Purple Flowers For Your Garden

Whether your gardening design calls for calming lavenders or vibrant violets, these purple flowers deliver. From lilacs to iris blooms, they symbolize wisdom, thank you and courage—qualities often sought after in times of personal growth.

These enchanting hues also evoke spirituality and creativity, inspiring new paths of self-expression. Embark on this exploration of purple flowers to discover their intriguing meanings and mystical qualities.

Lavender

Lavender (Lavandula) is one of the most popular flowers to grow in a garden. Its delicate scent is calming and it pairs beautifully with other fragrant plants like eucalyptus, which are great for creating lush, natural-smelling bouquets.

Lavendar has been used as a fragrance and medicinal herb for more than 2,500 years. Its scent is thought to promote sleep and ease headaches and other symptoms of anxiety. It is also believed to have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Lavender is a perennial plant that produces fragrant flower spikes in shades of blue to violet. It grows well in Mediterranean-like climates, preferring sandy, nutrient-poor soil that drains well. It can be planted in borders, low gardens, rock garden, or as a landscape hedge.

The most familiar type of lavender is English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia). It has narrow, grayish-green leaves and scented flowers that bloom from late spring to early summer in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9. Its compact growth habit makes it an ideal choice for planting as a low hedge or for use as a landscape plant.

There are many hybrids of English lavender that offer a greater selection of flower colors and growing habits. One excellent choice is Munstead lavender (Lavandula x munsteadii), which features a compact habit and light-blue to silvery white blooms. Its fragrant flowers are a beautiful addition to the garden, harmonizing nicely with other purple-flowering cultivars like ‘Munstead Woods’, ‘Munstead Leigh’, and ‘White Grosso’.

Another excellent English lavender cultivar is ‘Lavandula x intermedia’. It is a hybrid between English and Portuguese lavender (Lavandula latifolia). It offers the cold tolerance of English lavender along with heat tolerance of the Portugese variety. Lavandula x intermedia has stronger camphor scents than other varieties, making it less suitable for culinary use as a fragrant herb, but it is still a good choice for creating low hedges and garden bedding.

When choosing lavender for drying, look for plants with tightly closed buds. This ensures the highest quality flower for your herbal projects and also helps to keep the flower from losing its color while drying. When cutting lavender stems, make sure to remove the leafy greenery from the bottom of the stem. When preparing for drying, run the stems under tap water to clean off any dust or soil. Then, using a pair of scissors or pruning snips, cut just above the flowers and leaves at a point where two side buds or branches have begun to form. This redirects the plant’s energy toward developing these new buds and will result in a longer-lasting, more fragrant flower.

Iris

Irises add a classic touch to the garden with fluttering flowers and sword-like foliage. They’re available in many colors, including shades of purple, and can add a focal point to the perennial border. Bearded irises (Iris germanica) are easy to grow and offer long-lasting blooms from spring through summer. They’re often seen in meadows and wildflower gardens. Each bloom is made up of 6 petals, with three outer, spreading or pendant “falls” and three inner, erect “standards”.

Blue irises are another popular choice for the flower garden. They’re easy to grow from seed and are available in a wide variety of shades, including light purples. Other perennials with blue-purple flowers include liatris (Liatris heucheraria), which is great for adding color to the grassy garden and meadow. Also look for meadow rue (Thalictrum delavayi) and crocus (Crocus tommasinianus).

Another option is the skyblue iris, which has a different look than traditional blue-flowered irises. Its flowers are surrounded by white, yellow, or sometimes even pink. It’s a good option for the shade garden and works well in mixed herbaceous borders, cottage gardens, and gravel gardens.

A few shrubs are also excellent choices for purple flowers, such as laurels (Cedrus), junipers (Juniperus), and hollyhocks (Althea alata). All are great additions to the landscape and come in many varieties with stunning shades of violet.

Purple hydrangea flowers are popular for cut arrangements. These shade-loving perennials have delicately textured petals surrounding solid centers and bloom throughout summer and fall. They’re a must-have for any shade garden, and they also work great in containers.

Other plants with purple flowers that make fantastic ground cover include geraniums (Pelargonium) and heucheras (Heuchera). Plant them in groups in the garden or use them in hanging baskets and containers. Also try lupine (Lupinus) for a showy summer perennial with flowers that look like tiny saucers. This shade-loving herb is deer resistant and attractive to pollinators. It’s a great alternative to impatiens, especially for shady areas of the garden.

Clematis

Known as the queen of climbers, clematis can scramble up walls and fences, or grow through other plants to create a lush tapestry of purple flowers. With hundreds of varieties to choose from, you can find the perfect clematis to suit your garden.

Clematis offer a long blooming season. Some flower in the spring, others throughout the summer and a few even produce a second flush of flowers in the fall. They can be used as an accent, a ground cover or in a container. They are easy to grow and are available in a wide range of colors, forms and flowering times.

When selecting a clematis, be sure to choose a hardy cultivar that will survive your growing zone. Check with your local nursery to determine the right variety for your area. Look for a plant that is well established, with large leaves and a healthy root system. Also, be sure the planting site has full sun and a deep rich loamy soil that is well-drained.

A sheltered spot protects clematis from winter winds and frost, but full sunshine is essential for abundant flower production. Some varieties thrive in part shade and can even tolerate very light filtered sunlight.

To encourage the most abundant blossoms, clematis require ample moisture to support their heavy growth. Irrigate plants regularly to keep the soil moist, but be careful not to over-fertilize with nitrogen. Nitrogen stimulates the growth of succulent new stems, which are more susceptible to disease.

Clematis are prone to earwig attacks, which chew holes in flower petals. Earwig traps can be made by pushing a 1m long cane into the ground next to your clematis and filling it with straw. This will attract earwigs and allow you to catch and rehome them. Other potential pests include rabbits, mice, slugs and snails.

When choosing a clematis, consider the color of its flowers, fragrance, flowering time, growth rate and hardiness. For a spectacular display, try pairing different flower color, form and blooming time varieties together. For example, try pairing a purple flowering clematis with a yellow-flowered type to provide an eye-catching contrast.