Plants that bloom in October in Zone 7 with purple flowers

Acidanthera

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

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.

Butterfly Bush

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

Chrysanthemum

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

Colchicum

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

Dahlia

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

Encore Autumn Azalea

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

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.

Lantana

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

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.

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.

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.

Tall Verbena

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

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.

Tuff Stuff Hydrangea

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

Zinnia

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