Add a splash of purple to your landscape with some bountiful blooms. Whether you're looking for annuals or perennials, here are some pretty purple flowers that are sure to make your garden pop with color.
10 Pretty Purple Flowers That’ll Make Your Garden Pop
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Allium
Allium, also known as flowering onion, includes many varieties grown from bulbs or bulb-like rhizomes. They have long stems and a large ball of purple petals, making them a great candidate for fresh cut flowers. These purple flowers grow best in full sun with well-drained soil.
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Lavender
Looking for a purple flower that is not only a great perennial that attracts bees and butterflies, but also has a pleasant scent and culinary uses? Try lavender! It is a hardy flower in USDA zones 5 to 10, depending on the type. Lavender needs full sun and well-drained soil, and plants should be spaced 1 to 3 feet apart.
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Purple Coneflower
A favorite of many native-plant gardeners, coneflowers are easy to grow and do well in many soil types. Purple coneflowers can grow up to 36 inches high and are a nectar source for butterflies, while songbirds feed on their seeds. These flowers do best in full sun, but can handle some shade and make a great fresh cut flower.
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Lupine
You’ll get an eye-catching bold pop of purple when you plant lupine in your flower garden. These pollinator-friendly flowers come in a wave of colors, including shades of purple; and they can be grown as an annual or perennial. Lupine prefers full sun, but can handle part shade. They do best in well-drained soil.
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Clematis
If you’re looking for purple flowers on a vine, try clematis Jackmanii. These flowers do best in USDA Zones 4 to 8 where the flowering parts of the vine are in sun to part shade, while the roots remain shaded. They can grow up to 10 feet high and have flat, cupped or bell-shaped flowers.
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Mini Iris
For a burst of purple in the spring, try growing mini iris. These bulb flowers are among the earliest bloomers. They are only 4 to 6 inches tall and are deer resistant, yet provide nectar for early season pollinators. They do best in well-drained soil, in a sunny to part-shade spot in your garden.
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Wisteria
Wisteria is a vigorous vine that offers a blanket of purple in the spring. This vine needs to be planted in full sun and in well-drained soil. However, planter beware: these plants may take over your space and need upkeep. They are vigorous vines that can climb easily to 30 to 40 feet.
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Anise Hyssop
You’ll attract plenty of bees to your landscape when you grow anise hyssop. These purple flowers are aromatic and produce abundant blooms. Anise hyssop likes sun and can grow up to 36 inches high. They prefer a sandy, moist, but well-drained soil. Their leaves can also be used fresh or dried to add flavor to salads, soups, drinks and desserts.
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Purple Bee Balm
While red bee balm is a favorite in many perennial pollinator gardens, these flowers also come in various shades of purple, making them a showy, mid-summer favorite. Purple bee balm does best in full sun and can grow up to 48 inches high. And, it attracts not just bees and butterflies, but hummingbirds, as well.
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Verbena
A popular purple flower in southern gardens, verbena offers vibrant, abundant blooms that aren’t impacted by intense heat. They can be grown as a perennial or an annual, and are long-blooming, flowering continuously from late spring into the fall. They work great for edging or for filling flower pots. Just give them full sun and average garden soil.
FAQs
Which purple flowers make good cut flowers?
“One of my favorite purple flowers for a backyard cutting garden is Gomphrena Fireworks,” says Engel. “It has a tall, slim stem and a puff-shaped purple flower. It’s a great cut flower. Gomphrena fireworks stands up to extreme weather like high heat and humidity. Plant it in full sun and well-drained soil.
What are the best beginner-friendly purple flowers?
For a beginner-friendly flower, Engel suggests the Zinnia Zesty. “Look for the delightful, saturated purple variety. It is beginner-friendly and easy to start from direct-sow seed,” says Engel. He also recommends snapdragons for cooler weather seasons.
About the Expert
- Steven Engel is the Regional Account Manager for PanAmerican Seed, an internationally renowned breeder and producer of seed-raised flowers and vegetables. He specializes in the Southwest and Coastal regions of North American, and plants that thrive in dry climates with high sunlight.
