The earliest appearance of color in the spring landscape often features shades of purple and violet. This prevalence is tied directly to the plant’s biology. The color is produced by anthocyanin pigments, which absorb certain wavelengths of light and offer a protective benefit, acting like a sunscreen against intense light exposure during early spring days. The purple coloration is also highly visible to early pollinators, particularly bees, which can see light in the ultraviolet spectrum. Flowers with purple and blue tones attract these hearty pollinators more effectively, ensuring the plant’s reproductive success early in the year. The intensity of this purple can even be influenced by soil chemistry, as the anthocyanin pigment shifts color based on the cellular pH within the flower’s tissues.
The Earliest Purple Bloomers (Bulbs)
The first purple flowers to emerge often rise directly from the ground as bulbs planted the previous autumn. These early bloomers have a compressed life cycle, appearing quickly and then disappearing completely as the season warms. Among the earliest are the various purple cultivars of Crocus, which often push their cup-shaped blooms through the last patches of snow. These low-to-the-ground flowers have a delicate, almost papery texture, making them a welcome sight as the garden awakens.
A slightly later but equally prominent bulb is the Grape Hyacinth, or Muscari, easily identified by its tightly packed, urn-shaped flowers clustered on a single stalk. These small, often deep violet-blue flowers resemble miniature bunches of grapes and are highly effective in naturalized areas or rock gardens. Purple varieties of Hyacinth bulbs offer a more substantial, cone-shaped bloom with a strong, sweet fragrance, featuring dozens of tiny, star-shaped florets.
Identification of these bulb flowers is simplified by their habit of growing in dense clumps, as the foliage typically consists of long, narrow, basal leaves. Later in mid-spring, purple varieties of Tulipa (Tulips) will appear, presenting their characteristic large, single, goblet-shaped blooms at the end of a long, straight stem. Once the flowers fade, the entire plant material dies back, signifying the end of their spring display.
Perennial and Biennial Purple Spring Flowers
Moving beyond the bulbs, a wide variety of purple flowers emerge from herbaceous plants that either return annually or complete their life cycle over two years. One of the most common groups is the Viola family, including Pansies and Violas, often planted in beds and containers for their tolerance of cooler weather. These flowers have five petals, typically featuring a distinctive dark blotch or “face” pattern on the lower petals, and they bloom continuously from early spring onward.
Another group is the Irises, specifically the early-blooming dwarf varieties such as the Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata). These plants are low-growing, forming dense clumps of sword-like foliage, and their flowers are characterized by the three downward-curving sepals, or “falls,” that often feature a contrasting yellow or white crest.
A creeping groundcover like Periwinkle (Vinca minor) is identified by its glossy, evergreen leaves and small, five-petaled, propeller-shaped flowers that appear singly along trailing stems. Periwinkle spreads widely, creating a dense mat of foliage, making it a popular choice for covering slopes or large garden areas.
Another plant that offers early spring purple color is Pulmonaria, commonly known as Lungwort, which is a shade-seeking perennial. Lungwort is easily recognized by its unique foliage, which is often spotted or splashed with silvery-white marks. The flowers are small, funnel-shaped clusters that often start pink and mature to a rich purple-blue color as they age. Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) is also a low-growing, mat-forming perennial known for its incredible density of small, five-petaled flowers that blanket the plant, creating a carpet of color in early to mid-spring.
Purple Spring Flowering Shrubs and Trees
Woody plants provide the largest and most permanent sources of purple color in the spring landscape. The most recognizable is the Syringa vulgaris, or Common Lilac, a deciduous shrub or small tree prized for its intensely fragrant, cone-shaped clusters of tiny, four-lobed flowers. Lilacs bloom in mid-to-late spring and can grow quite large, making them a substantial focal point.
Another common spring-blooming woody plant is the Rhododendron or Azalea, many varieties of which produce large, showy trusses of purple flowers. These shrubs are often evergreen and require acidic soil. The Redbud tree (Cercis) is a small, often multi-trunked ornamental tree that produces masses of small, pea-like purple-pink flowers directly on the bare branches before its heart-shaped leaves emerge.