Whether you want just one purple flowerbed or your whole garden full of it, try some of these vibrant blooms in combinations to suit your taste and the space available.
Lavender is the clear favourite when it comes to purple plants. It grows easily, smells utterly delightful and looks fabulous en masse. It comes in many varieties, each with a unique head and colour combination. Lavandula produces heavily scented blossoms in mid to late summer which can be cut and hung upside down as attractive dried flowers in winter. Hidcote, Marshwood and Munstead are three of the most popular types.
For height and a proliferation of blooms, it is hard to go past foxgloves, irises or monkshood. Th ese handsome plants are great for cottage gardens, and look lovely planted densely. Foxgloves can quite easily reach 1.5m in height. Closer to the soil, however, pansies or violets are ideal as a ground cover for shady spots – they grow fast and look wonderful.
Shrubs such as azaleas and rhododendrons produce an impressive show of flowers and they’re great for giving your garden height and substance. Th ey come in both deciduous and evergreen varieties and there’s an almost endless number in the group, some with strongly scented flowers. Th ey grow fairly quickly, up to 4m in height.
SPLASHES OF PURPLE
Try these colourful plants for beautiful combinations of purples:
• Agapanthus
• Aster
• Azalea
• Bindweed
• Bluebell
• Bougainvillea
• California lilac
• Clematis
• Cyclamen
• Hyacinth
• Hydrangea
• Foxglove
• Fuchsia
• Hebe
• Heliotrope
• Iris
• Lavender
• Pansy
• Petunia
• Rhododendron
• Sage (Salvia)
• Snapdragons
Story by Sunny de Bruyn