Last Updated on January 26, 2022 by Kimberly Crawford
Whether light or deep hued, purple flowers have a certain elegance in them that will sway any onlooker to not stop looking.
We can find a lot of purple flowers not only from famous plants and bushes but also in trees, vines, herbs and even weeds.
In this article, we will present some of the most popular purple flowers and some that you might not know of yet. If you are looking for the perfect purple flower to dawn your garden or just became interested with what they are significant of aside from gardening, read on.
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Purple flowers meaning and symbolism
Purple flowers never fall short of profound meanings and symbolisms. For one, purple flowers are considered to be ceremonial flowers since the color purple is associated with power, royalty and spirituality.
In the medieval period, purple flowers were incorporated as royal emblems and in kings’ coat of arms. Purple flowers were also considered to be rare and as such, expensive flowers that were only reserved for the rich because commoners would not be able to afford it.
In ancient Greece and Egypt, purple flowers and herbs were burnt in temples, extracted for oil and dried for tea as they were perceived to be connected with powerful gods and deities. For the longest time, purple flowers have symbolized divinity across cultures and religions.
In flower symbolisms in the present era, purple flowers stand for dignity, pride, wisdom and empowerment. It also stands for accomplishment, success and deep admiration for something or for someone.
Purple flowers embolden a flower arrangement or a garden, reasons as to why it is also associated with innate power and grace.
Related: 33+ Rare Flowers You Have Probably Never Seen
Trees with purple flowers
Like cherry blossoms in Korea and Japan, trees with purple flowers can easily transform a bare, ordinary-looking space into a fantasy, wonderland.
You might not know but there are a handful of trees with purple flowers that should make it to your yard or you should look out for in parks. To give you a head start, here are some trees with purple flowers.
#1. Jacaranda mimosifolia (Blue Jacaranda)
It is considered as a semi-evergreen which blooms with canopy like purple flowers in the spring. It thrives well in full sun and sandy soils. They are pruned during their early years to establish shape and structure.
They will no longer be pruned when they grow mature. It is native to South America and is perfect for parks and yards. It symbolizes wealth, health and good luck.
#2. Crape Myrtle
It is a deciduous evergreen in a line of fifty other myrtle species. They are loved for their summer purple blooms reddish brown barks that will turn silver-gray in the winter.
They can be grown into full trees or be cultivated as tall shrubs perfect for a whimsical garden theme. It is an emblem of marriage and a sacred tree of Aphrodite. It represents love, fortune and longevity.
#3. Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus)
It is also known as the chase plant, Abraham’s balm and Indian spice as it is native to India and the rest of Asia.
It can be propagated into beautiful shrubs or allow it to grow into a full tree. It is a deciduous evergreen which grows tiny, clustered lilac-like flowers throughout the summer. It will lose its leaves starting late spring and into the winter.
#4. Purple Orchid tree (Bauhinia variegata)
It is also called the butterfly tree and is common in modern landscaping. It has tiny, clumped flowers with lavender, white and deep purple contrast and heart-shaped leaves.
It can be trimmed to grow as bush or can be cared for to grow as a full tree. Its branches could grow very long, enough to provide shade for the side yard.
It is native to tropical and subtropical climates and is planted along with honeysuckle, hibiscus and bougainvillea.
Read also: Types of orchids
#5. Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora)
It is also known as the mescal bean. It does not grow very tall that is why it is considered as a multi-trunked shrub. It is a valued ornamental shrub because of its dark green leaves and lush purple flowers that blooms throughout spring.
These purple flowers bloom in fragrant clusters and its seeds are used as ceremonial ingredients for native Americans. The bark, flowers and seeds of this tree are hallucinogenic.
#6. Purple Robe Locust (Robinia “Purple Robe”)
It is also called the Robinia, a deciduous tree that blooms lavender to deep purple flowers in the spring and persists through winter.
It is perfect for wide yards and parks, emitting fragrant smells in the spring and a beautiful sight with their metallic red leaves. They can also be cultivated as garden shrubs or thorny ornamentals.
#7. Purple Leaf Plum (Prunus cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’)
It is fondly called as cherry plum. It has purple-pink flowers that bloom in the spring and edible fruits that grow in the summer and fall. It is a favorite of hummingbirds and it could grow to up to 20 feet.
It is a sight to be reckoned with in landscaping because of its cascading blooms from long branches. It is native to Asia and Caucasus region. It symbolizes beautiful transitions and fruitfulness.
Weeds with purple flowers
You read that right; there are weeds that bloom purple flowers. While they are beautiful to look at, they are considered as weeds because their roots are invasive and they smother other plants inhibiting them from reaching full growth or bloom. But some, like these two, are considered ornamentals.
#8. Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule)
This weedy plant is associated with the ornamentals Lamium and is part of the mint family. They are generally everywhere; from pasture lands to roadsides.
In Europe and Asia where it is native to, the henbit, are infused in salad bowls and are eaten raw. Its tubular purple flowers bloom from summer to fall.
#9. Purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum)
When translated into English, its botanical name translates to the devouring purple monster. It kind of goes well with its effect on fields because when unattended to, it will turn pasture lands and fields into a sea of purple weeds.
Its tubular purple flowers bloom throughout summer and it is a favorite of bees. Strikingly, it is also tapped for its medicinal properties like being a diuretic and a first aid for wounds and cuts.
Bushes or shrubs with purple flowers
Shrubs and bushes with purple flowers are grown because they are used in landscaping and gardening. They can work as garden dividers, add a popping color to an ordinary yard or to be planted to ward off unwanted insects, bugs and critters.
If you are searching for bush with purple flowers to use for the mentioned purposes, it is best that you start with the following.
#10. Azalea
It is fondly known as the Royal of the Garden because it has more than four color ranges including blue, orange and purple. Each azalea variant has a different petal shape and number of blossoms per stalk.
Unlike the other species from its rhododendron family, it has smaller, pointy blooms but its leaves are larger and leathery in texture. It signifies nostalgia and yearning for home.
#11. Rhododendron
This one is known for its bell-shaped, large purple blooms that envelop gardens with a distinct floral fragrance during spring to early winter.
As they term it, rhododendrons in full bloom is a sight to behold as the large flowers bloom in heavy clusters. As a gift, it is given to friends and family as protection from bad omens and illness.
#12. Butterfly bush
Its name is very explanatory: it is called as such because it is the favorite of butterflies. It blooms tiny purple flowers clumped in a long stalk.
It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. If grown with proper care, this bush could actually grow into a tree. It is also called summer lilac and it represents rebirth and new beginnings.
#13. Wisteria
Wisteria flowers grow in vines but because they bloom in clusters, they can be cultivated as bush plants. This one belongs to the pea family that is native to Asia.
It blooms lavender flowers that are perfect for arbors and trellises. It is also a common hanging plant. It symbolizes beauty, love and also fertility.
#14. Rose Bushes
They are rare kinds because only one flower will bloom in each stem. Thus, single cut, long-stemmed roses in flower arrangements come from rose bushes. Its rare colors are midnight blue and lavender/purple.
It has become a popular choice for romantic occasions through the years. It is a popular 25th anniversary gift and it signifies enchantment, undying love and royalty.
#15. Hydrangea
This beautiful, heavy clumped flower has grown to be flower arrangement favorites over the years because of their deep blue, purple and pink hues.
Its symmetrical trumpet-shaped petals and low growing shrub blooms from summer to fall. They are mainstays in weddings and they symbolize strong emotions, loyalty and devotion.
#16. Lilacs
They are often found in gardens as border plants and also in decorative flower arrangements. Its tiny flowers grow in clumps and are loved for their calming, subtle fragrance.
Lilac flowers are used in hypoallergenic powders, dried for potpourri and are turned into essential oil. Symbolically, it signifies resurrection or rebirth making it an Easter flower.
#17. Caryopteris
They are more commonly called Bluebeard or Blue Mist. It is a very valuable ornamental because it could keep its blue-indigo bloom for a considerable period of time.
They are perfect garden borders and are specifically compelling during fall. They are loved by birds and bees with their strong, sweet smell. It represents anticipation.
#18. Golden dewdrops
It is considered as an invasive shrub in Asia and the Pacific. It is known to be toxic to humans and animals so cultivating it as a shrub means that one must cut the fruits every time they emerge.
It is used for various medical purposes such as in treating asthma, cataracts, malaria, flu and infections. It also goes by the name golden tears.
#19. Heather
Heather flowers are popular in Scotland and England and they are called heaths. They appear a lot in Scottish lore that Queen Victoria instated that it signifies good luck/fortune.
It has upright stalks with tiny clusters of purple and raspberry colored flowers blooming from summer to fall. They are useful as border flowers and symbolically, heaths stand for loyalty, appreciation and confidence.
#20. Bougainvillea
A lot of people do not know but bougainvillea is also fondly called as four o’clocks. Because it is easy to grow and has low caring requirements, it is no wonder that it would have more than 200 species.
It can be clustered as a thorny vine, bush or tree depending on how you want to cultivate it. It produces deep colored flowers which bloom from summer to fall. It is a symbol of peace and collaboration.
Vine with purple flowers
They will look beautiful and timeless in arbors, fences and trellises and the purple flowers will be very difficult to miss. There are many but these three are the most common of them all.
#21. Clematis
Its name is derived from the Greek word klematis which literally means vine. It is known for its visually commanding purple, blue and white hues that are good for ground cover and as climbers in fences and trellises.
This vine is cultivated purely for decorative purposes because it is toxic to animals. Symbolically, it is the eight-year anniversary flower. It also stands for intelligence and brilliance.
#22. Morning glory
This flower comes in many varieties. It is popular for its cone-shaped flowers that cascades along fences and trellises.
They are not only popular garden choices; morning glories are also planted along culinary/herb fields. In flower language, morning glory is a symbol of delicateness and affection.
#23. Passion flower
It is also called apricot vine and corona de cristo. It has one of the most unique flower appearances as it has base petals, a hairy pin like sub-petal and an outstretching cross-like small petals.
Symbolically, it is reminiscent of the passion of Christ making it significant in Judeo-Christian religions as a symbol of salvation and rebirth.
Herbs with purple flowers
Not only are they significant in culinary, they also have generally calming effects and other medical functions. We might know them in the kitchen but there are more to them starting with their purple flowers.
#24. Lavender
It is one the most common purple flowers that are popular not only because of its beautiful blooms but also because of its uses.
Its calming, fragrant scent is used in beauty products, soaps and lotions. It is also dried up to be used as tea or to be infused in potpourri. It is also extracted for its oil. Symbolically, lavender stands for devotion.
Read also: Types of lavender
#25. Chives
They are productive as they easily seed and germinate. Contrary to what most people know, you can still harvest chives even after they have bloomed beautiful purple flowers (in which case, you can get both the herb and the flowers to be put in a vase for the day).
In China, chives are more than herbs as they also signify productivity and usefulness.
#26. Catmint
It is more popularly known as catnip, a snake, mosquito and insect repellent herb with clusters of purple-blue, spiky flowers. More than an herb, it is also a beautiful border flower and a personal favorite of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
It is also used as a substitute for lavender in flower arrangements when growing seasons are tough for the latter. In flower symbolism, catmint represents beauty, grace and happiness
#27. Thyme
It is a perennial evergreen herb which belongs to the mint family. We all love the thyme for its strong aroma and what it does to improve steak and chicken meals.
It will bloom tiny purple flowers looking like lavender. Harvesting thyme after it has bloomed will lessen the aroma and flavor of thyme.
#28. Spearmint
It is also known as garden mint or common mint. It is easy growing which could be invasive when not attended to. It has many medical benefits including treating digestive conditions, evening hormonal imbalances, lowers blood sugar and reduces stress.
It will bloom purple flowers in the spring but unlike thyme and chives, it will not lessen its potency.
#29. Russian Sage
It has long, slender stalks with tiny lavender flowers clumped all the way down to the base. Its flowers are a favorite of bees and butterflies because of its subtle fragrance. It also serves medicinal purposes such as soothing upset stomach, colds, cough and flu.
#30. Rosemary
It is an evergreen herb that serves a lot of purpose not only limited to culinary. It is fragrant and as such, used to make body oils and wash.
It is distinct for its thin, pin-like leaves and tiny flowers of purple, pink and white. It signifies a lot of meanings too like lust, love and nostalgia but also of mourning.
#31. Oregano
It is also a part of the mint family and has been here around for over a millennium not only as food condiment but also to treat infection and to prevent cell damage as it is rich in antioxidants. It has spade-shaped leaves and tiny clumped purple flowers.
Purple perennial flowers
If you have purple flowers with the potential to bloom for a very long time, that would be better than a treat. And if you are looking for one, this is a list where you can start.
#32. Corydalis
They are commonly called poppies. It has cascading flowers of pink, blue and purple. They are used to treat mild depression, nerve diseases and mild sedative. It is a symbol of faith.
#33. Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
It is one of the most beautiful summer garden flowers out there blooming in pink, white and purple blooms. It is a good ground cover during spring and beautiful ornamentals in the summer when they grow tall. It signifies fervor and chasing goals.
#34. Salvia (Salvia nemorosa)
It is often mistaken for the lavender because they have the same slender stalk minus the scent. It is also known as the sage plant known to have psychoactive components.
It is widely used as an herbal medicine known to treat insomnia, anxiety and depression. It is also an organic remedy for asthma, dandruff, halitosis and eczema. As such, it is also a symbol of healing.
#35. Wild petunia (Ruellia humilis)
It is native to the US and grows in open woodlands, prairies and everglades. It literally is a diamond in the rough as it could survive the hottest summers, blooming while other flowers are already wilting.
#36. Lungwort (Pulmonaria species)
It is named after its mottled leaves that are said to resemble lungs. They are the favorite of bees, specifically the flower bees with hairy feet.
They grow funnel-shaped blooms purple, pink, blue, white and red. True to its name, it is cultivated not only as ornamental but also as a pharmaceutical ingredient to treat respiratory and digestive diseases.
Purple and white flowers
Purple and white hue combinations are very common for many flowers and at the forefront of the most beautiful ones would be these three.
#37. Bellflower
It also goes by the name of campanula and is used as both ground cover and garden divider or border.
Although it is called a bellflower, it actually has star-shaped flowers that come in a wide range of purple hues. It signifies everlasting love and affection.
#38. Columbine
This one is another garden favorite not only because of its standout bell-shaped, blue, purple and white flowers but also because it is a potent pollinator loved by bees and hummingbirds.
Symbolically, this delicate looking flower stands for both innocence and foolishness or playfulness.
#39. Petunia
This flower comes in many color ranges (red, orange, white, yellow, pink, purple). It is easy to grow and maintain used as both ground cover as they grow in clumps. They can also be cultivated as ornamentals.
Symbolically, they strike a balance between signifying enchantment and fantasy but also resentment and anger.
Purple annual flowers
From seed to flower and year-round maintenance work, purple annual flowers bring a lot of satisfaction and of course garden beauty.
#40. Cornflower
It got its name for thriving in corn fields during the medieval era. It has hairy, pin-like petals with a distinct silver-grey sub-petal and stems. It represents the fullness of life and simplicity in beauty.
#41. Pelargonium Funchal
It is native to South America and can be mistaken for a geranium because of their similar ivy-shaped flowers. It blooms purple with streaks of white from spring to summer.
#42. Clary Sage
This one is a flowering herb native to the Mediterranean. Aside from its medicinal purpose of treating skin diseases and its calming effect, it is also cultivated as an ornamental endowed with tiny clustered flowers in a tall stem.
#43. Purple Geranium
It also goes by the name of cranesbill and has been a popular garden choice along with dahlia and marigold.
Aside from being beautiful garden borders with its color variety (purple being the popular choice), it is also snake, mosquito and insect repellant. In flower symbolism, purple geraniums represent femininity and fertility as well as protection.
Poisonous purple flowers
While they are beautiful, they might be fatal for humans and animals. Having these in your garden requires a lot of knowledge and practice in avoiding its poisonous content.
#44. Aconitum napellus (monkshood)
It is also called as wolfsbane and is popular because it is considered as poisonous. The name monkshood came from its uncanny resemblance with monk’s hood. Wild monkshood has deeper purple hues than ornamentals.
They are used as garden borders or ground cover. A word of caution though, the whole plant is said to be toxic and is truly a bait for invasive critters.
#45. Wolfsbane
It is also monkshood, just a different name. They are one and the same.
#46. Deadly nightshade
It is also called belladonna and the devil’s cherries. It has bell-shaped flowers replaced by black cherries after the bloom. While they taste sweet, the fruits are fatal for humans and animals. As such, it is a common symbol for vendetta, betrayal, deception and death.
Conclusion
To conclude, purple flowers come in wide varieties and types. Each of these types have distinct characteristics both positive and not so much.
Nonetheless, it is interesting to know which ones should make it to the garden and which ones should be taken with caution. But overall, purple flowers are interesting in their own right and they deserve this post.
Read also: 350+ Types of flowers