Plants that bloom in October in Zone 3 with purple flowers

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.

Dahlia

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

Gomphrena

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

Impatiens

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

Karma Choc Dahlia

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

Lisianthus

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

Morning Glory

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

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.

Portulaca

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

Scabiosa

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

Sweet Alyssum

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

Zinnia

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