Purple Flowering Plants

Acidanthera

Arching stems hold fragrant white blooms with a deep maroon throat. Peacock orchid, the elegant late-summer cousin of the bold gladiolus.

Ajuga

Bronze-purple foliage with blue spikes. Fills bare shade in one season.

Allium

Dramatic globe-shaped heads on tall stems. Architectural and deer-proof.

Anise Hyssop

Lavender-blue spikes with licorice-scented foliage. A pollinator powerhouse that blooms for months.

Anna's Red Hellebore

Wine-red outward-facing blooms above silver-marbled foliage. Bred to face the viewer, not the ground, like older hellebores do.

Annual Vinca

Glossy-leaved heat champion (botanically unrelated to true Vinca minor) that blooms through humidity that wilts everything else.

Aster

The grand finale of the garden season. Essential for fall pollinators.

Astilbe

Feathery plumes that light up shady, moist spots like nothing else can.

Aubrieta

Purple cascades spilling over walls and rocks in spring. Shear after bloom for a fresh flush of foliage.

Azalea

Explosive spring color in every warm hue. Acid-loving woodland classic.

Bachelor's Button

True cornflower blue that almost no other flower can match. Cottage garden classic that self-sows reliably.

Batik Iris

Streaked and splashed purple-and-white pattern unlike any other iris. Each bloom is unique, like brushwork on silk.

Bee Balm

Shaggy, crown-shaped flowers that hummingbirds fight over.

Bela Lugosi Daylily

Deep, near-black purple with a small yellow-green throat, the darkest and most dramatic daylily you can grow.

Black Parrot Tulip

Fringed and twisted petals in deepest maroon-black. Looks more like an exotic bird than a tulip and steals every spring arrangement.

Bloom-a-Thon Azalea

Repeat-blooming azalea with waves of color spring through fall. Evergreen in mild climates.

Bloomerang Lilac

Blooms in spring, then reblooms summer through frost. Compact habit with classic lilac fragrance.

Blue False Indigo

Lupine-like spikes on a native that lives forever. Gets better with age.

Bougainvillea

Explosive cascades of papery magenta, hot pink, or coral bracts that smother walls, fences, and pergolas with nonstop color from spring through fall in zones 9 to 11.

Butterfly Bush

Long, arching flower wands that butterflies absolutely lose their minds over.

Caesar's Brother Siberian Iris

Tall stems hold rich violet-blue flowers above grassy foliage. The Siberian iris benchmark, blooming earlier and longer than bearded types.

Calibrachoa

Mini petunias that bloom nonstop in hanging baskets. Dozens of color options and no deadheading needed.

Caradonna Salvia

Dark purple stems set this apart from every other salvia. Vertical, architectural, electric.

Cat's Meow Catmint

Tidy, dome-shaped habit that never flops open. Stays compact without shearing.

Catmint

Billowy lavender-blue haze that blooms all season if you shear it back.

Chaste Tree

Long lavender-blue spikes cover this heat-loving shrub all summer. One of the few shrubs that actually blooms in August.

Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower

A rainbow mix of coneflower colors from a single seed strain. Every plant is a surprise.

Chives

Cheerful purple pom-pom flowers on a kitchen staple. Edible blooms make any salad Instagram-worthy.

Chrysanthemum

The fall icon. Mounds of color when everything else is fading.

Clematis

The queen of flowering vines. Over 300 species, something for every spot.

Cleome

Spider-flower with whisker-like stamens and airy blooms. Tall, dramatic annual that self-sows freely.

Colchicum

Crocus-like blooms appear in fall on bare stems without leaves. Plant them and forget them, they will surprise you every September.

Coleus

Grown for kaleidoscopic foliage, not flowers. Pinch blooms to keep energy in the leaves.

Columbine

Delicate, spurred flowers that dance on wiry stems. Hummingbird favorite.

Coneflower

Tough prairie native with long bloom season and medicinal history.

Crape Myrtle

The tree of the South. Months of crinkled blooms and gorgeous peeling bark.

Creeping Phlox

An evergreen sun-loving groundcover that smothers walls, slopes, and rock gardens in dense pink, purple, blue, lavender, or white sheets every April and May.

Creeping Thyme

Fragrant, walkable ground cover. Bees love it, foot traffic can't kill it.

Crocus

One of the first signs of spring, pushing through snow with jewel-toned cups.

Culinary Sage

Spiky purple blooms above silver-green aromatic foliage. A kitchen herb that doubles as an ornamental.

Dahlia

Endless forms from dinner-plate to pompom. The obsession of flower farmers.

Daylily

Virtually indestructible perennial with trumpet blooms in every warm hue.

Delphinium

Towering spires of true blue. The tallest, most dramatic back-of-border plant.

Dutch Iris

Slender stems bear elegant iris blooms in late spring to early summer.

Eastern Redbud

Magenta flowers erupt directly from bare branches. Spring showstopper tree.

Encore Autumn Azalea

Spring blooms plus a full fall encore. Multiple color options in the Encore series.

Endless Summer Hydrangea

Reblooms on old and new wood, so you get flowers even after a harsh winter. Color shifts with soil pH.

Foxglove

Stately spires of spotted, bell-shaped flowers. Cottage garden royalty.

Fritillaria

Checkered, nodding bells with an otherworldly pattern. A collector's favorite.

Garden Phlox

Billowing clusters of fragrant summer color. A butterfly magnet.

Globe Artichoke

Bold silvery foliage and large thistle-like buds are both decorative and edible.

Globe Thistle

Perfectly spherical steel-blue globes on white stems that dry to perfection. Bees are absolutely obsessed.

Golden Tiara Hosta

Small, fast-spreading mound with chartreuse-gold margins and one of the easiest hostas you can grow.

Gomphrena

Papery clover-shaped pom-poms on wiry stems. Drought-proof, deer-proof, and dries perfectly for winter arrangements.

Grape Hyacinth

Tiny grape-like clusters that spread into rivers of blue over time.

Hellebore

The Lenten Rose. Elegant nodding blooms that thrive in deep shade.

Hidcote Lavender

Compact and intensely dark purple. The standard against which all other lavenders are measured.

Hollyhock

Towering spires of saucer-shaped blooms in vintage colors. The icon of every English cottage garden, biennial but generous with self-sown seedlings.

Honesty

Purple spring flowers turn into translucent silvery seed pods like full moons. Biennial cottage classic that self-sows everywhere.

Hyacinth

Dense, intensely fragrant spikes. One bulb can perfume an entire room.

Hydrangea

Massive mophead blooms that shift color with soil pH. Showstoppers.

Ice Plant

Neon-bright daisy flowers that shimmer in the sun over succulent foliage. Thrives in hot, dry rock gardens.

Impatiens

The shade annual champion. Flowers prolifically where nothing else will.

Iris

Elegant sword-leaved perennials with intricate, ruffled blooms.

Jackmanii Clematis

The classic large-flowered clematis since 1858. Deep violet-purple blooms cover the vine midsummer.

Japanese Iris

Huge, flat, ruffled blooms up to 10 inches across. Needs consistent moisture, especially during bloom.

Joe-Pye Weed

Towering native with mauve domes that butterflies swarm in late summer.

Karma Choc Dahlia

Velvety dark burgundy waterlily blooms that read almost black in low light. Strong stems built for the vase.

Lantana

Multi-colored flower clusters that bloom relentlessly in brutal heat.

Larkspur

Tall spires of spurred flowers in deep blue and purple. The annual cousin of delphinium, easier to grow from seed and just as dramatic.

Lavender

Fragrant silver-green mounds beloved by bees and humans alike.

Lenten Rose

Nodding flowers in late winter when nothing else is blooming. Evergreen foliage adds year-round structure to shade gardens.

Liatris

Blazing star. Spikes that bloom unusually from top to bottom.

Lilac

Intensely fragrant clusters that define spring in northern gardens.

Lisianthus

Rose-like ruffled blooms with the vase life of a chrysanthemum. The flower farmer's secret weapon for high-end arrangements.

Lupine

Dramatic spikes in every color. Short-lived but self-seeds generously.

Magnolia

Goblet-shaped blooms on bare branches. One of spring's most dramatic moments.

May Night Salvia

Perennial Plant of the Year. Dense indigo-violet spikes that rebloom if deadheaded.

Meadow Rue

Fluffy puffs of bloom on tall, airy stems above columbine-like foliage. Light and ethereal.

Monkshood

Deep indigo-blue hooded flowers on tall spikes in late summer. One of the few genuinely blue flowers that grows in shade.

Morning Glory

Fast-climbing vine with trumpets that open fresh every morning.

Native Spiderwort

Three-petaled flowers in blue-purple open fresh each morning on a tough native that blooms for weeks and seeds freely.

Night Embers Daylily

Deep burgundy-red with a black eye and yellow throat, smoldering in the summer border.

Onyx Odyssey Hellebore

Fully double black-purple blooms that look almost theatrical. The darkest hellebore available, and worth the hunt to find one.

Oregano

Tiny flowers are a pollinator magnet when allowed to bloom. Let a patch go to flower for the bees.

Oregon Iris

Small purple iris flowers with yellow signals on wiry stems. A tough, underappreciated Pacific Northwest native.

Penstemon

Tubular flowers on upright stems. Native hummingbird magnet for dry gardens.

Pentas

Star-shaped flower clusters that hummingbirds and butterflies hit on every pass. Blooms nonstop in heat that stops impatiens cold.

Petunia

Cascading color for containers and beds. Blooms nonstop until frost.

Phenomenal Lavender

Survives humidity and cold that kills other lavenders. Silver foliage stays tight and full.

Pickerelweed

Spikes of violet-blue flowers above glossy arrow-shaped leaves. Native pond and stream bank staple.

Polish Spirit Clematis

Deep violet-purple flowers cover a vigorous plant from midsummer to fall. Prune hard each spring and stand back.

Portulaca

Succulent-leaved sun lover with silky rose-like blooms that thrives where pavement, rock, or sand defeats everything else.

Powwow Wild Berry Coneflower

Deep rose-purple petals and a bronzy cone on a compact reblooming plant that won't sprawl.

Princess Irene Tulip

Glowing orange petals brushed with smoky purple flames. Mildly fragrant and one of the most unusual color combinations in any tulip.

Purple de Oro Daylily

Deep purple-red blooms on a compact Stella-sized plant. Brings rich color to the front of the border.

Purple Prairie Clover

Brushy purple flower spikes rise over fine foliage and feed prairie pollinators.

Queen of Night Tulip

The darkest tulip. Satiny, near-black maroon blooms that look almost unreal in late spring.

Rhododendron

Big, bold trusses of bloom over glossy evergreen foliage.

Rocky Mountain Penstemon

Spikes of deep blue tubular flowers rise above glossy evergreen foliage in early summer.

Rose of Sharon

A cold-hardy hibiscus shrub (Hibiscus syriacus) with big tropical-looking blooms in lavender, pink, blue, white, or wine, opening late summer when most flowering shrubs are done.

Rozanne Geranium

Violet-blue saucer flowers on a sprawling mound that blooms from late spring until frost. The most awarded perennial geranium in history.

Salvia

Vertical flower spikes that hummingbirds and bees cannot resist.

Scabiosa

Pincushion blooms on long wiry stems dance over fine foliage. Pollinator magnet that keeps producing if you keep cutting.

Sea Holly

Metallic blue bracts and cones turn the whole plant a vivid silvery-blue. Otherworldly and completely drought-proof.

Sensation Lilac

Unique bicolor blooms with purple petals edged in white. A head-turner in any spring garden.

Snapdragon

Vertical flower spikes with squeeze-open blooms. Kids love them.

Speedwell

Tidy spikes of blue that add vertical punch to the front of the border.

Statice

Stiff papery flower clusters that dry to keep their color for years. A cut-flower farmer staple for wreaths and dried bouquets.

Stock

Dense spikes of clove-scented blooms in soft pastels. Cool-season cut flower that fills a room with spicy perfume.

Sweet Alyssum

Honey-scented carpet of tiny flowers. The best living edging plant.

Sweet Pea

Ruffled, intensely fragrant climbing flowers in every pastel shade. Cool-season annual that hates heat.

Sweet William

Dense flat clusters in zoned bicolors with a sweet clove fragrance. Old-fashioned cottage charm that returns reliably.

Tall Verbena

Wiry stems topped with purple clusters that butterflies can't resist. See-through plant for layering.

The President Clematis

Big, rich violet-blue flowers with silvery reverse petals rebloom through the season on a vigorous, reliable plant.

Thomas Edison Dahlia

Rich royal purple dinner plate blooms with formal decorative form. One of the few true purples and a showstopper in late-summer beds.

Toad Lily

Orchid-like spotted flowers when everything else is done. A late-season shade garden gem.

Triteleia

Loose umbels of starry blue trumpets on tall wiry stems. Western native bulb that thrives on summer drought.

Tuff Stuff Hydrangea

Reblooming mountain hydrangea with delicate lacecap blooms. Takes more cold than macrophyllas and keeps flowering after harsh winters.

Tulip

The classic spring icon in almost every color imaginable.

Vinca

Evergreen mat with periwinkle-blue flowers. Tough shade ground cover.

Vintage Wine Coneflower

Wine-purple petals that age to rose on a robust, well-branched plant. One of the most floriferous echinacea you can grow.

Wallflower

Velvety blooms in burnished sunset tones with a sweet violet fragrance. The forgotten cottage staple worth bringing back.

Wild Bergamot

The wild cousin of bee balm. Lavender puffs alive with pollinators. Tougher and more mildew-resistant.

Wild Geranium

Soft pink blooms over deeply-cut foliage. A woodland edge staple.

Wisteria

Cascading, fragrant racemes that create a dreamy canopy. Needs structure.

Zinnia

Easy-grow annual with electric colors. Cut-and-come-again champion.