Top 10 Bushes With Pretty Purple Flowers
Updated: Apr. 27, 2023
Make your yard truly regal by adding a bush with purple flowers. Browse lovely options like lilacs, roses, rhododendrons and more.
Dandy Man Purple Rhododendron
Rhododendron x ‘LAVJ2011’, Zones 4 to 10
A spring bloomer with large trusses of blooms, Dandy Man is a bush with purple flowers that will please any gardener. It’s best grown in areas with partial or full sun and in soil that is both moist and acidic. Plant it in a large container for an extra showy spring entryway display. Its maximum size is 8 feet by 8 feet.
Why we love it: Dandy Man was specifically developed with northern gardeners in mind, so it’s quite cold hardy.
Check out even more purple flowers for your garden.
Ebb Tide Rose
Rosa ‘WEKsmopur’, Zones 6 to 11
This floribunda rose has deep purple blooms and a spicy fragrance of cloves and citrus. The luscious double-ruffled flowers have more than 35 petals per bloom and reach 3 to 4 inches wide. Full sun is required for the most dynamic results. Have patience if its coloring is lighter in the beginning—it’ll darken as the plant matures.
Why we love it: The petite size of Ebb Tide, topping out at 4 feet tall and wide, makes it perfect for smaller gardens.
Here’s everything you need to know about growing roses—and how to find the best rose for your garden.
Cutleaf Lilac
Syringa x laciniata, Zones 4 to 8
The profusion of dreamy lavender flowers on this lilac during spring is breathtaking. The sweet and familiar fragrance is best enjoyed in a smaller garden or with a bench close by. It can reach 6 to 8 feet high and wide, forming into a rounded shrub. Grow cutleaf lilac in full sun or partial shade.
Why we love it: Unlike some lilacs, this one is very heat tolerant while also being a pollinator favorite.
Not sure when to prune your lilac? We have the answer.
Golden Dewdrop
Duranta erecta, Zones 10 to 11, annual elsewhere
Golden dewdrops are evergreen in the South. In the North, they can be planted as an annual or brought inside in a container during winter. Give them full sun for dazzling floral displays. The summer blooms range from purple to blue or white and make good cut flowers.
Why we love it: The gold-orange berries that appear in fall give the plant its common name.
Love purple flowers? Get tips for growing lavender!
Muskogee Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei, Zones 6 to 9
Reaching up to 20 feet high, this crape myrtle makes an excellent large shrub or small tree with a very sculptural look. The flowers do very well in cut-flower bouquets, and the lavender-pink blooms attract pollinators.
Why we love it: The foliage turns shades of orange to deep red in fall. Plus, it can handle drought conditions.
When you’re done looking for a bush with purple flowers, check out these purple perennials.
Gibraltar Pink Bush Clover
Lespedeza thunbergii, Zones 5 to 8
Look for blooms that cascade downward on this graceful bush with purple flowers. If planted on a slope, bush clover produces a breathtaking effect in either full sun or partial shade, though full sun is best. Don’t forget to prune later in the year.
Why we love it: With a bloom time that goes from late summer into fall, this shrub is the perfect way to end the growing season.
Grow pretty purple fountain grass for the birds.
Alternate-leaved Butterfly Bush
Buddleja alternifolia, Zones 5 to 9
Like the common butterfly bush we are used to seeing, this plant lives up to its name by attracting plenty of wildlife. If trained into a tree form, it’ll resemble a weeping willow. It will grow to be 8 to 15 feet high and 8 to 12 feet wide. Let this nice, low-maintenance pick shine near a wildlife garden or along a long border.
Why we love it: Lavender-toned flowers bloom in May and have a pleasant fragrance.
Grow these purple flowers that attract hummingbirds.
Bloom-A-Thon Lavender Reblooming Azalea
Rhododendron x ‘RLH14P19’, Zones 6 to 9
Azaleas aren’t just for spring anymore! Bloom-A-Thon’s flowers last for four to six weeks in spring. It takes a rest, then blooms again from summer into fall for 12 to 16 weeks, depending on your growing zone. This semi-evergreen azalea provides four seasons of interest.
Why we love it: Ideal for small spots, it’ll top out at 5 to 6 feet high and wide.
Check out more great shrubs for small spaces.
P.J.M. Rhododendron
Rhododendron hybrid, Zones 4 to 8
This hybrid line of rhododendron has proved to be one of the hardiest. Tolerant of both the chills of winter and the summer heat, this option sold by Monrovia loves well-draining, acidic soil. The heavy profusions of flowers make it a reliable color pop in the garden.
Why we love it: In winter months the foliage turns a beautiful mahogany color.
Here’s how to tell the difference between rhododendrons and azaleas.
Bloomerang Purple Reblooming Lilac
Syringa ‘Penda’, Zones 3 to 7
The extremely fragrant Bloomerang is a smaller lilac at 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. Plant where the aroma can be enjoyed for months on end, perhaps on a border around a patio or in a container near an entryway. A spot with full sun yields the best results.
Why we love it: Resistant to powdery mildew, it’s trouble-free and beautiful.
Next, check out our favorite blooming bushes that attract butterflies.
Originally Published: April 27, 2023
