Purple is a very popular color for flowers, and it can easily add splashes of bold and bright coloring to your landscaping. Even better, purple flowers come in a huge range of styles, sizes, and hues that makes it easy to add color to your garden or yard all year-round. They come in annuals and perennials too, and this allows you to create low-maintenance designs that come back every year, or you can switch them up every year to make your yard look like new.
Depending on your design aesthetic, you can create bold and brilliant contrasting colors that stand out and make a statement, or you can dress down your pond with softer hues and purple water flowers. No matter if you want to go classic and chic or something else, you can find the purple flowers that are perfect for your design. I’m going to showcase several purple flowers you can get for your yard, how to grow them, and show you what they look like so you can mix and match and have a great idea on what your finished design will look like in bloom.
Credit: Flowers up close by *Psyche Delia* / CC BY-NC 2.0
1. Verbena
First up is Verbena, and this is a very popular purple flower that offers very tight clusters of tiny flowers on long and thin stems. The blooms start to open in the spring months, and they continue well into the summer months to fall. You can use these flowers in a variety of floral arrangements, and it dries very well without losing the brilliant purple hue. You’ll want to plant it in a place that has well-drained soil, but Verbena also likes the soil to stay moderately moist. It grows best in zones 9 to 11, and you want it to get full sun with at least six hours of direct sunlight every day.
Credit: Purple Verbena by Mark, Vicki, Ellaura and Mason / CC BY 2.0
2. Balloon Flower
This purple flower is a perennial that comes back every year. It grows well in zones three to nine, and it forms a neat balloon shape right before it opens. There are many types of balloon flowers that claim to be purple and give you a more blue hue, so ensure you get Astra Blue or Fuji Blue to get those deeper purple hues. You’ll need to plant this flower in a space that gets partial shade or full sun, and the soil should drain very well. This plant likes to get slightly dry between watering sessions, so don’t overwater it because it’s prone to developing root rot.
Credit: Balloon Flowers by Claudia Daggett / CC BY-NC 2.0
3. Morning Glory
If you’re someone who likes to get up early, this is a purple flower you want to have in your garden. It has very large petals that will close up each evening before opening again in the early morning hours. You can get this plant in several different shades, and purple is one of the most popular picks. You’ll need to be in an area that is zone 3 to 10 for it to do well once you plant it. The soil should drain very well without retaining a lot of moisture to prevent rot, and you want to put it in a place that gets full sun because it’s the sun that prompts the flowers to open.
Credit: Morning Glory by katieb50 / CC BY 2.0
4. Lavender
When people think of purple flowers, lavender almost always comes to mind right away. This plant is most well-known for the very strong floral scent that it emits if you brush by it, and it can take over your yard to the quick seeding nature. You can easily dry it because it’ll hold the scent wonderfully, and it makes a great natural mosquito repellent. It does best in zones 5 to 10, and it needs very well-drained soil that won’t hold a lot of moisture. You’ll want to ensure it gets full sun for at least six hours a day to stimulate growth, and it’s easy to pick and put in flower arrangements.
Credit: Lavender by Peter Reed / CC BY-NC 2.0
5. Monkshood
Monkshood is a very beautiful purple flower, but it’s not extremely popular in gardens or landscaping because every part of the plant is poisonous. In fact, you shouldn’t even handle it without gloves on because it can cause skin irritation. The flower resembles a monk’s hood, hence the name. It grows in zones four to eight, and it likes partial shade over full sun. You’ll want to plant it in soil that drains very well, but you should also work to keep it consistently moist. This plant will add a little height to your yard, just be very careful with it.
Credit: Monkshood by utahwildflowers / CC BY 2.0
6. Allium
Anyone who lives in an area where pests and animals routinely eat your plants should try Allium. This plant is purely ornamental, and it grows best in zones three to nine. Squirrels won’t ever try to dig up the bulbs, and deer tend to avoid the flowers. It will attract butterflies and bees when it blooms to bring pollinators to your yard. You’ll need to put it in well-drained soil in partial shade or full sun for it to bloom, and you have to keep the soil lightly moist. It’ll grow large rounded flowers on the top of slender stems, and it’ll bloom until well into the summer months.
Credit: Allium by Blondinrikard Fröberg / CC BY 2.0
7. Anemone
Anemones are a purple flower that will create a very rich and colorful area when they bloom, and this makes them an excellent choice for rock gardens or areas in your yard where you want to enhance the colors. This plant is slightly more slow-growing than others on the list, but they spread on their own. You’ll have to keep them cut back if you don’t want them to take over. They grow best in zones three to nine, and they need partial shade out of the direct sunlight. You’ll want to put them in soil that drains very well, but you’ll have to make a point to drain it well.
Credit: Anemone by Anne / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
8. Dwarf Iris
The Dwarf Iris is a smaller purple flowered version of the traditional iris or Siberian Iris. It produces smaller purple flowers that have a bright yellow spot on each petal that make them stand out when they open. They work very well in window boxes or as a ground covering in fully sunny areas in your yard. You’ll want to be in zones four to nine for them to grow the best, and they need very well-drained soil to thrive. The lower portions of the petals are usually darker purple than the top, and this can create a very nice contrast when you look at the plant.
Credit: Dwarf Iris by Peter Stevens / CC BY 2.0
9. Lily of the Nile
This is a more odd-looking purple flower you can add to your landscape if you want height. The flower can grow an impressive four feet tall, and it grows tiny purple petals that look a lot like leaves. This adds an interesting look and texture to your garden or landscape layout, and it grows well in zones 8 to 11. To make sure the plant blooms from spring through summer, make sure you have it in an area that gets full sun for four to six hours every day. The soil needs to drain very well when you water it to help prevent root rot from forming, and it should be organically rich.
Credit: Agapanthus 2006 06 18 02 by David Seibold / CC BY-NC 2.0
10. Salvia
The Salvia plant comes in many different colors, but the purple flowers are very popular. Many people confuse this plant with lavender when they’re far away from it because both plants have a very strong floral scent associated with them. You want to keep the plant trimmed back because it will seed quickly and take over your yard or garden in a season if it goes unchecked. You want to put it in well-drained soil that slicks water away, and it does best in zones four through nine. You can plant it in an area that gets partial shade or full sun to encourage blooms all summer long.
Credit: Purple Salvia by Karen / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
11. Gladiolus
This purple flower does very well if you plant it as a companion to sunflowers because they can easily match sunflowers in beauty and height. They produce very large flowers, and they can easily get up to six feet tall at full maturity, and you can choose from several different colors, including purple. They grow best in zones 6 through 10, and they need full sun. The large flowers will turn toward the sun like a sunflower’s do, and they love soil that drains very well. You can enrich the soil with organic matter to encourage growth, and you want to leave them unfertilized.
Credit: Purple Gladiolus by Douglas Sprott / CC BY-NC 2.0
12. Geranium
When people think of geraniums, red colors come to mind. However, they can produce purple flowers that make pretty ground coverings or for window boxes. If you get perennial geraniums, they’ll start to bloom in the very early summer months and go well into fall. This gives your garden or landscape color all season long, and it works best in zones four to eight. When you plant geraniums, you’ll want to put them in partial shade or full sun to encourage growth. The soil needs to drain very well after each watering, and you should make a point to water them routinely.
Credit: Purple Geranium by StooMathiesen / CC BY 2.0
13. Liatris
This is a very spiky purple flower that can add texture to your garden, and it can also add a bit of height because it can grow between one and five feet tall. When it blooms, the entire stalk will show tiny purple blooms, and they grow best in zones 3 to 10. You will have to pay close attention to your plant for the first few weeks after you plant it to ensure it roots, but then it turns into a very low maintenance plant. You will need to put it in an area where the soil drains very quickly after you water it, and you’ll want to find a spot that is either full sun or partial shade.
Credit: Liatris by Stephanie Wallace / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
14. Pansy
Anyone who has hanging baskets they want to fill with cheerful purple flowers should take a look at pansies. These are very colorful smaller flowers that can work well for ground covering below taller plants, and they do very well both indoors and outdoors. Panies do very well in zones four to eight, and you have to make a point to water them regularly, at least once or twice a week. They like full sun with at least four to six hours of direct sunlight per day, and they need soil that will drain very well. However, you want to keep the soil moist without soaking it.
Credit: Pansy by rawdonfox / CC BY 2.0
15. Pasque
Pasque is a purple flower that is the official flower of South Dakota. As a member of the buttercup family, it produces tiny purple flowers. They don’t get more than a few inches high at full maturity, and they have bright yellow centers that make them a very eye-catching addition to your garden. They do very well in cooler climates in zones five to nine, and they are a very hardy plant that is low-maintenance. They do need to be in a place where the soil drains very well, and they like partial shade or full sun.
Credit: pasque flower by Mandy Jansen / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
16. Rhododendron
Rhododendrons grow best in acidic soil, and they produce showy purple flowers. They make an excellent addition to almost any yard because they’ll eventually turn into large bushes. This can make them a focal point in your yard, and you want to coat the ground around them with a layer or mulch or wood chips because they have very shallow roots. They do best in zones four to nine, and they like the soil to stay very moist but not saturated. The wood chips will help to retain the water for longer periods while allowing the soil to drain, and they need partial shade.
Credit: Purple Rhododendron by Paul VanDerWerf / CC BY 2.0
17. Zinnia
The next purple flower to add to your garden is a Zinnia. This is an extremely beginner-friendly plant that will produce several flowers and grow very quickly. You can get them in a huge assortment of colors to provide bright pops around your landscape. They grow best in zones 3 to 10, and they like to get full and direct sunlight for several hours a day. The well-drained soil will help ensure your plants don’t get root rot or other diseases, and this plant will bloom all summer long into the fall months.
Credit: Zinnia Blossom by yuan2003 / CC BY-NC 2.0
18. Wisteria
Wisteria vine does very well if you plant it close to fencing because it’ll start to climb as it grows to create a living wall. You’ll get fragrant flowers that grow along a fast-growing vine, and it can give your garden a whimsical look and feel. You don’t want to plant it too early in the spring or it won’t bloom properly. It needs to be in zones five to eight to grow and bloom, and it needs to be in soil that drains very well. Since it can grow well in partial shade or full sun, you can train it to grow along fences or trellises all around your garden.
Credit: Wisteria by hitomi / CC BY-SA 2.0
19. Moonflower
At the other end of the spectrum from the Morning Glory is the Moonflower. This plant will close up during the day before opening again in the night. This is a beautiful addition to your landscape, and you can get creamy white coloring or ones that have deep purple edges and backs with a lighter purple center and petals. It grows well in zones 8 to 11, and it likes to be in areas that get full sunlight for several hours a day. When you plant it, you want to put it in a well-drained soil and water it regularly. You can enrich the soil with organic matter to encourage healthy blooms.
Credit: Moon Flower by Will-travel / CC BY-NC 2.0
20. Dianthus
Dianthus are purple flowers that have very uniquely shaped petals that have a wispy appearance. This plant also comes with a polka dot pattern that makes them look slightly tropical, and you can grow them in a broad range of areas with little to no difficulty. They grow best in zones three to nine in a well-drained soil, and you’ll want to apply fertilizer every five to seven weeks to ensure they continue blooming well into the fall months. They do well when you put them in an area that gets partial or full sun, and they’ll start blooming early in the spring.
Credit: Dianthus armeria by DM / CC BY-ND 2.0
21. Gloxinia
The purple flowers on the Gloxinia plant will last for a full two months, and this plant will produce a host of tiny purple flowers. It’s a great one to have if you like roses as they look like miniature versions of them. However, they’ll never bloom again once they die, so you’ll have to replant these purple flowers every year. They thrive in zones 5 to 10, and they need partial shade to avoid scorching them in the summer sun. It needs well-drained soil but the soil should stay consistently moist, and this means that you’ll have to take time to water them frequently.
Credit: Purple Gloxinia by Tyler Ingram / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
22. Butterfly Bush
The butterfly weed or butterfly bush is a popular purple flower that attracts a host of different pollinators to your yard or garden. The name may seem self-explanatory, but there is a twist to this purple flower. If you take good enough care of it and set the correct growing conditions, it can grow into a tree. You’ll need to live in growing zones 5 to 10, and it needs full sun to support the blooms. Once it blooms, it’ll continue to bloom from early spring to late summer. The soil needs to drain very well when you water it to prevent rot, but you should keep it moist.
Credit: First Butterfly in May by tdlucas5000 / CC BY 2.0
23. Hellebore
The purple flowers from the Hellebore plant can brighten up your landscaping for months at a time. This is one of the longest blooming flowers available, and they can last up to a full two months with proper care. You can dry them to use as decorations around your home because they won’t lose a lot of color while keeping their shape. They grow best in zones four to eight, and they need rich but well-draining soil with partial shade to full sun to bloom for an extended period. The bright yellow centers help offset the purple coloring to create a striking look.
Credit: Perfect Purple by Feathering the Nest / CC BY 2.0
24. Sweet Pea
Sweet Peas are an excellent purple flower for novices to grow because you get a huge payoff for minimal work. This purple flower is very commonly used in perfume making because it has a very sweet and floral fragrance that lingers. They can be moderately difficult to encourage to grow, but they are very hardy once they establish themselves. For the best results, plant them if you live in zones 7 to 10, and make sure that this plant has full sun. The soil should drain very well after you water it, and you can enrich it once or twice a year with compost or other liquid fertilizer.
Credit: Sweet Pea by Vicki / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
25. Sea Holly
Anyone who wants to add an interesting or odd-looking plant to their garden should look at Sea Holly. This purple flower produces eight very long petals that sit on a globe of smaller blooms that grow out of the top. They grow best in zones 4 to 11, and they need full sun to showcase this unique look. They stand out when you plant them next to more traditional flowers, especially if the other flowers are bright colors to help offset this one. The soil you plant this flower in should drain very well between watering sessions, and you can add liquid fertilizer once a year.
Credit: Sea Holly by Tim Green / CC BY 2.0
26. Fuschia
The final purple flower on the list is Fuschia. It’s a very attention-grabbing purple flower that has a very unusual shape that looks great in hanging baskets. You get purple and red petals that contrast sharply against one another, and it adds pops of color when you put it against the green foliage. It needs to be in zones 9 to 10, and it needs to go in soil that drains very well. For sunlight, you want to put it in a hanging basket that is in the partial shade because too much sun will burn it.
Credit: Fuschia by jeffhutchison / CC BY 2.0
Bottom Line
These 27 purple flowers can help add a touch of color to your yard or garden. Many of them will grow and bloom all summer long, and I have everything from ones that do well in hanging baskets to ones that work as ground cover. I invite you to mix and match these purple flowers and see how they improve your landscape year after year.
