Purple foliage holds a garden’s color beyond the flowering season; purple flowers deliver a more concentrated seasonal display. For a lasting moody look, combine both and repeat a few dark-leaved plants rather than scattering unrelated accents. The available plant details reliably identify 11 examples, not all 15 implied by the original title, so this guide sticks to plants that can be verified.
Choose purple foliage for continuity and flowers for seasonal impact
Dark or purple leaves provide color when a plant is not in bloom, while flowers can create a vivid but time-limited focal point. Missouri Botanical Garden’s guidance for St. Louis-area gardens describes dark foliage as a way to add contrast, create focal points, and direct the eye; those recommendations are regional, not universal. People also perceive purple differently, so judge color in your own garden’s light and against nearby plants. Missouri Botanical Garden: Dark Purple Foliage.
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Start with the growing conditions and role you need—groundcover, border plant, upright accent, or container trailer—then choose a leaf color. Light can change the appearance: purple heart, for example, develops its strongest purple in full sun and tends greener in shade. Check cultivar-specific guidance and local hardiness before planting, especially for plants described as annuals outside warm climates.
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The dimensions and zones below are summaries reported in Derek Carwood’s 2023 plant guide, not guarantees for every cultivar or location. ‘Palace Purple’ heuchera and purple heart have additional guidance from extension sources. Actual size and color can vary with cultivar and growing conditions.
#1 Best Overall
- SUMMER FLOWERS: Produces classic purple blooms with a strong, soothing lavender scent.
- GROWTH: Reaches about 12 inches tall and wide with a compact, mounded habit.
- CARE: Thrives in full sun with excellent drainage and low water once established.
- FUN FACT: Lavender attracts pollinators while naturally deterring deer.
- LIVE PLANTS: Our plants are grown exclusively for Deep Roots and The Three Company, shipped fresh directly from our greenhouse to you!
| Plant | Color and garden role | Light and moisture | Reported size and hardiness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajuga (bugleweed), including ‘Black Scallop’ | Purple foliage; low groundcover. | Full sun to part shade; average soil. | About 6 inches tall by 1 foot wide; zones 4–9. |
| Alternanthera, including ‘Purple Prince’ | Purple foliage; useful as a seasonal accent. | Full sun to part shade; average soil. | About 2 feet tall and wide; zone 9+ or grown as an annual elsewhere. |
| Begonia, including rex begonia ‘Shadow King’ | Foliage color; suited to a shaded display or container. | Part shade; moist, well-drained soil. | About 10 inches tall; zone 10+ or grown as an annual elsewhere. |
| Coleus, including ‘ColorBlaze Newly Noir’ | Foliage color; a flexible accent for beds or containers. | Full sun to part shade; moist, well-drained soil. | Up to 3 feet tall; zone 10+ or grown as an annual elsewhere. |
| Coral bells (Heuchera), including ‘Dolce Blackcurrant’ | Purple foliage; compact clumps for borders and shade gardens. | Full sun to full shade; moist, well-drained soil. | About 1 foot tall; zones 3–9. |
| Elephant’s ear (Colocasia), including ‘Black Magic’ | Large, dark leaves make a bold accent. | The 2023 article excerpt gives inconsistent general condition lines for elephant’s ear; check the selected cultivar’s guidance. | Not stated in the retrieved 2023 article excerpt. |
| Purple fountain grass | Purple foliage and ornamental grass form; use as a taller accent. | Full sun to part shade; moderate water. | About 4–5 feet; zones 9–11. |
| Purple heart (Tradescantia pallida) | Purple foliage; groundcover, container trailer, or hanging-basket plant. | Full sun gives the strongest purple; moderate watering is reported in the 2023 guide. | Zone 10; annual or houseplant in colder climates. Height and spread are not stated in the cited guidance. |
| Shamrock (Oxalis triangularis) | Purple foliage for a low-growing accent. | Full sun to part shade; moist, well-drained soil. | About 8 inches; zones 6–10 or grown as an annual elsewhere. |
| Smoke tree (Cotinus) | Purple foliage on a large, shrub-like specimen. | Full sun to part shade; average soil. | About 15 feet tall by 10 feet wide; zones 5–9. ‘Royal Purple’ is reported as hardy in zones 4–10. |
| Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas), including ‘Blackie’ | Dark foliage trails over container edges or ground. | Full sun; moist, well-drained soil. | About 1 foot tall, trailing to 5 feet; zone 10+ or grown as an annual elsewhere. |
Where the table gives zone ranges, treat them as source-reported summaries rather than a substitute for checking your cultivar and local climate. The plant list spans hardy perennials and tender plants often grown seasonally, so a purple look can be built with different plants in different regions.
Two plants with useful cultivar-specific guidance
Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ for a compact foliage accent
North Carolina Extension describes ‘Palace Purple’ as a clump-forming perennial, 8–12 inches tall and up to 16 inches wide. Its foliage can range from olive or bronze-green to deep purple, with wine-red undersides, and may fade during hot summers. Plant it in organically rich soil with the crown at or just above the soil surface. Sun or partial shade can work; part shade may help limit fading in hot-summer areas. In a sunny spot, keep the soil from drying out, but avoid overwatering. The plant is intolerant of clay soil. Its uses include borders, woodland and shade gardens, containers, and groundcover. North Carolina Extension: Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’.
Rank #2
- High Germination Rate: aster seeds and asters perennial seeds sprout after 8-week cold stratification, thrive heirloom seeds in USDA 2–8 gardens. These starry blossoms of aster plant kicking purple symbolize elegance or daintiness.
- Easy Fall or Spring Sowing: These wildflower seeds bulk need just under 1/8 inch depth, moist soil, asters perennial live plants perfect for containers, pods, or outdoor beds. These wildflowers attract bees and butterflies. Perfect butterfly garden seeds.
- Tall Pollinator Magnet: kicking purple aster plant and native aster seeds spacing 18–24 inches, feeding bees and butterflies all fall in flower garden beds and wildflower borders. Perfect flower seeds to plant outside.
- Low Maintenance Growth: These seeds for planting flowers aster plant seeds thrive in full sun or part sun with regular watering, spread flower plants & seeds by rhizomes and reseeding to form dense perennial colonies.
- Cut Flower Beauty: These garden seedskickin purple aster seeds give long stems for vases, blooming early to late fall, great for perennial flower seeds fans and wild flower seeds throw and grow.
Purple heart for sunny containers or warm-climate groundcover
University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension identifies purple heart as a tender evergreen perennial native to northeastern Mexico. Full sun develops its strongest purple color; shade tends to make its leaves greener. It is hardy in zone 10, while colder-climate gardeners can grow it as an annual or houseplant. Its trailing habit suits groundcover, mixed containers, and hanging baskets. The extension notes that it can be propagated from cuttings and that leaf or stem juice may irritate skin and dogs in some cases. University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension: Purple Heart (revised May 18, 2025).
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- Map the light. Note which areas receive full sun, part shade, or shade. Choose accordingly, and account for color shifts such as purple heart turning greener in shade.
- Decide whether you want lasting foliage or a seasonal flower display. Use foliage plants as the color framework and add flowering plants where you want a seasonal focal point.
- Fit each plant to the space. A compact heuchera or ajuga can edge a bed; smoke tree needs room to reach its reported mature size; sweet potato vine and purple heart can spill from containers.
- Check water and soil needs. The plants in this list range from average-soil choices to plants described as needing moist, well-drained soil. ‘Palace Purple’ needs organically rich soil and is intolerant of clay.
- Verify hardiness for your location and cultivar. Plants listed as zone 9+ or 10+ are often grown as annuals beyond those warm zones; local extension or nursery advice can help confirm what will perform in your climate.
Repeat a few foliage plants in separate parts of the garden to create visual continuity, then use a contrasting leaf shape or a flowering plant as a focal point. Because purple reads differently with light and from one observer to another, compare plants on site rather than relying on a color name alone.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- High Germination Ease: Sow aubrieta cascade purple aubrieta deltoidea seeds in 60–65°F soil. Aubrieta rockcress sprouts in 10–14 days, ideal as flower seeds for airy borders, walls, rock gardens.
- Impressive Heat Tolerance: These purple flowers plants flourish as full sun heat tolerant plants, thanks they are drought resistant flower seeds. Great ground cover seeds for any outdoor spaces.
- Excellent for Slopes: aubrieta seeds-perennial bloom as flowering ground cover. A top pick among best landscaping plants for full sun, creating creeping flowers that resist erosion & reach 6" height.
- Year-Round Charm: aubrieta plants act as drought resistant plants and fast growing ground cover. Sow rock cress seeds perennial from flower seeds packets for a lush display in USDA zones 3-10.
- Dynamic Landscape: aubrieta seeds doubles as perennials deer resistant & perfect for erosion control plants. Rockcress seeds for planting is low maintenance ground cover & can thrive in almost no soil
Rank #4
- Purple Flowers: Featuring Premium Phlox Seeds, offering the joy of mysterious discovery and showcasing their stunning blooms year after year; catering to various aesthetic preferences and garden designs
- Growing Conditions: Phlox thrives in full sun to partial shade, prefers loose, humus-rich soil, tolerates dry to moderately moist conditions, and requires well-drained soil with slightly acidic pH levels
- Low Maintenance: Phlox seeds are easy to grow; renowned for its resistance to deer damage and drought tolerance, requiring minimal care and making it a low-maintenance variety for gardens
- Diverse Scenarios: Dwarf plants are best suited for large-scale planting, as flowerbed edging or groundcover; also create stunning container and hanging basket displays, making them an ideal choice for gardens
- Fragrant blooms: Blooming vibrantly, attract butterflies and bees, bringing life to the garden; making it the ideal choice for creating lush, shaded gardens and flower borders
Rank #3
- Creeping Thyme Seeds COVERAGE:20,000 seeds of creeping thyme (Thymus Serpyllum) provide extensive ground coverage for gardens, pathways, and landscaping areas
- Thyme Seeds PERENNIAL GROWTH: Hardy flowering plant returns year after year, creating a dense, low-growing mat of fragrant foliage and delicate purple blooms
- VERSATILE PLANTING: Ideal for rock gardens, between stepping stones, lawn alternative, or as an attractive border plant that helps suppress weeds
- GROWING SPECIFICATIONS: Thrives in full sun to partial shade, reaches 2-4 inches in height, and spreads up to 18 inches per plant
- Made in USA - It makes excellent for moms, adults and gardening box for men. Share with family and friends its happiness from germination to flowering and fruiting.
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