Different Types of Purple Flowers: 31 Flower Profiles

Types of purple flowers are one of the most favored among gardeners as they create a complimentary contrast when paired with a simple display of red and orange blooms. The color purple derives from the anthocyanins in the plant, which are responsible for the pigment in the flowers. If you want to add some color and glamor to your garden, purple is the way to go.

After working with indoor and outdoor plants for many years, I have witnessed the benefits specific colors can bring to the garden. I can tell you the types of purple flowers to go for that will attract so many bees and butterflies, making your garden a pollinating haven!

With so many types of purple flowers around, you don’t have to settle with the commonly known lavender- unless you love it that much! There is a heap of more purple flowers to explore, and I have compiled a list for you.

Table of Contents

• Balloon Flower
• Blue Eyed Grass
• Wild Hyacinth
• Dwarf Iris
• Wild Indigo
• China Aster
• Bell Heather
• Lily of the Nile
• Sea Holly
• Butterfly Bush
• Morning Glory
• Calla Lily
• Geisha Girl
• Catnip
• Sweet Pea
• Carnation
• Yesterday Today Tomorrow
• African Daisy
• Periwinkle
• Blue Ginger
• Fuchsia
• Hydrangea 
• Piccola Suprise Orchid
• Petunia
• Gerbera 
• Purple Cranesbill 
• Anemone
• Bougainvillea 
• Rosemary
• Wisteria Florabunda
• Dahlia Pinnata
• FAQ Types of Purple flowers

The Balloon Flower Border Plant

The buds of flowers appear like small balloons before opening into a star-shaped flower. With large, wide clumps of foliage, the balloon flower makes a great container or border plant. The flowers will fully open during the summer months, July to August, in North America and die back in winter.

If growing from seed, the balloon flower rarely blooms in the first year, so be mindful of overplanting the area when starting. Select Double Blue, Astra Double Blue’ and Apoyama cultivars for the purple flowering varieties.

The Hardy Blue Eyed Grass

This perennial herbaceous shrub belongs to the Iris family and flourishes in meadows and open woodlands. Their grass-like foliage is used as a ground cover; it grows in clumps. During early spring, the tiny purple flowers bloom for one day, ranging in hues from purple to indigo with a yellow center.

The Blue-eyed grass is low maintenance and suitable for containers and walkway edges to add a pop of color to the garden. Known as a hardy plant that self-seeds, so it can tolerate a good cut to be kept under control and requires little or no fertilizing.

Wild Hyacinth to Complete a Cottage Garden 

The Wild Hyacinth is a bulbous perennial plant with narrow grass-like leaves and flowering stalks that shoot up from the grassy clump and showcase these beautiful star-shaped flowers consecutively from the bottom to the top of the stem.

Also known as Blue Dicks, their edible bulbs were a food source for the Native American tribes and European settlers. Wild Hyacinths complete a cottage garden, and with their rich content of nectar, they will attract bees and butterflies in the masses.

Plant a Rock Garden With Dwarf Iris

The Dwarf iris doesn’t exceed 6 inches in height, unlike its other Iris relatives. The fragrant, flowing purple petals are paired with yellow banding creating a striking appearance to any garden during late winter to early spring.

This purple flower is ideal for planting in rock gardens or gravel areas, in pots or raised troughs, and will flourish in the dry summer sun. The purple flowers of the dwarf iris are popular with those who like to show off cut flowers in their home, so be sure to harvest some for a vase in spring.

Carefree Cover Crop of Wild Indigo 

The low-maintenance perennial from the pea family makes a stunning addition to the garden by showcasing its tall flower stalks. Blooms will stay around during the entire summer season and tolerate the dry conditions, while their nitrogen-fixing properties make it an ideal cover crop with ample space.

Although I wouldn’t recommend eating it, Wild Indigo has been globally used as an herb to treat fevers, bronchitis, and a range of other infections, and the sap has been used to make purple dyes.

China Aster in a Cut Flower Bouquet

The daisy-looking flower has a long blooming period offering its aesthetics until late Autumn. The showy flower heads usually reach three to five inches in diameter and come in various varieties, making them ideal for even the beginner gardener.

Flower stems shoot out from broad ovate leaves and are ideal for cut flower arrangements in the home. You can grow these beauties in containers or as a border around the garden edge. The purple varieties of the China aster to look for are Gala Blue and Gala Lavender.

Bell Heather Brings the Bees

Commonly known as Twisted Heath, this variety of heather is unique for its purple flowers. The Erica cinerea blooms vigorously during late spring and displays its clusters of bell-shaped flowers into early fall. The bell heather’s bright purple flowers are a vital source of nectar for honeybees, red-tailed bumble bees, ruby tiger moths, and rare silver-studded blue butterflies.

The Bell heather is easy to grow and isn’t fussy about its soil conditions; it has been in rock gardens, coastal gardens, cottages, and even container gardens. It makes a fantastic ground cover with its dark green foliage and is perfect for edging the garden.

Exotic Display of Lily of the Nile

The long-stemmed agapanthus flowers bloom into a cluster of tiny purple flowers with curled petals; unfortunately, the flowers don’t last long, but when they are fully open, they look magnificent.

The Lily of the Nile leaves are thick strappy blades that grow in mounds making them ideal for containers on the patio and border garden beds.

The thick flower stem can be harvested for an exotic cut flower display in the home. These are one of my favorite perennials, and it’s hard not to like them when they surprise you with their dazzling array of tubular flowers in early summer.

Sea Holly Making a Statement

The Sea Holly flower resembles fireworks with its thistle-like texture and blue-purple flower heads. Blooms will appear from summer through to fall and are surprisingly drought tolerant.

Flower heads are great for dried-cut flower arrangements, and you can use their striking appearance with their frequent deadheading requirements.

Sea Holly is easy to grow, practically carefree, and requires little to no fertilizing; even the most amateur gardeners can benefit from these purple beauties. When planting sea holly, be sure to plant them somewhere permanent as they have a long tap root and don’t appreciate being moved around.

The Butterfly Bush is Fluttering 

The buddleja davidii produces cone-shaped fluorescence at the end of the stem, and some flower heads are so large they cause the plant to hang; some see this as an imperfection, but for me, it is one of its features.

The Butterfly bush is a deciduous shrub and takes 5-10 years to reach its maximum height. Butterfly bushes look fabulous in flower beds or wall-side borders of courtyard gardens, cottages, or informal gardens while providing the local bees and butterflies pollen to feed on.

Cover Up with Morning Glory

Unlike other types of purple flowers, the Morning glory can be an overpowering plant in your garden with its vast creeping ability; if you don’t have the space, it’s best to keep it in a container. The purple flowers are trumpet-shaped and open in early summer through fall.

Gardeners favor the Ipomoea purpurea as a wall, fence, or pergola covering to create shade and privacy. The name morning glory results from the pretty purple flowers opening in the morning to show and closing in the afternoon.

The plants have been used by the Chinese for medicinal purposes, whereas tribes on the other side of the globe used them during spiritual rituals- I would recommend handling this plant with caution as it does contain toxic properties.

My experience with this plant has been a battle in the past; it took over my whole garden and strangled the trees, leaving me with a huge job to maintain it.

A Touch of Class With the Calla Lily

The Calla lily is easy to grow and adds a classy look to your perennial garden. The tubular flowers come in various colors, but there is something very spectacular about the purple flowers combined with the deep green leaves.

Calla Lilies can provide a stock of fresh purple flowers to cut from for 6-12 weeks during late spring and summer, with various colors you can use to simultaneously brighten your home and garden.

The plant tends to go dormant during winter but will break dormant when temperatures rise in early spring. They are well suited for borders, garden beds, cutting gardens, and containers and make excellent house plants.

The Gorgeous Geisha Girl Wins the Show

The Geisha Girl is one of my favorite types of purple plants, the purple flowers are small and dainty with crinkled edges, and the flower stems hang down when they are in full bloom. After the Durante erecta has blossomed, it produces these small yellow berries that complement the purple and green of the plant.

The Geisha Girl makes a great container plant; you can shape it into a standard tree for an entrance plant or by the pool. You can leave this plant to do its thing and grow into a whole shrub or trim it as a hedge.

They take good pruning and can handle light frosts, making them a great plant in the garden. One note that you should take is that the berries and leaves of this plant are toxic, so be mindful if planted near pets or children.

Catnip for the Cat Lovers

Who doesn’t enjoy watching a cat after its eaten catnip- it sends them into a crazy state and can be pretty entertaining. The catnip plant can be quite invasive, especially after flowering. The pale purple blooms’ seed pods will emerge and potentially spread around your garden. It’s best to keep trimming after flowering if not controlled.

The Catnip plant is part of the mint family and has tooth-edged leaves with very fine hairs, making it look like a stinging nettle. Catnip is ideal if you are a cat owner looking for a purple flower in your garden to attract butterflies or bees.

Keep it in a container if you don’t want it spreading to other areas. Alternatively, you can use the fast-growing catnip plant as a shrub or hedge to edge your garden paths.

Smelling Great ‘Sweet pea’

The Sweet pea makes a great addition to a cutting garden, woodland, trellis covering, or twined on an archway. The cute vibrant purple flowers have a fragrance similar to honey and orange blossom.

Although they look very delicate, they are a very hardy plant to keep and can be planted in USDA plant hardiness zones seven or cooler in late winter or early spring.

The cute type of purple flowers are great for bouquets and are combined to soften hard-stemmed flowers. When sowing the seeds, soak them in water overnight before planting. This will allow the seeds to soften and take less time to germinate.

For the Love of Carnations

Also known as Clove Pink, they express love, fascination, and distinction. The pretty purple flowers are popular in the cut flower industry and add charm to your garden.

When in bloom, the purple flowers hold a spicy clove scent and appear singularly or in sprays.

Carnations make a great edging plant for the home’s entrance or can be planted in containers as a feature on the patio.

Each flower is made up of 7- 20 petals that grow ruffled; there are over 300 species of dianthus available, and some can be varied in color or entirely one color.

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow

The Brunsfelsşa paucifolia is a favorite among gardeners; they hold a sweet fragrance similar to bubblegum and showcase varying colors simultaneously. The flowers start purple and gradually fade to lavender, then white; the tubular blossoms open to a flat disk with five wavy-edged petals.

When grown in well-draining soil, they can grow to 5 feet tall and look great as a foundation planting, shrub borders, or hedges.

Although it is not a common indoor plant, in cooler climates, the Brunsfelsia can be grown in the home, and, with its range of colors, it would make a stunning addition to an indoor garden.

The Advantageous African Daisy

The Osteospermum Soprano Purple is a carefree plant that produces vibrant purple blooms in Spring and Summer. The daisy-like purple flowers are centered with a deep purple or sapphire eye and are highly rewarding as they add brightness and color to any sunny spot in the garden.

Over 70 species within the Osteospermum family have varying petal shapes and colors.

The African daisy is a water-wise plant that can be grown as a shrub in garden beds or kept in containers around the garden.

African Daisies can produce self-seed and spread to other areas, so be mindful of where you are planting.

In a large area, these look stunning. If you are limited to space, you must control them by pruning them after they have flowered.

Pots of Periwinkle 

Also known as Madagascar Periwinkle, the annual is best grown in sandy loam soil and loves weekly watering. The annual Vinca blooms single purple flowers with five petals and contrasting colored eyes. The Vinca is produced as a potted color plant in most nurseries and is available in many colors.

When selecting the Annual vinca for your garden, choose the ones with purple flowers to attract bees and butterflies to your garden. You can pot the Vinca into a container of well-drained soil and use it as a patio plant or simply plant them into your garden beds.

Beware if you have children or four-legged friends in the garden, as all parts of the vinca are toxic to humans, cats, and dogs.

Quality Blooms of Blue Ginger

Although this attractive plant looks like ginger, it is actually from the family of Tradescantia and is a relative of the inch plant.

Being tropical plants, they are popular as houseplants and thrive well in most home conditions. The ornamental plants produce deep purple flowers that can last for months; when happy, they display purple flowers year-round.

Blue Ginger flower buds arrive on the vine’s terminals and, when opening, showcase four delicate petals resembling the thyme flower. The quality of the blooms is a result of the dormancy during the previous winter. Take care during the cold months to enhance the flowering period for the following season.

Fuchsia for Flamboyancy

Fuchsias are one of my favorite plants; the pretty purple flowers look good enough to wear as earrings! You can grow Fushia indoors or outdoors, which looks beautiful in hanging baskets.

The blooms of the Fuchsia arrive in spring and end in fall, and the purple petals are combined with a pink outer petal on trailing stems.

When in a planter or hanging basket, the purple flowers droop over the edge and look magnificent. Fuchsia attracts hummingbirds, bees, and bumble bees, so you can watch as they collect the nectar and pollinate the rest of the plants in your garden.

Because of the origin of the Fuchsia, they prefer a humid tropical environment, so for those who experience cold winters, you can grow them indoors.

A Hedgerow of Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are a spectacular purple flower producer and will thrive indoors or outdoors, depending on the variety. I enjoyed experimenting with these flowers and their colors, as you can adjust the soil pH to change their color.

The delicate but ruffled purple flower petals mixed with woody shrub foliage show contrast through the plant and can be a fun plant to grow. Naturally, they produce white flowers, but when you add aluminum to the soil, they bloom pink flowers.

To encourage purple flowers on the hydrangea, the soil pH needs to be between 6 and 7, and to achieve this acidity; you can simply add lime to your soil. You can have some fun while creating your purple flowers with these plants.

The Perfect Piccola Suprise Orchid

The phalaenopsis orchids contain many color combinations, but the Piccola surprise is most appealing with its deep purple veins set on light purple petals.

These orchids originate from a tropical environment where they are seen growing out of tree branches; the stunning flowers hang down from their woody spike and add bursts of color to the natural rainforest setting.

Orchids are another one of my favorite flowering plants to grow indoors; they require little watering, and when kept in a warm, humid low light environment, their attractive purple flowers add a touch of class to the home.

A common mistake made by newbie growers of Orchids is that once the flower has bloomed, they dispose of the plant. If you have a little patience and cut the spike down, you will see the plant produce a new flower spike nine months later.

Hanging Baskets of Petunia 

These fragrant trumpet-shaped purple flowers start to bloom in mid-spring to early summer and will continue until the frost arrives. There is a vast range of colors available in petunias, but the purple flowers have a depth of color representing fantasy and grace.

Petunias are a very trouble-free flowering plant and look fabulous in hanging baskets.

I used to plant thousands of Petunias each week in the nursery as a potted color, which is inexpensive compared to other plants. You can find shades of deep violet, dark purple, and even ones with pink variegated petals.

Petunias look great in garden beds and containers; they require rich, well-drained soil and look their best when slightly sheltered. The Grandiflora variety produces large blooms making the petals vulnerable to weather damage.

Be sure to select the multiflora variety, as they are smaller flowers more tolerant to wind and rain.

Globally Known Gerbera

The Gerbera Daisy is one of those beautiful flowers that are recognized globally, and for me, they bring instant smiles. Many cultures see them as a symbol of simple beauty and available in a broad spectrum of colors, so finding purple ones wouldn’t be difficult.

Gerberas can be grown as an indoor or outdoor plant, and their many types of purple work well in different styles of gardens, from tropical borders to summer bedding.

These daisy relatives have a long-lasting bloom period starting in spring and make an excellent cut flower stock plant to have while attracting bees and butterflies to your garden.

Purple Cranesbill a Must-Have for the Cottage Garden

This hardy hybrid of Geranium forms dense mounds of large purple flowers with dark purple veins running through the petals. The blooming period of these purple flowers is relatively short (2 weeks) but so intensely stunning they should be considered a place in your garden.

Purple Cranesbill is perfect as a border plant in raised beds or as a ground cover; they are ideal for cottage gardens and rock gardens. Often, people use pretty purple flowers as decoration on their salads or cakes.

The Geranium is a drought-tolerant flowering plant and performs best in full sun or part shade with well-drained soil.

The Delicate Anemone

Often, we see the relative of the Anemone – the buttercup, which fills the fields with its pretty yellow petals in spring. Still, the cousin, with the purple flowers, is found in woody tropical-like areas of North America.

Many gardeners will refer to these as poppies or windflowers, as the delicate petals will sway in the wind. The purple flowers are usually seen in single blossoms and are available in various colors.

The small purple flowers have five petals and a bright yellow center. These plants thrive best in well-drained soil with at least four hours of sun daily.

Cover a Wall with Bougainvillea

Bougainvilleas offer a great wall covering as they climb up to 15 feet tall and cascade over walls and fences. The Bougainvillea glabra is the most common variety with dark purple flowers and requires next to no maintenance when established.

Your Bougainvillea should be planted in the warmest place possible, where it will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.

The flower is small, has five pentagonal floral tubes, and is generally white and surrounded by purple bracts. The bougainvillea foliage can be evergreen in warm climates, and the stems have thorns, so you should handle them with care.

Because of the thorns, they make an ideal plant for growing low walls and fences offering a method of security to your property.

Rosemary for Your Culinary Creations 

The multi-purpose shrub not only has aesthetic benefits but also a range of medicinal and culinary uses too. The purple flowers of the rosemary plant are loved by bees, making this hardy evergreen a must-have for all gardens.

The needle-like foliage is fragrant and great to use in cooking, and with the small purple flowers, you can use this plant as a decoration on your kitchen window sill.

Rosemary is easy to propagate from cutting, and if you ask around your gardener friends, they would likely have some sprigs you can plant in your garden. Originally from the Mediterranean, rosemary likes moist soil and can suffer if overwatered.

Be sure to plant your rosemary in well-drained soil and situated in a sunny position.

Wisteria Floribunda Royal Purple

The show-stopping Royal Purple wisteria is the darkest purple of the wisteria cultivars and produces sweetly scented strands of pea-like purple flowers up to 20 inches long.

The Wisteria will bloom in late spring or early summer, and after flowering, bean-like pods will set and ripen in late summer. The foliage of the wisteria is equally as attractive as the show of flowers; the leaves are a fresh green and pinnate shape and, as the fall season arrives, will turn to a yellow-green color.

Wisterias look magnificent when grown against a house wall, over a pergola, or on a trellis, and you can also keep a wisteria as a semi-standard tree in a pot when trained correctly. Wisteria is a plant you should enjoy, so ensuring it is in full view will create a talking point when your family and friends come to visit.

Some people enjoy Wisteria as a bonsai tree and grow inside their home, which is possible, too, provided it receives the correct humidity and light requirements.

Dinner Plate Size Flowers From Dahlia Pinnata 

In my opinion, Dahlia pinnata are so pretty that they seem unreal; their symmetrical petals and simple beauty make gardening so rewarding. Growing dahlias is easy and can be done from tubers indoors in the early spring and moved outdoors when the weather has warmed up.

You can find the flowers of the Dahlia pinnata in a range of colors (excluding blue) and compound forms such as pompoms, cactus, and waterlily styles. There are many types of purple available, and the purple dahlia symbolizes royalty and dignity, making them an ideal purple flower to gift in a bouquet.

FAQ About Types of Purple Flowers

Are purple flowers rare?

Purple is one of the most popular colors found in flowers but finding fruit or foliage is rare. With many horticulturists developing new cultivars, new types of purple flowers are being produced. Being one of the most popular colors among gardeners, there is a vast range to choose from.

What is a deep purple flower?

Deep purple flower varieties include calla lily, verbena, China aster, clematis, purple primrose, Bellflower, dwarf iris, sweet pea, zinnia, petunia, Spanish lavender, Cherry pie flower, Sword lily, Larkspur, Dendrobium Orchid, Granny’s nightcap, Pasque flower, Persian buttercup, and crocus.

What type of flower is purple?

Dahlia pinnata, Wisteria floribunda ‘Royal Purple, Rosemary, Bougainvillea, Anemone, Purple Cranesbill, Gerbera, Petunia, Piccola Surprise Orchid, Hydrangea, Fuchsia, Blue Ginger, Annual Vinca, African Daisy, Yesterday, Today tomorrow, Carnations, Sweet pea, Catnip, Geisha Girl, Calla Lily, Morning Glory, Butterfly Bush, Sea Holly, Lily of the Nile, Bell Heather, China aster, Wild indigo, Wild Hyacinth, Dwarf Iris, and Blue-eyed grass are all types of purple flowers.

What are those purple wildflowers called?

Purple wildflowers you may come across are Slender Toothwort, Western Corydalis, Subalpine Daisy, Leafy Aster, Spreading Phlox, Monkshood, Oregon Flag Iris, Showy Jacob’s Ladder, Howells Violet, Columbia Kitten Tails, Naked Broomrape, Sagebrush Violets

Purple Flower Power Wins in the Garden

There is an abundance of options when adding purple flowers to your garden and whether you are using them to enhance your color scheme or simply want to attract more bees and butterflies to your garden you will definitely find a plant to suit. 

Some purple flowers are showier than others, whereas others hold a sweeter scent; when selecting the perfect species for your garden, you have to think about the purpose the purple flowers can bring. Do you want to have a collection of flowers to cut from? Do you want to bring fragrance to the entranceway of your house? Or will you be growing indoors or outdoors? 

With all the above-mentioned varieties, I am sure you will find the perfect purple flower to answer your questions!

For me, I am going on a search for the purple Calla lily to add to my indoor plant collection. Something about the sweeping curves of the petals combined with the deep purple hues reminds me of luxury velvet. The Brunsfelsia has always been a favorite of mine- the flowers are not the most spectacular but ever since I smelt them for the first time, I knew I had to have one!

“I don’t have a purple problem; I have a purple passion!” Jackie Harmon Sweeney

Ready to Get Planting Your Purple Flowers?

Take a look at our best plant info care and start planting your garden of purple passion today; alternatively, if you are adding to your house plant collection, have a gander at our product recommendations. 

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