffodils. Shown here: ‘Sorbet Purple’ viola.

Angelonia

Angelonias, sometimes called summer snapdragons, have a sweet scent reminiscent of grapes or apples. Angelface 'Wedgewood Blue' is usually treated as an annual since it’s hardy only in Zones 10-11. This sun-lover tops out at 18-30” tall and blooms until frost. Wait until the weather is reliably warm to plant angelonias in your garden.

Heuchera

Heucheras, also known as coral bells, are ideal for partly shaded to shaded spots. Dolce ‘Wildberry’ is an eye-catching perennial that forms mounds of glossy, purple leaves. Expect it to grow 10-14” tall; it’s winter hardy in Zones 4-9. Heucheras produce bell-shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds, although most gardeners value them for their colorful foliage.

Purple Basil

After you’ve admired the purplish-bronze leaves of ‘Purple Basil’ in your garden, snip a few to add spice to salads. Basils can take part shade but grow best in full sun. Depending on the variety, these herbs grow 12-24” tall. They’re tender annuals that die when the temperatures drop, although some gardeners pot up their plants to overwinter indoors.

Tulip

Bold purple tulips wake up beds and borders. 'Yume No Murasaki' is a lily-flowered type that lasts a long time in the garden or when it's cut for bouquets. It loves full sun and well-drained soil. On warm, bright days, when the blooms are wide open, you can peek in and see a spot of white in their throats. It's hardy in USDA Zones 3-7.

Lavender

Snip a few stems of fragrant, purple lavender to dry for potpourris or tie into sweet-smelling bundles. These deer-resistant herbs take full sun and don’t need rich soil. They dislike high humidity, so while most lavenders are hardy in Zones 5-9, Southerners may need to grow them as annuals or in containers. This variety, 'Ellagance Purple', matures at 12-14” tall and has silvery-grey leaves.

11 Stunning Purple Flowers and Plants

Related To:

Shop This Look

Dahlia

Verbena

Gladiolus

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

Calla Lily

Viola

Angelonia

Heuchera

Purple Basil

Tulip

Lavender

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