Groundcovers are low-growing plants that spread quickly to form a dense cover. They add beauty to the landscape, and they can also solve many planting problems in difficult sites. Grass is the best-known groundcover, but grass is not suited to all locations. Groundcover plants should be used where grass is difficult to grow or maintain. Most groundcover plants can’t be walked on, but they can be used to stop soil erosion on steep slopes or banks where grass is hard to cut. Places with a lot of shade under trees and between stepping stones are great places to plant ground covers.
Purple flowers can add an air of elegance and intrigue to any garden. And what better way to incorporate this regal color than with purple flower ground cover perennials? These low-maintenance plants spread readily to form a lush, flower-filled carpet that suppresses weeds and helps prevent soil erosion.
Ground cover perennials are available in a wide variety of colors, growth habits, and light and soil requirements. When choosing the right ones for your garden, consider factors like:
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Hardiness zone – Make sure the plant is suitable for your region.
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Sun exposure – Does the area get full sun or shade? Pick plants that match the conditions.
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Soil – Check soil drainage and pH suitability
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Invasiveness – Some spread rapidly, so contain accordingly.
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Bloom time and height – Choose plants with staggered bloom times and heights for extended color.
Here are some of the best purple flower ground cover perennials to incorporate into your garden:
1. Creeping Phlox
Botanical name: Phlox stolonifera
Hardiness: Zones 5-9
Exposure: Part sun
Height 2-8 inches
This hardy perennial features clusters of fragrant lavender flowers from spring through summer. It does well in moist, well-drained soil and can tolerate some foot traffic.
2. Purple Dead Nettle
Botanical name: Lamium maculatum
Hardiness: Zones 4-8
Exposure: Part shade, shade
Height: 6-10 inches
The spotted leaves and purple blooms of this spreading perennial provide color in shady areas from spring to fall. Prune it regularly to keep it contained.
3. Bugleweed
Botanical name: Ajuga reptans
Hardiness: Zones 3-10
Exposure: Shade, part shade
Height: 4-8 inches
Bugleweed thrives in shady spots, where its lush creeping stems bear blue or purple flower spikes in spring and early summer. It spreads quickly.
4. Purple Ice Plant
Botanical name: Delosperma cooperi
Hardiness: Zones 5-10
Exposure: Full sun
Height: 2-4 inches
The succulent leaves and vibrant purple daisy flowers of this drought-resistant spreader add striking color to hot, sunny areas from spring to fall.
5. Creeping Veronica
Botanical name: Veronica peduncularis
Hardiness: Zones 4-8
Exposure: Part sun
Height: 3-6 inches
Bearing glossy leaves and vivid violet-blue flower spikes in spring and summer, this easy-care ground cover does well in poor soils.
6. Cranesbill Geranium
Botanical name: Geranium x cantabrigiense
Hardiness: Zones 5-8
Exposure: Part sun, shade
Height: 6-12 inches
This hybrid geranium spreads readily to form masses of scalloped foliage and saucer-shaped purple blooms from late spring to summer.
7. Sweet Woodruff
Botanical name: Galium odoratum
Hardiness: Zones 4-8
Exposure: Part shade, shade
Height: 6-12 inches
A woodland native, this plant bears tiny white spring flowers and fragrant foliage. Its dense mat of dark green leaves turns red in fall.
8. Lamb’s Ear
Botanical name: Stachys byzantina
Hardiness: Zones 4-9
Exposure: Full sun
Height: 6-12 inches
Grown for its velvety silver foliage, lamb’s ear also blooms with short spikes of purple flowers in early summer. It spreads readily in dry, sunny sites.
9. Purple Heart
Botanical name: Tradescantia pallida
Hardiness: Zones 8-11
Exposure: Sun, part sun
Height: 6-12 inches
This trailing perennial shows off striking purple foliage and small pinkish-purple flowers. It thrives in heat and dry conditions.
10. Creeping Sedum
Botanical name: Sedum spurium
Hardiness: Zones 3-9
Exposure: Sun, part sun
Height: 2-6 inches
Stonecrop sedums form a colorful carpet of fleshy leaves, with starry purple flowers appearing above the foliage in summer.
11. Lungwort
Botanical name: Pulmonaria saccharata
Hardiness: Zones 3-8
Exposure: Shade, part shade
Height: 8-12 inches
Lungwort brings early season color with its silver-spotted leaves and clusters of bell-shaped purple blooms, which fade to pink.
12. Purple Prairie Clover
Botanical name: Dalea purpurea
Hardiness: Zones 4-9
Exposure: Full sun
Height: 12-24 inches
This North American native shows off airy spikes of purple flowers over fine-textured foliage from early to mid-summer. It grows well in poor, dry soils.
13. Hens and Chicks
Botanical name: Sempervivum tectorum
Hardiness: Zones 3-8
Exposure: Full sun
Height: 4-6 inches
Hens and chicks form evergreen rosettes of succulent foliage marked with red tips. They bloom in summer with purple flowers.
With the incredible variety of purple flower ground cover perennials available, it’s easy to add splashes of regal color to your garden. Use them as an ornamental lawn or edging, to fill in bare spots, and to add interest to rock gardens. Just be sure to pick the right plant for your growing conditions, and enjoy the carpet of blooms!
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Groundcovers are low-growing plants that spread quickly to form a dense cover. They add beauty to the landscape, and they can also solve many planting problems in difficult sites. Grass is the best-known groundcover, but grass is not suited to all locations. Groundcover plants should be used where grass is difficult to grow or maintain. Most groundcover plants can’t be walked on, but they can be used to stop soil erosion on steep slopes or banks where grass is hard to cut. Places with a lot of shade under trees and between stepping stones are great places to plant ground covers.
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Top 10 Flowering Ground Covers
FAQ
What is the purple flower creeping plant?
Is there a ground cover that blooms all summer long?
What is the longest blooming purple perennial?
Are purple ground cover plants creeping or spreading?
Perennial ground cover plants are low-growing creeping or spreading plants. As cold-hardy plants, purple ground cover perennials come back year after year, covering the ground with green foliage and beautiful lilac, violet, blue, or lavender blooms. Here are some of the best ground cover perennials with purple flowers.
Do ground cover plants have purple flowers?
Ground cover plants with purple flowers transform garden landscapes with colorful, low-growing, mat-forming creeping plants. Varieties of ground cover plants grow as perennials or evergreen spreading plants. Depending on your garden, you can plant purple-flowering ground cover plants for shade or full sun.
What are the best purple-flowering evergreen ground cover plants?
Let’s look in more detail at the best purple-flowering, evergreen ground cover plants for your garden landscape. Creeping thyme is a low-growing shrub-like evergreen plant with pinkish-purple flowers. The sun-loving showy plant creates a cushion of blue-green foliage and purple hues.
What is a purple ground cover plant with variegated leaves?
If you are looking for a purple ground cover plant with variegated leaves, choose the Vinca minor ‘Variegata.’ This cultivar has white and green leaves and violet-blue flowers growing in a low mat of leathery foliage. Perennial ground cover plants are low-growing creeping or spreading plants.
