If you love the color purple, there are many different shrubs with bright purple blooms that you can plant in your garden.
Here are 10 easy to grow purple flowering bushes that are ideal for garden beds, shrubberies, containers or privacy hedges.
10 BEST PURPLE FLOWERING SHRUBS
1. Lavender (Lavendula)
Lavender is a fragrant perennial shrub that flowers from late spring through to late summer.
English and French Lavender are two of the most popular types of Lavender but there are more than 450 different varieties available.
Lavender grows best in full sun but you can also plant it in a container and place it in front of a sunny window for a beautifully fragrant houseplant.
2. Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
Hydrangeas are easy to grow perennial shrubs with flowers in a variety of colors including purple, pink, blue and white.
If your soil is acidic with a pH lower than 5.5, you’re more likely to get blue or purple flowers.
Soil that is more alkaline will produce pink flowers.
Hydrangeas grow best in a position with morning sun and afternoon shade.
3. Bougainvillea
Bougainvilleas are popular climbing plants but they can also be trimmed into round bush shape.
The brightly colored flowers are actually modified leaves called bracts, and they can be purple, pink, red, yellow or orange.
Bougainvilleas are fast-growing, heat loving and drought resistant. They will flower best in full sun.
4. Lilac Bush (Syringa vulgaris)
Lilac bushes are easy to grow, hardy, low maintenance plants.
Their fragrant flowers are great for attracting butterflies and they’re beautiful as cut flowers.
There are many different varieties of lilacs, with some small compact varieties, while others can grow as high as 15 feet (4.5 m) tall.
Lilac bushes need to be pruned every year after they finish flowering.
5. Wisteria (Wisteria chinensis)
Wisteria is a deciduous perennial with beautiful cascading flowers that can be mauve, light purple, pink, blue or white.
Wisteria is fast growing and can easily become invasive if it’s allowed to grow uncontrolled.
To grow Wisteria as a shrub, you’ll need to cut it back regularly.
6. Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii)
Butterfly bush is a fast-growing, deciduous shrub that doesn’t require much maintenance.
It has long spiky flower heads that bloom from summer until fall.
As well as purple, the flowers can be orange, pink or white.
Butterfly bush can become invasive in areas with warm temperatures, but you can remove the spent flower heads to stop the seeds spreading. [3]
7. Heather (Calluna vulgaris)
Heather is a low growing perennial shrub that spreads out easily.
It’s a low maintenance plant that grows best in full sun and it can tolerate poor quality soil.
The flowers come in many shades of purple as well as red, pink and white.
8. Azalea (Rhododendron)
Azaleas are perennial flowering shrubs that grow best in partial shade.
The flowers can be purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or white.
Azaleas need to be cut back when they finish flowering to keep their shape and promote bushier growth.
9. Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp)
Crepe Myrtles are large deciduous shrubs that can tolerate light frosts and hot summer weather.
They flower from summer through to fall and the flowers can be purple, mauve, pink, white or red.
The flowers are ruffled and look a bit like crepe paper, which is how they get their name.
In fall the leaves turn beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red before they fall off.
10. Weigela
Weigela is another perennial shrub that comes in many different shapes and sizes.
As well as purple, the flowers can also be yellow, pink or white.
Weigela plants grow best in full sun, but varieties with variegated leaves will need some afternoon shade.