11 Best Purple Flowering Plants to Add to Your Garden

These annual and perennial plants with purple flowers will add a splash of rich color wherever they grow.

There's something especially attention-grabbing about purple flowering plants. Historically, the color purple has been associated with royalty, nobility, ambition, and wealth. In the garden, flowers ranging deep shades of violet to pale lavender can lend a mystical, moody, and entrancing element. Bring this evocative color to your garden by growing the following annual and perennial plants with purple flowers.

Related: 15 Pretty Plants with Purple Leaves

Allium

Alliums, also called ornamental onions, have sturdy stems and large, round heads comprised of tiny purple blooms in spring. There are hundreds of allium varieties to choose from, each with their own colorful flare. Besides purple, they also come in pink, yellow, white, and green.

Growing Conditions: full sun and slightly acidic, well-drained soil

Height: 2 to 5 feet tall

Zones: 4-10

Catmint

Wands of small purple flowers appear on this aromatic perennial in early summer and continue for weeks. The blooms attract lots of pollinators, and pests usually leave them alone. Once the flowers fade, catmint (Nepeta spp.) will often produce a second flush of flowers if you cut them back by half.

Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil

Height: 1-3 feet tall

Zones: 3-9

Clematis

Several types of clematis vines have purple flowers, such as Clematis 'Jackmanii' shown here. Another especially pretty option is two-toned 'Sweet Summer Love' with violet and purple petals, plus fragrance. Use clematis to adorn trellises, fences, and garden gates.

Growing Conditions: full sun to part shade and fertile, well-drained soil

Height: 10 to 15 feet

Zones: 4-9

Creeping Phlox

This spring-blooming perennial plant boasts sweet smelling, star-shaped flowers that come in shades of purple, plus pink and white. A good purple-flowered variety to look for is 'Purple Beauty'. Plant creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) near garden walls, rocks, or along a slope so it can slowly spread into the landscape.

Growing Conditions: full sun and gritty, well-drained, alkaline soil

Height: 6 to 8 inches tall 

Zones: 4-8

Delphinium

Delphiniums are cool-season perennials that come back year after year if properly taken care of throughout the seasons. To encourage repeat bloom, regularly deadhead the faded flowers throughout the spring and summer. There are numerous species and hybrids that come in shades of purple as well as blue, pink, red, and white.

Growing Conditions: full to part sun and well-drained soil

Height: 4 to 5 feet tall

Zones: 3-7

All parts of delphiniums are very toxic to humans and animals if ingested. Just touching the plants can cause skin irritation.

Irises

In this large and diverse group of plants, many types of irises (Iris spp.) boast purple flowers. You can find tall or short irises, and some bloom in spring and others in summer. If you choose the right mix of varieties, you could have purple flowers blooming from your irises for months in your garden. Plant them in groups for an especially eye-catching display.

Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil

Height: 6 inches to 4 feet tall (depending on variety)

Zones: 3-11

Related: 4 Fun Facts About Irises That Will Make You Love Them Even More

Larkspur

Tall and vibrant, larkspur (Consolida ajacis) is a purple-flowered, cool-season plant that blooms in spring and summer. Their vertical stalks look especially lovely in tall floral arrangements. The flowers also come in shades of pink, blue, and white.

Growing Conditions: full sun to part shade and well-drained, medium moisture soil

Height: 3 to 4 feet tall

Zones: annual 

The leaves, flowers, and seeds of larkspur are toxic if ingested, so be sure to keep it away from pets and children.

Lavender

With lavender right in the name, it's no surprise these perennials are known for their beautiful purple flowers. Of course, their pleasant scent is another great reason to love lavender plants (Lavandula spp.). There are several different types of lavender to choose from, but most are easy to grow, drought tolerant, and resistant to pests.

Growing Conditions: full sun and average, well-drained soil

Height: 1-3 feet

Zones: 5-9 (depending on species)

Morning Glory

Fast-growing morning glory vines (Ipomoea purpurea) can take over garden trellises, fences, and gates, smothering them in pretty purple flowers throughout summer and fall. They also come in vibrant hues of pink, blue, and white.

Growing Conditions: full sun and well-drained soil

Height: 3 to 8 feet

Zones: annual

Pansies and Violas

These little gems are grown as short, colorful annuals that thrive in cooler temperatures and bloom from spring until the heat of summer causes them to die off. Pansies and violas (Viola spp.) also come in several shades of purple, as well as blue, red, pink, yellow, orange, and white. 

Growing Conditions: full sun to part shade and moist, rich, well-drained soil

Height: 6 to 12 inches

Zones: 6-10

Salvias

Salvias (Salvia spp.) are another huge and diverse group of plants, with many different types offering pretty purple flowers that attract pollinators. For example, 'May Night' (shown here) is a favorite variety of meadow sage (Salvia sylvestris). Some types of salvias are hardier than others; some types like mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea) are usually grown as annuals in colder climates.

Growing Conditions: full sun and average, well-drained soil

Height: 1-3 feet tall

Zones: 3-10 (depending on species)

For more Better Homes & Gardens news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Better Homes & Gardens.