Want to add a pop of royal color to your California landscape? Purple flowering bushes are a fantastic way to do it. From vivid violets to deep lavenders, these colorful shrubs liven up any outdoor space with their vibrant blooms.
Purple is an eye-catching yet versatile color that works well in all different garden designs and color palettes. It pairs nicely with other bright hues as well as softer pastels. And it looks right at home amongst green foliage.
Many beautiful deciduous and evergreen purple blooming bushes thrive in California’s Mediterranean climate Here are some of the best options to consider for stunning floral displays
Lavender
No article on purple blooming bushes would be complete without mentioning lavender. This classic herb is grown both for its fragrant flowers and aromatic foliage. There are over 40 different lavender species and hundreds of hybrids to choose from.
English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and its cultivars are winter hardy and tolerate our cool coastal areas Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas) handles inland heat extremely well And fringed lavender (Lavandula dentata) is one of the tallest types available,
Lavenders flower best in full sun and well-drained soil. The colorful blooms appear in spring and summer. Prune plants after flowering to maintain their shapely mound form.
Lilac
Another old-fashioned favorite are lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) These spring-blooming deciduous bushes produce an abundance of sweetly fragrant panicles ranging from deep purple to lighter lavender.
Common lilacdoes well in most California climates. Choose compact varieties like ‘Little Lady’ for smaller spaces. And plant heat-tolerant types like pale purple ‘Sensation’ for hot inland areas.
Give lilacs full sun exposure and moderate irrigation. Prune immediately after blooming. Their lush green heart-shaped leaves turn yellow in fall before shedding.
Rosemary
Rosemary isn’t just an aromatic culinary herb. Many varieties also produce showy light purple flowers in winter and spring. Upright types like ‘Tuscan Blue’ and ‘Majorca Pink’ work nicely in the landscape.
These evergreen Mediterranean natives thrive in free-draining acidic soil and coastal conditions. Plant them as hedges, shrub borders or specimen plants. Trim regularly to maintain shape.
Sage
Salvias are one of the most diverse plant groups for spectacular purple floral color. The many sage species and cultivars range from deep violets to lighter lavender shades.
Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) blooms in fall with bright red and white flowers loved by hummingbirds. Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) has airy lavender-blue panicles and silver foliage. And Allan Chickering sage (Salvia ‘Allan Chickering’) has rich purple spikes.
Butterfly Bush
As their name suggests, butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii) attract hordes of butterflies and other pollinators with their bloom-covered branches. The arching deciduous shrubs flower from summer through fall in colors like rich purple, magenta and violet.
Loved for their non-stop flowers, butterfly bushes thrive in hot inland environments. Give them full sun and moderate water. Cut them back each winter to promote abundant flowering.
Ceanothus
The California lilac (Ceanothus spp.) is one of our iconic native flowering shrubs. Species like mountain lilac (C. cordulatus) and Snowball ceanothus (C. maritimus) produce clusters of tiny fragrant purple flowers in spring.
These tough, drought-tolerant bushes need excellent drainage and little summer irrigation once established. Prune lightly after flowering. Deer tend to avoid their stiff foliage.
Other Great Options
Here are a few more great purple flowering bushes to consider for your garden:
- Purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis) – tall perennial with vivid purple flowers
- Desert lavender (Condea emoryi) – drought-tolerant flowering native
- Magic carpet spirea (Spiraea x bumalda) – petite variety with purple leaves and pink blooms
- Bluebeard shrub (Caryopteris x clandonensis) – mounds of fragrant blue flowers in late summer
- Redbud (Cercis canadensis) – small ornamental tree with vibrant magenta blooms
With so many outstanding options, it’s easy to incorporate vivid purple flowering shrubs into your outdoor space. They add striking color that lasts for months and attract hordes of pollinators.
Choose varieties suited to your specific microclimate and landscape needs. Group multiple types together for an eye-catching floral display. Or use single specimens as striking focal points.
Growing purple blooming bushes is a simple way to boost visual interest and invite more wildlife into your California garden. Add a few to your beds, borders and hedges this year!
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Felipe has worked at the nursery and garden center for a long time and knows a lot about trees, plants, and landscape design.
