Purple flowers can add plenty of contrasting color to a garden. When red, white, pink, and orange are the main colors in your display, adding a splash of purple makes it stand out. Otherwise, if everything is a variation of the same colors, things quickly become washed out and drab.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a healthy display of many different species of flowers and assorted colors. But some shades of purple are very dramatic and can really enhance the look of your flower garden.
The next question is whether to plant purple annual flowers or perennial flowers. This list has both, but if you don’t want to plant new flowers every year, we also have a list of purple perennial flowers.
Still, a long list like this one has its uses! This huge list has more than 100 purple flowers that will help you add splashes of purple, indigo, violet, and lilac to your garden, container, or window box. No matter if the flowers are annual or perennial, we have names, pictures, hardiness zones, and basic information on all of them. Let’s dig in!.
The allium genus includes some familiar names like garlic, chives, and onions. There are also alliums, often hybrids, that are grown for their puffy, globular blossoms and long, single stalks. They can grow up to three feet tall, and their big purple flowers will give your garden some color and height. They keep their flowers for a long time, and even after they fall off, they are still easy to spot and stand out.
Gardens and fields sometimes produce curious flowers that seem to magically emerge from the ground on long slender stems, yet have no foliage or leaves These intriguing plants often bloom in shades of purple, sparking questions about their identity. Upon closer inspection, their distinct characteristics provide clues to determining what these leafless, purple-hued flowers might be.
Key Features of Purple Stemmed Flowers Without Leaves
When confronted with a plant that sends up lone flower spikes but no leaves, focus on key details:
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Flower shape and structure – Examine the bloom’s silhouette and interior parts. Note details like petal arrangement and reproductive parts.
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Stem and growth habit – Is the stem smooth or hairy? Does it branch out or remain single? Is it rigid or flexible?
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Bloom season – Spring? Summer? Fall? This can offer hints about the plant.
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Native location – Knowing your geographic region helps narrow down possibilities.
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Flower color – While purple is most common, check for other tints or shadings.
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Scent – Many purple flowers have distinct perfumes. Subtle or strong? Sweet or musky?
With close observation, you can puzzle out the mysterious leafless flower’s true identity. Here are some prime purple-flowered suspects to consider:
Voodoo Lily
One of the first oddities that may come to mind is voodoo lily (Dracunculus vulgaris). This unique plant emerges in spring with a purple spike topped by a distinctively shaped maroon and chartreuse flower. Its stench attracts pollinators but repels humans. Voodoo lily’s purple-speckled stalk appears first, followed later by its large, arrow-shaped leaves.
Dragon Arum
Looking like an alien lifeform, dragon arum (Dracunculus vulgaris) sends up a purplish-black appendage called a spadix, surrounded by a frilly burgundy leaf called a spathe. Its snakelike spadix can reach 4 feet tall. Foliage appears after blooming. Extremely rare outside its native Mediterranean habitat, this odorous oddity is endangered in the wild.
Dutchman’s Pipe
In some regions, Dutchman’s pipe vine (Aristolochia macrophylla) provides mystery blooms. Greenish-purple pipe-shaped flowers seem to sprout directly from the ground on single curving stalks. Heart-shaped leaves unfurl afterward to reveal this vine’s true identity. An important native wildflower, its bizarre flowers pollinate specialist flies.
Hyacinth Bean Vine
Though mainly grown for its edible beans, hyacinth bean vine (Lablab purpureus) also produces showy purple flower spikes just above the soil line. These are followed by attractive trifoliate leaves on twining vines. The flowers arise from tuberous roots over the warm season in this Asian native plant.
American Squill
Opening electric blue then fading purple, American squill (Scilla bifolia) sends up leafless stalks topped with bell-like flowers in early spring. Slender grassy foliage emerges afterward. A fall-blooming relative, Scilla autumnalis, looks similar with lavender flowers and strappy leaves. Both spread by bulbs.
Purple Noonflower
In the eastern U.S., purple noonflower (Tricyrtis hirta) blooms in late summer and fall, producing orchid-like blossoms on thin arching stems with no leaves. Foliage appears in spring, making this Japanese native seem leafless when blooming. The unique blossoms feature curled and fringed petals.
Purple Toadflax
Resembling miniature snapdragons, the flowers of purple toadflax (Linaria purpurea) arise on wiry, leafless stems from spring through fall. Its grassy leaves are similar to blue toadflax. A classic weed of roadsides and fields, this European import spreads aggressively by root rhizomes and seeds.
Purple Rocket
A cousin of dame’s rocket, purple rocket (Hesperis matronalis) towers up to 4 feet tall when mature, but begins blooming leaflessly on younger, lower stems. Clusters of showy magenta flowers open successively. Lance-shaped leaves appear farther up after blooming begins. This short-lived European perennial readily self-seeds.
Greater Periwinkle
In mild climates, greater periwinkle (Vinca major) sometimes sends up solitary purple pinwheels in fall and winter, seeming leafless before its shiny dark foliage emerges. Technically its flowers arise from leaf axils on short stems. An aggressive exotic vine, its wandering shoots spread rapidly to cover wide areas.
When dealing with mystery blooms, patience and powers of observation are key. Examining the plant over time eventually reveals clues to its identity based on leaves, stems, scent, season, and flowering characteristics. With so many amazing purple-flowered species, that curious plant along your path could be any number of unique botanical surprises!
Black Adder Giant Hyssop
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Western United States
- Plant Size: 2-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 6-9
The ‘Black Adder’ Giant Hyssop is a hybrid formed from A. rugosa and A. foeniculum. They have spiky, dense flowers that are quite plump. The flowers themselves are fairly tall and are mostly purple with hints of white and red. They do not do well in tightly compacted, poor-draining soil. Pollinators flock to these colorful flowers.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
- Plant Size: 2-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Part sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
This shrub-like plant has enormous blooms that show off in the evening hours. There are trumpet-shaped flowers on this type of Datura that are a deep purple color and often have white tips.
For millennia, these poisonous plants have been used for everything from medicines, weapons, and as spiritual aids. They have hallucinogenic properties, but they are also a splashy addition to your garden.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern United States of America
- Plant Size: 8 inches – 6 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Part sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
There are many varieties of Blazing Stars, but they all prefer moist soil and meadow-like spaces. They have grassy foliage, and some varieties have purple flowers growing on top of their tall stalks.
The flower heads are tube-shaped and spiked. They have seven to twenty petals with rays that are arranged in spikes that can be a foot long. The best varieties for purple flowers include Floristan Violet and Kobold.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: North America
- Plant Size: 3-5 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 3-10
Blue false indigo is a member of the pea family. It has deep violet, blue, or purple flowers. They are shrub-like legumes with woody stems that are home to many kinds of butterflies and honeybees. Their stalks each produce a fairly large flower, and they’re reasonably drought tolerant. The more sun they get, the larger they tend to be.
Their name derives from Native Americans who used the plant as a dye, similar to indigo.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: North America
- Plant Size: 2-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to shade
- Plant Zone: 4-9
Blue-Eyed Grass is a part of the Iris family. These plants thrive in open meadows and widely-spaced forests. Before they bloom, their blady, slender stems appear almost grass-like, and the plants tend to grow in clumps. Then, in early spring, their small, purple flowers bloom. These blooms are almost always purple, ranging from dark indigo to light lilac or lavender hues.
They perform well in wild gardens, as they need no fertilization or extra watering.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Brazil and Peru
- Plant Size: Up to 15 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 9-11
The glabra cultivar of bougainvillea is the variety that’s most reliably purple. The flowers may not always be purple, but the leaves usually are. There will be some differences, though. Pollinators like all kinds of bouganvillea, and most of them like to climb, arch, and cascade over walls and fences.
They require little maintenance once established, grow quite quickly, and have protective thorns along the stems.
- Plant Type: Annual/Perennial
- Geographic Origin: South America
- Plant Size: 1-2 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 10-11
Browallia is also known as Bush Violet, and it’s often grown as a warm-weather annual. In colder climates, it’s grown as an annual. They are woody-stemmed members of the nightshade family. Their flowers are tubular, with five distinct lobes of purple flowers. Sometimes, the flowers tend closer to blue hues, but a white center and purplish flowers are most typical.
- Plant Type: Annual/Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Tibet to South Central China, some Japanese Provinces
- Plant Size: 2-16 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 5-9
Butterfly Bushes are deciduous shrubs. They produce very large and conical blossoms. This particular variety’s flowers are purple-hued, with some pink and white flowers mixed in. They can also bear orange blooms, and are considered a weed in some areas of the world. The flower heads are so pendulously large and heavy that they tend to make the stem droop.
These plants are extremely low-maintenance, and their cone-shaped flowers are nectar-rich, bringing butterflies and other pollinators in abundance.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Southern Africa
- Plant Size: 2-8 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 5-11
This genus has eight species of flowering plants. Even though they’re not real lilies and don’t bloom in the usual way, they do make flowers that look like lilies. These colorful pseudanthia are funnel-shaped and start to appear on the plant in mid-summer, persisting until late fall.
Calla Lillies are also known as the Arum lily. This purple flowering plant is native to Southern Africa and also comes in other shades, too.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Western North America
- Plant Size: 1-4 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 4-8
The Camas Lily blooms to show off purple, blue, or white flowers, depending on the cultivar. Native American groups have eaten these plants for thousands of years. They are also called wild hyacinth and Indian lily. Look for Camassia leichtlinii and Camassia quamash, as they’re known for purple flowers with various hues.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Mediterranean
- Plant Size: 12-18 inches tall
- Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
- Plant Zone: 7-11
The Candytuft’s purple flowers sit close to the ground, blooming in late spring. They spread easily from year to year, so they are ideal as a weed-choking ground cover. They’re also excellent for attracting pollinators to your garden. Because the leaves are thick and dark green, they stand out from other plants in your garden.
If you want purple flowers in your space, stay away from white and red cultivars because not all of them are purple.
- Plant Type: Annual/Biennial
- Geographic Origin: Southern Europe
- Plant Size: 20-28 inches tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 5-8
These flowers are bell-shaped, though not every cultivar is purple. While looking for Campanula medium, keep an eye out for types like Bells of Holland, Dwarf Bella Mix, and Double Melton Mix. These tend to have more purple flowers than other types.
When you plant, put tall plants in the second or third row so they can show off their height without getting in the way of seeing smaller plants.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
- Plant Size: 1-4 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 6-9
Carnations come in many cultivars, but many of them, including the original, tend to be purple-hued. There are seven to twenty ruffled petals or rays on each flower. These can get quite big and look like saucers. Some flowers are only one color, but others have different shades. These flowers are popular for making boutonnieres, bouquets, and corsages.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
- Plant Size: 8 inches to 3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade to full sun
- Plant Zone: 4-8
There are about 250 distinct species of Nepeta. Most are perennials, and the original cultivar has bright, purple flowers. There are different types of plants that can have different shades of purple, like lilac or violet, and they can also be bought in other colors.
You’ve probably heard of the Nepeta cataria variety, referred to as catnip. That’s the only one that cats really like, so you might not want to plant it in your garden.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: South America, from Costa Rica to Argentina
- Plant Size: 10 inches to 3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Bright, but filtered, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 10-12
These ‘Brazilian Orchids’ tend to prefer moist soil, humid air, and a generally warm environment. They can be finicky, so don’t put the roots in soil that doesn’t drain well and don’t put them too close to or too far away from the sun. There are warmer, more humid places in the world where cattleya orchids do well in outdoor gardens. But in most of the world, orchids do better indoors.
If they are healthy, they will have pretty big flowers that, if you get the right cultivar, will be purple and lavender with some spots. Even some pink and red varieties may appear partially purple.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Europe
- Plant Size: 2-5 feet tall
- Sunlight: Some shade to full sun, but it can also grow in shady places.
- Plant Zone: 3-9
Known as Common Mallow or Wild Mallow, this flowering plant was once entirely wild. Now, it’s a common addition to gardens, particularly in Europe. It can also be seen growing along roadsides, up and down steep slopes, and even in fields and meadows. Its stems grow slowly and have velvety, deep green leaves.
It has a huge number of blooms from June to October in the Northern Hemisphere. The blooms are usually pink to purple. It grows well in a wide range of soils, so it’s not too hard to take care of in a garden as long as you water it regularly.
- Plant Type: Annual
- Geographic Origin: China, Southern Russia
- Plant Size: 8 inches to 3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 2-11
The China Aster has amazingly puffy, often globular blooms, made up of many daisy-like petals. Some kinds have a lot of petals, while others don’t have as many. Most of them have purple flowers that are three to five inches across.
These beautiful flowers bloom from early summer to mid-fall and are great for pots, big gardens, or even wild gardens. They only need a lot of food and water to grow well, so make sure you fertilize and water the soil often.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Asia
- Plant Size: 10-25 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 4-9
Chinese Wisteria, like all other types of wisteria, is poisonous. As its vines grow quickly, some people consider it an invasive species, especially when compared to the American variety, which is less likely to spread. But, when it blooms, it develops clusters of drooping, blue-ish purple flowers.
It grows best on sturdy structures like a trellis, arbor, or pergola. High phosphorus fertilizers will promote blooming.
- Plant Type: Perennial/Biennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
- Plant Size: 3-12 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 4-9
There are more than 300 varieties of Clematis, a viny, woody climbing plant that may have purple blooms. The six-petaled flowers look like stars and have a white center. The blooms can be mostly one color or have a mix of colors.
There are different shades of purple on them, from dark inky purple to much lighter shades like lilac, lavender, or violet. The flowers can be white, pink, or red. Clematis grows quickly, and can easily take over an entire area if left unchecked to grow.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
- Plant Size: 1-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 3-9
All of the 70 or so types of Aquilegia have five fairly long petals surrounding five sepals. According to their name, Aquilegia, which comes from the Latin word for eagle, the petals look like the elegantly curved talon of an eagle. Columbine comes from the Latin word for “dove,” which is how the flowers look, like five doves in a circle.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, these purple flowers are particularly attractive to birds.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: North America, Europe, Western Asia
- Plant Size: 1-4 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Part shade to full sun
- Plant Zone: 4-9
Common Comfrey loves damp soil and grows easily. So, some people consider it a weed. It has many varieties, many of which have purple flowers. They’re wildflowers, so they’re quite easy to maintain and easily propagate. They have distinctive curved, drooping clusters of flowers.
Its roots penetrate the ground quite extensively, extracting lots of nutrients and minerals. Accordingly, some organic gardeners use the leaves for fertilizer.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: North America
- Plant Size: 2-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Part sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
The shape of the coneflower is unique; it looks like a cross between a daisy and a badminton shuttlecock. Pollinators come from all over the world to visit their bright pink to purple petals and orange cone-shaped center.
They grow well in mixed, manicured gardens or even wild in open meadows. These pretty perennials do best in full sun, so keep that in mind as you choose where to put them in your garden.
- Plant Type: Perennial/Annual
- Geographic Origin: Northern Hemisphere, Tropical East Africa, China, Himalayas
- Plant Size: 1-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Part sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
There are hundreds of species of Corydalis, and some can be yellow, green, blue, or pink. Corydalis buschi, Corydalis cava, Corydalis scouleri, Corydalis linstowiana, and Corydalis pauciflora, on the other hand, are known for having purple flowers.
Many species are eaten by butterfly larvae, so they tend to attract pollinators to your garden area. There are some types of these flowers, like Corydalis caseana, that are poisonous to animals but may be good for you.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Alpine regions of Europe
- Plant Size: 6 inches tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 3-8
Crocus grows from bulbs, and they are one of the first blooms of spring. Even if there is still some snow on the ground in late March or early April, these ground-hugging flowers will start to come up and open up for a sunny day. They sometimes stay closed on rainy, cloudy days, and they close throughout the night.
These purple flowers can be quite fragrant, and they tend to attract plenty of bees.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Mexico, Central America
- Plant Size: 5-40 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Part sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 9-11
Cup-and-saucer vines naturally have long vines that can grow quite quickly. This lets them grow to be very tall and wide. The purple blooms are cup-shaped, with ruffled, curved edges. The name comes from the fact that each flower has a ruff around the base that looks like a saucer that the flower’s cup rests on.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: The Middle East, near the Mediterranean
- Plant Size: 2-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade
- Plant Zone: 8 to 18 inches
This variety of Cyclamen tends to have dark magenta, purple, light pink, and white flowers. They grow quickly in rich soil and have heart-shaped, variegated leaves that are patterned with different shades of green. The flowers bloom in the fall and into the winter, with tall, airy petals that stand almost straight up.
- Plant Type: Perennial (Zones 8-11); Annual
- Geographic Origin: South America, Mexico
- Plant Size: 2 feet to 7 feet
- Sun Exposure: Partial to Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 3-11
Dahlias are a popular flower amongst many gardeners. Their hardy nature and love of sun is not lost on many. They can withstand a little neglect, and certain varieties can grow quite tall in the right environments. Even though they need to be watered often, they do better in climates that stay wet. The soil should drain well, though.
Dahlias have surged in popularity over the course of the last 10 years. They grow perennially in zones 8-11 but can be grown as annuals in colder climates. They come in many different colors, and produce some of the most beautiful blooms on this list.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Asia
- Plant Size: 6 inches to 4 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial sun
- Plant Zone: 9-12
There are more than 1,800 varieties of Dendrobium, a flowering herb that tends to grow on other plants. Their roots cling to rocks, plant stems, and tree bark, helping the plant spread throughout a garden. Some varieties have purple flowers, always springing out of deep-green leaves. They grow well in well-drained containers or rocky tropical gardens.
- Plant Type: Perennial/Annual/Biennial
- Geographic Origin: Europe, Asia, parts of Africa, arctic North America
- Plant Size: 6 inches to 3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Part sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
Dianthus has many different varieties. Dianthus has many kinds of flowers, some of which are purple. Sweet William and carnations are both types of Dianthus. Nearly every variety has ruffled flowers with jagged, scalloped edges. Some have two rows of petals, like carnations, while others have only a single row.
The flowers are also in fairly large clusters, and they are quite attractive to pollinators.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Russia, the Caucasus, northern Iran, United States
- Plant Size: 6 inches tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 5-9
Unlike their full-size Iris cousins, dwarf iris never grow over about six inches in height. They have floppy, ribbed petals that are somewhat blade-shaped. They have very fragrant, sweet blossoms that appear early in the spring. When the flowers are in bloom, they need a lot of water. As the season goes on, they need less and less.
- Plant Type: Flowering evergreen
- Geographic Origin: China
- Plant Size: around 1 foot tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 4-8
This species of rhododendron is woody and slow-growing. The leather leaves look nice in any garden, and the plant’s tendency to grow as wide as it is tall makes it a good choice for ground cover. Then, in the spring, their bright purple flowers emerge, carpeting the plants with many small blooms.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Europe, parts of Africa, and Asia
- Plant Size: 6 inches to 1 foot tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade to full sun
- Plant Zone: 4-9
Plants in the Vinca genus have trailing branches that can root wherever they touch the soil. So, they tend to spread very aggressively. You may also know this plant as creeping myrtle. Its leaves are dark green, and its flowers have five petals arranged around a bright pentagonal center.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
- Plant Size: 2-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Part sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
The evening primrose opens in the evening, showing off blooms that can be purple, white, pink, or red. Common primrose is often yellow and is an entirely different family of plants. So, be careful when shopping and look for purple versions of the evening primrose. The papery flowers have a distinctive stigma, with four branches in a cross shape.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
- Plant Size: 4-6 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
There are 18 different kinds of aster, and most of them need soil that is wetter than usual. This makes them a good choice for gardens in wet backyards or near ponds. The flowers come in plumes of cone-shaped featheriness. Astilbe stems almost always grow vertically, with fern-like deep green leaves around their base. They can add a lot of height to a garden.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: North America
- Plant Size: 4 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade to full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
False indigo is also known as blue false indigo. If you buy seeds or go to the store looking for purple flowers, you can be sure that they will be purple as long as you get Baptisia australis. There are also varieties of baptisia that may have purple flowers.
- Plant Type: Perennial/Biennial
- Geographic Origin: Europe
- Plant Size: Up to 2-5 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 4-8
Foxglove blooms are quite distinctive but also short-lived. Even before the blooms appear, the green foliage and long, spiky stems are eye-catching. Once they bloom, trumpet-shaped flowers hang off the side of the plant in large clusters. The inside of the blossoms has color patterns that can vary from the exterior of the flower. The name Digitalis may refer to the fact that its flowers are thimble-like, fitting perfectly on a finger.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Origin: Mostly in South America, but also in Mexico, Central America, Tahiti, and Australia
- Plant Size: 8 inches to 13 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade to full sun
- Plant Zone: 6-9
Most fuchsia is originally from tropical locations, so they like fairly wet, warm gardens. Plants that look like shrubs have thin branches and big, heavy flowers that hang down, making the branches droop. There are two kinds of petals on the flower: four long, thin petals on the outside and four tighter, wider petals in the middle. The inner petals are often purple.
- Plant Type: Annual
- Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
- Plant Size: 2-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 2-11
Garden cosmos are also known as Mexican Aster, and by any name are members of the daisy family. The flower blooms are two to four inches wide and have teardrop-shaped petals that are ribbed. The center of the flower is bright yellow. They often keep blooming for months, and people love to use them as flower arrangements and in gardens. Sometimes, though considered annuals, they will resow on their own.
- Plant Type: Shrub
- Geographic Origin: Australia
- Plant Size: 4-7 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
This evergreen shrub produces purple flowers and is often referred to as ‘Purple Pride. ’ It blooms in late winter, and its small flowers tend to stick around through early spring. It doesn’t need much water, and it can live through cold winters as long as the temperature stays above 25 degrees.
- Plant Type: Annual
- Geographic Origin: Europe, Southern Africa
- Plant Size: 2-5 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 7-10
Gladiolus plants grow quickly and can get quite tall, which makes them perfect for small gardens with little room for plants to spread out. The flowers have sword-like petals, leading to their nickname, the sword lily. Plant lovers put gladioli in their gardens to get pollinators because the flowers are brightly colored and often purple.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Mediterranean
- Plant Size: Up to 6 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 7-9
The globe artichoke has purple flowers, but it’s quite attention-grabbing even before it blooms. Young leaves are silvery and become greenish-gray as they grow, with 3-foot lengths being common. Tall flower stalks develop from nodes on the stem, and eventually, the enormous spiky flowers emerge.
Globe artichoke flowers have edible hearts. So, they are harvested before they open. If you let them bloom, they put on a great show with their huge purple flowers that have hundreds of spiked petals.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Parts of Southern Europe, Central Asia
- Plant Size: 2 to 6 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
Globe thistles grow well in shallow, rocky soil and are also tolerant of relatively dry conditions. Their flower heads are perched on the end of long, skinny stems. The flowers are spiky globes with dark blue to purple centers and many prickly whitish spines. They are quite attractive to both the human eyes and certain butterflies.
They can really make your garden stand out, and even after the flowers die off, the seed heads are still pretty to look at.
- Plant Type: Perennial bulb
- Geographic Origin: Brazil
- Plant Size: 6 to 12 inches tall
- Sun Exposure: Part shade to full shade
- Plant Zone: 11-12
Gloxinia has exceptionally showy flowers and is often kept as a houseplant. They aren’t very tolerant of the cold, but container plants can be brought outside in warmer months. These are high-maintenance plants, but they’re also reliable seasonal bloomers that may even bloom twice in a year.
“Florists’ gloxinia” refers to hybrid types that grow these trumpet-shaped flowers in a range of soft colors, such as different shades of purple. The flowers on these hybrids are also very big, with deep cups that have a pattern of different colors, often with white edges.
- Plant Type: Perennial/Annual/Biennial
- Geographic Origin: Southern Africa
- Plant Size: 1-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 10-11
Hardy geraniums are one variety of the 400 or so species of flowering evergreen Geranium. They bloom throughout the summer months, featuring five-petaled flowers that are papery, symmetrical, and delicate. They can have red or pink flowers, but dark purple flowers are common.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Peru
- Plant Size: 2 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Plant Zone: 10-12
Heliotrope flowers appear in thick clusters and are often shades of purple or violet. They can also be mauve or white. Their leaves are soft and green, and the first flowers show up in the summer, after some of the spring bloomers have died back.
There are so many of the small flowers clumped together that they look like one. They stay on until fall. Heliotrope is very dangerous for people, dogs, and cats, so if you have kids or pets that are naturally curious, you might not want to add it to your garden.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Middle East
- Plant Size: 6 inches – 2 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade, more sun in winter
- Plant Zone: 3-9
Hellebores thrive in locations that are well-shaded in summer and much sunnier in the winter. As such, the area under a deciduous tree that loses its sun blocking-rays in the fall is ideal. They bloom very early in the spring or sometimes even in late winter.
Hellebores naturally come in a lot of different colors, but they have been crossed with other plants to make certain colors, like purple. For instance, the ‘Phillip Ballard’ hellebore has dark blue, purple, and almost black flowers.
- Plant Type: Annual
- Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
- Plant Size: 3 – 8 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-8
Hollyhock can grow quite tall, and even the shortest mature plants can be pretty tall. If you plant them from seed, you’ll have to be patient. They won’t bloom the first year, as they are harvesting and storing energy.
The next year, the plants will release their stored energy in the form of many colorful blooms that will grow up and down the tall stalks that grow from their leaves. They spread and self-sow by dropping their seed at the end of each bloom, repeating the process. With a little help, they do pretty well. Some types, like “Creme de Cassis,” are raspberry to purple, while others can be pink, rose, red, or even almost black.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Mediterranean
- Plant Size: 2-4 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade to full sun
- Plant Zone: 7-10
Honeywort flowers are almost always deep purple, though the shade can vary a bit. As the buds grow and bloom, they get heavier and heavier until they are so heavy that they hang down to the ground. The strong stems remain upright, and the nodding blooms often last from spring through the summer months.
Sometimes, the central flower is wrapped in colorful outer petals or bracts.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
- Plant Size: 18-24 inches tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 4-8
Hummelo is a specific variety of Stachys monieri. Low-growing textured leaves grow in clumps and give rise to long, slender stems. The leaves are very rough, and in the middle of summer, the tall, spiked stems produce purple flowers that are shaped like cones and spikes. There is some debate about the correct scientific name for this species of betony.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern Mediterranean
- Plant Size: 6-8 inches tall
- Sun Exposure: Indirect to full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
Hyacinth bulbs require a long period of cool weather each year, or they won’t bloom. You will have to plant hyacinth in pots and bring them inside to a cold garage or even a refrigerator for the summer if you don’t get about thirteen weeks of weather between 35 and 48 degrees.
As long as it stays cold enough, they have narrow leaves and thick clusters of blue to purple flowers that pop with color every spring. There are more than 2,000 hyacinth cultivars, including ‘Purple Sensation,’ which is bright purple.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Asia, the Americas
- Plant Size: 2-9 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun with afternoon shade
- Plant Zone: 4-9
Hydrangeas are woody shrubs that have large, ruffled puffy flowers. The type of hydrangea you have and the pH of the soil it grows in will determine what color its flowers are. Typically, the blooms are anywhere from white to pink, red, blue, and purple. Making the soil more acidic or base changes the color from year to year.
They can thrive either indoors or out, depending on the specific variety. The leaves are large and textured. Each flower is a puffy globe made of many small petals. Hydrangeas need pruning each year, or their woody stems can become a bit messy.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Europe
- Plant Size: 8-18 inches tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
Italian aster has small flowers that have a bright orange center and many slender purple petals. You can grow them in most home gardens without much trouble. They look like a cross between echinacea and a white-petaled daisy.
Like many other flowering plants, deadheading the spent blooms will increase the likelihood of successive blooms. This relatively small and maintenance-free plant can easily spread, leaving your garden covered in purple flowers. That easy spread is also a potential downside if left unchecked.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
- Plant Size: 2-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Part sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
People often call Iris Pumila the “pygmy iris.” It has light green leaves and deep purple flowers that feel like lacy paper. Most of the flowers are white or purple, but some types may have blue, white, cream, or different color patterns. They are perhaps a natural hybrid of Iris pseudopumila and Iris attica.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Europe
- Plant Size: 2-3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 5-9
Lavender is hard to miss in a garden. Lavender is one of the most well-known purple flowers, but there are over 50 other flower types that are related to it. They have a distinctive sweet smell, and some varieties are used for creating perfume and aromatherapy oils.
Lavender is easy to grow, and the foliage that grows close to the ground makes it easy to spread to other gardens. These flowers are perched on top of long stalks and appear in multi-level tufts of petals.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Southeastern United States
- Plant Size: 6-16 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Part shade to full sun
- Plant Zone: 5-9
The pale leather flower is a type of Clematis. It has long viny tendrils and delicate stems that can reach quite extensive lengths when left undisturbed. While the stems are pretty easy to break when handled or exposed to strong winds, strong support from a trellis or arbor helps keep them from breaking.
The bell-shaped, one-inch flowers hang down in a nod. They come in a range of colors, from a pale purple that looks almost white to much darker colors.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: The Balkans
- Plant Size: 2-16 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 5-8
The common lilac has between 400 and 800 cultivars. They’re typically deciduous shrubs, but S. reticulata, known as the Japanese lilac tree, is a much larger species. The color of common lilac flowers changes a bit with each different cultivar. Many are shades of purple, and some have multiple colors on the same plant.
Lilac flowers are arranged along long, branching racemes, which are also called panicles. They have a distinctive, strong fragrance that adds an extra dimension to any garden.
Lily of the Incas
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: South America
- Plant Size: 1-4 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Part sun to full sun
- Plant Zone: 8-10
The Lily of the Incas isn’t a true lily. But, they similarly feature extremely colorful blossoms that emerge from tubers. There are a lot of different kinds of lilies of the Incas, and not all of them have purple buds. Keep an eye out for the ‘Annica’ and ‘Azula’ varieties for purple flowers.
When the conditions are warm and wet enough, these plants will even bloom year-round. Just keep in mind that they are quite thirsty, requiring up to 12 inches of water per week.
What’s that strange purple flower growing in your yard?
FAQ
What is a tall flower with no leaves?
What flower has a purple stem?
What is a purple ball flower on a tall stem?
Which flower has no stem leaves?
What is a purple leaf shrub?
The purple-leaved shrub blooms in spring, and its white flowers contrast nicely with dark foliage. Pollinators like bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects are attracted to the flowers.
What plants have purple flowers & green leaves?
Plants with purple flowers and green leaves provide a stunning addition to any garden and landscape. Purple flowering plants are available in many shade variations, from graceful lavender to dark and rich violet. They come in spring bulbs, fall-blooming wildflowers, ground covers, climbing plants, and more.
Is purple loosestrife a perennial?
Purple loosestrife is a tall perennial plant that blooms throughout summer with tall spikes of vibrant purple or magenta flowers. The purple perennial grows 2 to 4 ft. (0.6 – 1.2 m) tall and thrives in wet, boggy soils. Therefore, it is popular for growing in wetland gardens or near backyard ponds.
What do purple flowers & green leaves mean?
Purple flowers and purple foliage plants have a soothing effect when used in the landscape. Bearing a color that has long been a symbol of royalty, purple flowers also suggest richness and elegance. Plants with purple flowers and green leaves provide a stunning addition to any garden and landscape.