Birds & Blooms

Power of Purple

Paint your garden with this majestic shade and punch up its colorful impact.

There's no denying the rich and velvety appeal of a good, strong purple—in fabric, in paints, in fine wine and, for gardeners, in bold flowers, foliage, ripe plums and eggplants. It's a majestic hue, deep and intense. Purple can single-handedly make your garden more dynamic, whether in a themed flower bed, as an accent plant or mixed in a container display.

To harness the power of purple, you first need to understand what it can and cannot do. Although it's not a primary color, you can count on it to be vivid and assertive. The only place purple falters is in dim light, so don't grow it in shade or off in the far distance where it will only recede into the background.

The Prince of Combinations

Purple's versatility makes it one amazing color. Perhaps that's why there are so many offerings in purple-hued flowers. And it's the perfect complement for many other colors.

Bright yellow is always a terrific partner, because yellow helps solidify or give heft to purple, yet its regal presence is able to tone down a brassy yellow. Side by side, they are striking and elegant. The same goes for purple with rich hues of red and gold, in autumn or at any other time. Assuming the plants all share the same intensity, the result is jewel-like.

Blues and greens look grand with purple as well, because purple's splendor is able to give them some substance and depth. Picture how fabulous a powdery blue hosta would look alongside 'Plum Pudding' heuchera. Even difficult-to-combine colors go with purple. It's downright electric with orange, its direct opposite on the color wheel. Try purple with that prima donna of garden colors, magenta—you'll be pleased and impressed at the handsome results (it works because both hues have a touch of red in their background). And the flighty colors of pink and chartreuse gain some stability and style when grown alongside purple.

Finally, because purple comes in an array of shades, from almost indigo to violet to lilac, you could devote an entire garden to purple alone. It's a fine idea, and it's sure to look dazzling, provided you include plenty of variety and don't crowd the plants.

Flowers and Foliage and Fruit

There's a surprising range of sources for garden purple. Flowers are the most obvious place to start. Irises (both the bearded types and various species) and clematis come in deep purple. If the accenting "beard" or stamens are a contrasting color, the drama is heightened. A lot of spiky plants are purple, from various annual and perennial salvias to spike speedwell to classic lavender. This growth habit further helps them stand out in a crowded flower bed.

Let's not forget pansies and petunias, old favorites that always supply plentiful true-purple blossoms. There are many more, including numerous spring bulbs and a few flowering shrubs. And when it comes to foliage, you won't have to look far. Green dominates, of course, but perhaps the next most common leaf color is purple. Not only that, it's usually the desirable dark-purple version.

If you want a big purple presence, look to smoke bush or barberry. Otherwise, check out ornamental kales and cabbages, the trailing stems of purple heart, perilla and the similar coleus, and Persian shield, just to name a few. Don't forget the many fabulous purple-leaved heucheras. Tuck any of these into a border or pot in need of purple, and you won't be disappointed.

You can even inject purple into your fruit and vegetable garden areas. Glossy eggplant is the most obvious candidate, but some peppers ripen purple as well. There are plenty of purple berries, including ones we love to eat or make jam from, but also ornamental selections, such as beautyberry and blackhaw or nannyberry viburnums.

Purple Plans

Once you become eager to capitalize on purple and come up with exciting combinations, you'll want to keep the show going. The easiest way to assure a long-term display is to use purple-flowered annuals or purple-leaved plants. You can "cheat" a little by using decorative pots that are entirely purple or include purple in their colorful designs, or inject purple accents here and there, such as a purple gazing ball.

It's also possible to coordinate a season-long sequence of purple blooms. Start with early spring-flowering bulbs like crocuses and grape hyacinths, then move on to various irises and lupines. Plenty of purple-flowered perennials can carry the rest of the summer, plus there are some great ones for late season, notably asters and Russian sage. So go ahead...get passionate about purple. It's a color statement on the garden scene. And, as you can see, it's guaranteed to liven up your yard with its powerful punch.

Gallery of Purple All-Stars

Coral Bells Butterfly Bush petunia flower Ajuga plant Lavender plant Pansy plant Salvia plant Hydrangea plant