Flower color

Purple flowers

532 garden plants with purple blooms, with bloom times, hardiness zones, and sun needs. Build a purple color scheme that lasts across the season.

Showing 1 to 60 of 532 plants

How this list is made

Derived from each plant's flower color tags and bloom colors, as stored in the BloomsEye library, which was written with AI assistance. Of these 532 plants, 400 have been checked against outside sources (37 fully verified); the rest have not been checked yet, and each plant's own page says which. The cards are AI-generated illustrations.

Purple is the accepted middle of the garden, and 532 plants here flower it. It holds a warm end and a cool end at once, so it sits beside almost anything without argument: the reason so many mixed borders lean on lavender, salvia and catmint to hold everything else together. It also recedes slightly, so purple at the back of a bed makes the bed read deeper than it is. Its reliable partner is yellow, directly opposite on the color wheel and the safest strong pairing in gardening. Its weakness is dusk: purple goes muddy as the light drops, so plant it where it is seen at midday. More on the range in the purple flowers guide.

Related guides

Lilac Varieties Compared The Cool Border The Dark Garden Blue Flowers Clematis Varieties Compared Purple Flowers

Adam's Courage Clematis

Clematis 'Adam's Courage'

Full sunZones 4–75.5 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Anemone coronaria 'Admiral'

Full sunZones 7–1012 inModerate

Full sunZones 9–1112 inModerate

American Alumroot

Heuchera americana

Part shadeZones 4–92 ftModerate

American Beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Part sunZones 6–106 ftModerate

Astilbe × arendsii 'Amethyst'

Part shadeZones 4–82.5 ftHigh

Amethyst Dream Bachelor Button

Centaurea montana 'Amethyst Dream'

Full sunZones 3–81.5 ftLow

Amethyst Falls Wisteria

Wisteria frutescens 'Amethyst Falls'

Full sunZones 5–920 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Rhododendron 'Anah Kruschke'

Part shadeZones 5–96 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Rosa 'Angel Face'

Full sunZones 5–93.5 ftModerate

Angelface Super Blue Summer Snapdragon

Angelonia angustifolia 'Ansublu021'

Full sunZones 10–113 ftModerate

Angelonia angustifolia

Full sunZones 9–111.5 ftModerate

Full sunZones 5–93 ftLow

Geranium 'Ann Folkard'

Part sunZones 4–91.5 ftModerate

Full sunZones 4–811 ftModerate

Salvia nemorosa 'April Night'

Full sunZones 4–81.5 ftLow

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium

Full sunZones 3–82 ftLow

Full sunZones 3–83 ftModerate

Full sunZones 4–96 inModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Autumn Lilac Encore Azalea

Rhododendron 'Robles'

Part shadeZones 6–93 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Autumn Majesty Encore Azalea

Rhododendron 'Roblezd'

Part shadeZones 6–102.5 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Autumn Royalty Encore Azalea

Rhododendron 'Conlec'

Part shadeZones 6–94.5 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Syringa 'SMNSDTP'

Full sunZones 3–72.5 ftModerate

Balboa Sunset Heuchera

Heuchera 'DOHEUGABECI'

Part sunZones 4–98 inModerate

Monarda didyma 'Balbalmurp'

Full sunZones 4–912 inModerate

Full sunZones 3–92.5 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Part sunZones 5–85 ftModerate

Hemerocallis 'Bela Lugosi'

Full sunZones 3–92.5 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Believer Purple Aster

Symphyotrichum 'Yobeliever'

Full sunZones 3–812 inModerate

Magnolia 'Betty'

Full sunZones 4–813 ftModerate

Big Blue Lilyturf

Liriope muscari 'Big Blue'

Part shadeZones 5–101.5 ftModerate

Clematis 'Evipo030'

Full sunZones 4–91.5 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Black Adder Agastache

Agastache 'Black Adder'

Full sunZones 6–112 ftLow

Aquilegia vulgaris 'Black Barlow'

Part shadeZones 3–82.5 ftModerate

Black Beauty Elderberry

Sambucus nigra 'Gerda'

Full sunZones 4–810 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Coleus 'Black Dragon'

Part shadeZones 10–111.5 ftModerate

Black Hat Rhododendron

Rhododendron 'NCRX2'

Full sunZones 4–83 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Black Hero Double Peony Tulip

Tulipa 'Black Hero'

Full sunZones 3–81.5 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Delphinium 'Black Knight'

Full sunZones 3–75 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Buddleia davidii 'Black Knight'

Full sunZones 5–96.5 ftLow

Black Lace Elderberry

Sambucus nigra 'Eva'

Full sunZones 4–77 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Colocasia esculenta 'Black Magic'

Part sunZones 8–114 ftHigh

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Black Mondo Grass

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Kokuryū'

Part sunZones 6–912 inModerate

Viola wittrockiana 'Clear Crystals Black'

Part sun8 inModerate8 in wide

Tulipa 'Black Parrot'

Full sunZones 3–81.5 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Black Sea Coral Bells

Part shadeZones 4–81.5 ftModerate

Black Star Calla

Zantedeschia 'Schwarzwalder'

Part sunZones 8–102 ftHigh

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Blackhawks Big Bluestem

Andropogon gerardi 'Blackhawks'

Full sunZones 4–95 ftLow

Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie'

Full sunZones 9–118 inModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Blackout Coral Bells

Heuchera 'Blackout'

Part shadeZones 4–91.5 ftModerate

Full sunZones 3–93 ftLow

Bloomerang Dark Purple Lilac

Syringa 'SMSJBP7'

Full sunZones 3–75 ftModerate

Bloomerang Purpink Reblooming Lilac

Syringa pubescens 'SMNSPTP'

Full sunZones 3–74 ftModerate

Bloomerang Purple

Syringa 'Bloomerang Purple'

Full sunZones 3–75 ftModerate

Full sunZones 5–104 ftModerate

Tulipa 'Blue Spectacle'

Full sunZones 3–81.5 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Blue Stocking Bee Balm

Monarda 'Blaustrumpf'

Full sunZones 4–83 ftModerate

Boulevard Edda Clematis

Clematis 'Evipo074'

Full sunZones 4–93.5 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Boulevard Ravel Clematis

Clematis 'Evipo122'

Full sunZones 4–94.5 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Boursault Rhododendron

Rhododendron 'Catawbiense Boursault'

Part shadeZones 4–86 ftModerate

Listed as toxic to dogs and cats

Purple flowers by season

A plant is counted in every season it flowers in, so a long-flowering one appears in more than one. The named picks are the plants whose whole flowering sits in that season, not the ones that only pass through it.

Spring

March, April and May

273 plants

Lungwort
Pulmonaria · March to May
Creeping Woodland Phlox
Phlox stolonifera · April to May
Lilac
Syringa vulgaris · April to May

Summer

June, July and August

406 plants

Common Blue Grama Grass
Bouteloua gracilis · June to August
Lavender
Lavandula · June to August
Mint
Mentha · June to August

Fall

September, October and November

223 plants

Aster
Symphyotrichum · September to October
Autumn Crocus
Colchicum · September to October
Toad Lily
Tricyrtis · September to October

Winter

December, January and February

10 plants

Crocus
February to March
Onyx Odyssey
Helleborus × hybridus 'Onyx Odyssey' · February to April
Dream Weaver Camellia
Camellia 'Dream Weaver' · October to December

Purple flowers for shade

135 of these 532 plants will flower in less than a full day of sun.

Part shade

95 plants

Wishbone Flower
Torenia fournieri · June to September
Bugleweed
Ajuga reptans · April to June
Columbine
Aquilegia · April to June

Part sun

37 plants

Hardy Geranium
Geranium · May to August
Pansy
Viola × wittrockiana · March to June
Spiderwort
Tradescantia · June to August

The longest-blooming purple flowers

93 of these plants hold their flowers for 5 months or more. These are the longest of them.

Autumn Lilac Encore Azalea
Rhododendron 'Robles' · 7 months, April to October
Bloomerang Purpink Reblooming Lilac
Syringa pubescens 'SMNSPTP' · 7 months, April to October
Cenizo
Leucophyllum frutescens · 6 months, May to October
Ebb Tide Rose
Rosa 'Ebb Tide' · 6 months, May to October
Fan Flower
Scaevola aemula · 6 months, May to October

Purple flowers by height

Mature height, in the three bands a border is planted in. Anything over 10 ft is structure rather than a border plant, and a climber is sized by whatever it is growing up, so both sit this out.

Front of the border

under 12 in

75 plants

Verbena
10 in
Purple Poppy Mallow
Callirhoe involucrata · 8 in
Thyme
Thymus · 6 in

Middle of the border

12 in to 3 ft

282 plants

Petunia
12 in
Angelonia
Angelonia angustifolia · 1.5 ft
Catmint
Nepeta · 1.5 ft

Back of the border

3 ft and up

131 plants

Butterfly Bush
Buddleia davidii · 6.5 ft
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 4 ft
Rose of Sharon
Hibiscus syriacus · 8 ft

Keep exploring

White flowers Yellow flowers Orange flowers Red flowers Pink flowers Blue flowers Green flowers All plants

Design your garden

Drop plants onto a 3D plan, see how they fill in, and watch the whole garden bloom across the year.

Open BloomsEye Studio →