Purple flowers are frequently sought after for their rich color and the sense of calm or luxury they bring to a landscape. This hue, often associated with royalty and deep spirituality, holds a unique place in the garden color palette. The sheer number of species that produce purple blossoms, from pale lavender to deep violet, makes identifying a specific flower a complex task. Identifying these blooms requires categorizing them based on their growth habit, bloom time, and where they are typically found.
The Most Iconic Purple Flowers
The world’s most recognizable purple flowers are often those celebrated for their fragrance, striking form, or historical significance. Among the best-known is Lavender (Lavandula), an aromatic subshrub famous for its slender, upright flower spikes and silvery-green foliage. Lavender typically blooms throughout the summer, producing small, densely packed blossoms prized for their calming scent and use in oils and sachets.
Another favorite is the Lilac (Syringa vulgaris), a deciduous shrub that heralds the arrival of late spring with its dense, pyramidal clusters of tiny, highly fragrant flowers. These bushes are long-lived and provide a burst of color and perfume before many summer flowers begin to open. The Iris, named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow, is recognized for its elaborate, three-parted blooms that rise from sword-like leaves in late spring or early summer.
Wisteria is a fast-growing, woody vine known for producing cascades of fragrant purple flowers in spring. These hanging racemes can reach significant lengths, draping over pergolas and arbors. The Crocus is a small, cup-shaped flower that emerges directly from the ground as one of the earliest signs of spring, often pushing through snow in late winter.
Common Purple Blooms for Cultivation
Home gardeners commonly seek out cultivated purple varieties to fill garden beds, containers, and hanging baskets. These flowers are broadly categorized into annuals, which complete their life cycle in one season, and perennials, which return for multiple years. This distinction is helpful for planning a garden’s longevity and seasonal display.
Annual Cultivated Varieties
One of the most popular purple annuals is the Petunia (Petunia x hybrida), known for its wide, trumpet-shaped blooms that last from spring until the first frost. These versatile plants, particularly trailing varieties, are commonly used as “spillers” in containers, window boxes, and hanging baskets. Another widely used purple annual is Verbena (Verbena hybrids), which features long-lasting clusters of small flowers that thrive in heat and are useful for edging, groundcover, or cascading over walls.
Calibrachoa, often called “Million Bells,” produces countless small, trumpet-shaped flowers that look like miniature petunias and are a staple for container gardens due to their continuous blooming. Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) is prized for its deep purple clusters and its distinct vanilla or cherry pie-like fragrance, making it a favorite for planting near seating areas. These annuals offer instant, season-long color.
Perennial Cultivated Varieties
Purple perennials offer reliable color that returns year after year, forming the backbone of many garden designs. Salvia (Salvia species) is a steadfast choice, producing dense spikes of deep purple flowers that add a strong vertical element to borders in late spring and early summer. These plants are valued for their drought tolerance and ability to rebloom if trimmed after the initial flush.
The Clematis vine features some of the largest purple blooms, which can be star-shaped or bell-shaped. They require a structure like a trellis or arbor to climb and provide vertical interest from spring through summer. Bellflower (Campanula species) is a lower-growing perennial that creates a mound of vibrant lavender-blue, cup-shaped flowers. It is suited for filling open spaces, edging garden paths, or spilling over the sides of rock walls.
Purple Flowers Found in the Wild
Many purple flowers that people notice but cannot name are native or naturalized species found growing without intentional cultivation in meadows, forests, or along roadsides. These wildflowers are often adapted to local conditions and play an important role in supporting native insect populations. They are typically tougher and less demanding than their cultivated garden counterparts.
The Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) is a low-growing perennial that frequently appears in lawns and shaded woodland areas in early spring. Its small, heart-shaped leaves and deep purplish-blue flowers are an important early food source for pollinators. Another recognized wildflower is the Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), which is native to the eastern United States and features distinctive daisy-like flowers with a large, spiky central cone. It thrives in full sun and dry conditions, blooming from mid-summer until fall.
Lupine (Lupinus species) grows in tall, candle-like spires of dense purple flowers, often found in meadows and along highways. These plants are notable for their palmate leaves and ability to thrive in poor, sandy soils. Thistle (Carduus or Cirsium species), despite its prickly reputation, produces recognizable, globe-shaped purple flowers that are a magnet for bees and butterflies in summer and fall.