Weeping trees lend an elegant, graceful look to any landscape with their cascading branches and abundant blooms. If you love the dreamy aesthetic of a weeping tree but want to add a pop of color, consider one with captivating purple flowers From small, ornate varieties like redbuds to larger statement trees like crape myrtles, many stunning options exist Keep reading to discover some of the best weeping trees awash in purple blooms to inspire your garden design.
Vibrant Purple Blooms on Cascading Branches
Weeping trees impart a relaxed, tranquil ambiance with their gently arching branches that seem to flow down to the ground. Combining the elegance of a weeping form with vivid purple blossoms creates a striking ornamental focal point. Unlike a traditional upright tree, a weeping variety presents its flowers all along its weeping branches for a gorgeous suspended floral display.
Purple flower color provides bold contrast against the green foliage. Hues range from pale lavender to deep violet depending on the variety Blossoms may be individual or clustered, and often emit a lovely fragrance Weeping trees offer seasons of interest beyond just the spring flowering period. Unique branch structure, fall color, and interesting bark provide year-round beauty.
Graceful Small Weeping Trees
While large weeping trees like willows and mulberries make a dramatic statement, petite ornamental varieties are ideal for most residential landscaping. These small weeping trees fit easily into garden beds or used as focal points in courtyards. Popular options include:
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Weeping Eastern Redbud – A graceful ornamental typically growing 6 to 10 feet tall. Offers a profusion of pea-like purple flowers in spring before heart-shaped green leaves emerge. Yellow fall color.
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Weeping Cherry – Spring blooming with long cascading branches. Flower color ranges from white to pink to purple depending on variety. Grows 15 to 25 feet.
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Weeping Crabapple – Abundant light purple flowers in spring on a small tree reaching 10 to 20 feet tall. Fruitless varieties recommended for landscapes.
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Weeping Lagerstroemia – This summer-blooming crape myrtle has elegantly draping branches. Grows 10 to 15 feet tall bearing clusters of vivid purple flowers.
Bigger Purple-Flowering Weeping Trees
For larger properties, bigger weeping trees can make an unforgettable statement in the landscape Their immense flowing canopies provide ample purple floral displays Some top choices include
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Weeping Mulberry – Grows 20 to 35 feet tall with long drooping branches. Offers sweet edible fruit in summer after the white to lavender spring flowers fade.
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Weeping Beech – Elegant large specimen tree growing 40 to 60 feet. Gracefully pendulous branching with purple foliage that intensifies in fall.
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Weeping Japanese Maple – Grows 15 to 25 feet tall with finely dissected purple foliage all season. The weeping branching sweeps nearly to the ground. Stunning fall color.
Key Tips for Growing Weeping Trees
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Select an appropriate location with enough space for the tree’s mature size and spread. Avoid planting too close to structures.
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Improve drainage if needed. Weeping trees prefer evenly moist, well-drained soil.
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Stake the trunk of newly planted weeping trees until established to support the pendulous branching.
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Prune lightly to shape weeping trees, taking care not to remove too much foliage. Never shear these ornamentals.
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Water regularly when first planted, then taper off as the tree becomes established.
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Apply mulch around the base to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
Dramatic Purple Plunge® Weeping Cherry Plum
One gorgeous purple-blooming weeping specimen to consider is the Purple Plunge® weeping cherry plum. This small ornamental tree was bred by North Carolina State University to showcase graceful cascading branches smothered in rich purple-pink spring blossoms. The flowers emit a lovely almond fragrance.
The lustrous burgundy-purple leaf color persists all season, followed by yellow fall tones. Cold hardy and adaptable, Purple Plunge® fits easily into garden beds or containers. It matures at just 7 to 10 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. This distinctive weeping cherry plum tree promises season after season of captivating beauty.
Weeping ornamentals with purple blooms bring elegance and vibrancy together in the landscape. Their cascading canopies allow you to enjoy the floral display at eye-level. Add graceful movement and a refreshing pop of color to your garden by incorporating one of these lavender-hued weepers.
6 Purple Flowering Trees for Your Home
I learned that not all purple flowering trees are edible. When I was a child in Armenia, my friend took me to the back of the clay tennis courts we would practice on and ate the beautiful flowers of a locust tree. I tried them myself and they tasted great, like sweet pees filled with honey. Although not all flowering trees are edible, almost all are incredibly beautiful. We’ve put together a list of our favorite purple flowering trees to help you choose the right one.
There are many purple flowering trees, but the Jacaranda is the queen of them all. They only grow in tropical areas, so zones 9b–11 For now, you can plant it inside in a sunny spot, but as it grows, it will need to be moved outside because it gets so big. If you live in a colder climate, no worries, the following trees are more cold hardy. After they bloom, these trees do so twice a year, in late spring and fall. The blooms last a long time. Also, be ready to pick up the pretty flowers that have fallen so they don’t break down on your lawn.
- Growing Zones: 9b – 11
- Height/Spread: 25–50′ height and 15–30′ spread
Mountain Laurel Tree
Texas is home to the beautiful mountain laurel, which is also called Sophora secundiflora or Texas mountain laurel. It is one of the first trees in Central Texas to flower, and it can handle drought. It grows best in rocky limestone soil. Lastly, the smell of the beautiful 3-7″ long flowers is similar to the smell of artificial grapes. Some people even say it looks like Kool-Aid! When it’s not in bloom, its shape and shiny leaves make any yard look nice.
- Growing Zones: 5-9
- Height/Spread: 7–15‘ height and spread at maturity
7 Most Beautiful Ornamental Trees With Purple Flowers // Gardening Tips
Do weeping redbuds have purple flowers?
Purple blooming weeping trees are lovely too. If you love the idea of a small weeping Eastern redbud but prefer lilac flowers, you are in luck. Check out ‘Lavender Twist’, another small weeping Eastern redbud with some of the same attributes as ‘Ruby Falls’ but decked out in spring with purple flowers.
What is a weeping redbud tree?
Cercis canadensis ‘Ruby Falls’ – There are a few common varieties of weeping redbud, but this selection is unique for its burgundy-red foliage. This cultivar of a North American native tree is perfect for small gardens. The pink-purple flowers occur in the spring and are followed by heart-shaped leaves.
What is a purple flowering tree?
Large purple-blooming shade trees are perfect for shading a patio, deck, or lawn in the summer. The best purple flowering trees are magnolias, redbuds, mountain laurels, and chaste trees. Many of these small purple-flowering trees are versatile landscaping plants that can grow as multi-stemmed shrubs.
What flowers do weeping trees have?
Pink and purple flowering weeping trees are among the best flowering weeping trees you can find, but white blossoms are also beautiful. You’ll find lots of frilly white flowers on spring-blooming cherry trees, like Snow Fountains weeping cherry ( Prunus ‘Snofozam’) with its graceful cascading branches.