21 Purple Flowering Shrubs With Names and Pictures

Purple flowering shrubs can bring color to your yard all year. The right bush with purple flowers can add a feel of “royalty” to an otherwise tame colored garden space. It can also add a burst of color to an assortment of white flowers, adding a bit more drama to your gardening space.

Finding shrubs with the perfect shade of purple can be challenging, due to the sheer number that are available. Not to mention, you’ll have to consider if it’s hardy to your local climate. Shrubs, which are woody plants similar to trees, are generally more permanent fixtures in your yard, so picking the right type of shrub is important!

We’ve taken the guesswork out of finding your next purple flowering shrub, but putting together a comprehensive list with some of our favorites. Many of these are evergreen shrubs that will have leaves throughout all for seasons. Some are deciduous shrubs, which means they die off in the frost and return the following year. Let’s jump in and take a look at the top bushes with purple flowers for your home garden!

Azaleas

Scientific Name: Rhododendron spp.

• Plant Type: both evergreen and deciduous shrubs
• Geographic Origin: China and Japan
• Plant Size: 1-2 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Partial sun to full shade
• Plant Zone: 3-9

Azaleas are some of the most popular of all flowering shrubs. It’s easy to see why! They have beautiful, trumpet-shaped flowers in bright colors. Part of the genus Rhododendron, they are almost tropical in appearance. Besides many shades of purple, you’ll find this flowering shrub in every shade of pink, red, white, and yellow.

The flowers grow densely across the low-lying shrub. If you’re looking for evergreen purple flowering shrubs, it’s important to know that deciduous azaleas are hardier than evergreen azaleas. The deciduous varieties bloom spring through fall. Give them acidic nutrient-rich soil that is well-drained, and they’ll thrive. These shrubs also do quite well in shade.

Blue Mist Spiraea

Scientific Name: Caryopteris

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: East Asia
• Plant Size: 1-3 feet tall; 3-8 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Plant Zone: 3-9

This purple flowering bush resembles its name! It blooms with papery, misty petals. You can find Blue Mist Spiraea in all shades of blue and blue-purple. It’s a fragrant flower with long stems and small leaves.

The low-mound shrub was originally silver-green with loose buds. Today, there are many varieties with tighter flower clusters. Choose from a range of foliage in darker green and even silver and brighter yellow-green foliage. You can find both lower dwarf varieties and larger full-sized varieties. Blue Mist Spiraea blooms all summer.

Butterfly Bush

Scientific Name: Buddleia davidii

• Plant Type: deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: China
• Plant Size: 5-8 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Plant Zone: 5-10

Grow some Butterfly Bush to round out your butterfly garden! The fabulous purple flowering bush is full of long bright green leaves and spiky clusters of delicate flowers. Besides vibrant shades of purple, you can find this shrub with white blooms, as well as red, yellow, and every shade of pink.

This hardy shrub is considered an invasive species in some parts of the US, so check before planting. It’ll give you blooms that attract pollinators all summer and fall. It needs loamy, sandy soil that’s well-drained but moist. Otherwise, it’s not picky about the pH of the soil.

Bush Clover

Scientific Name: Lespedeza thunbergii

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: Asia and Australia
• Plant Size: 4-5 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Partial to full sun
• Plant Zone: 4-11

Consider Bush Clover if you live in a warmer climate. This herbaceous shrub loves heat and makes quite a presentation. It has bright, pink-purple flowers in a tender pea shape. They cascade from silver-green vine-like branches. The seed pods are edible with a peppery taste.

This pink or purple flowering shrub isn’t picky about soil, as long as it’s moist and well-draining. Once you’ve established it, it’s drought-resistant and responds really well to pruning. For more growth and blooms, prune back in the late winter and again in the spring if it needs it.

Chaste Tree

Scientific Name: Vitex spp.

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub or small tree
• Geographic Origin: South Europe, North Africa, Asia
• Plant Size: 8-10 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
• Plant Zone: 6-9

While Bush Clover is a tropical zone plant that has warm purple flowers, Chaste Tree is a temperate zone plant with cool purple flowers. It might remind you of flowering sage with its long leaves and flower clusters. Choose from several blue-purple varieties. It can actually be grown as a flowering tree in certain areas.

Chaste Tree blooms summer through fall. Expect to attract all kinds of pollinators with their showy flower heads. It grows out and up but balanced, meaning you will rarely need to do any pruning.

In cooler climates, it grows as a smaller shrub. Once it takes root, Chaste Tree is very drought resistant. You’ll find that it’s a low-maintenance shrub that isn’t picky about soil, as long as it’s loose and on the drier side.

Clematis

Scientific Name: Clematis ‘Betty Corning’

• Plant Type: Deciduous climbing vine
• Geographic Origin: China
• Plant Size: 4-10 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Partial to full sun
• Plant Zone: 3-11

Yes, clematis is technically a perennial climbing vine. But did you know it can also be grown as a shrub? Clematis comes in hundreds of species and possibly thousands of hybrids. Plant this climbing shrub near a trellis to encourage vines or in hanging pots. One of the best clematis varieties for growing as a shrub, is ‘Betty Corning.’ This variety has flowers that bloom a light lavender color.

The showstopper with Clematis is its stunning flowers. You can find varieties with star-shaped blooms and blooms that look more like 5-petal saucers. There are types with bell-shaped flowers and ones with papery pointed petals.

Daphne Marianni

Scientific Name: Daphne odora ‘Rogbret’

• Plant Type: Evergreen or deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: Central and southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia
• Plant Size: 3-4 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full to partial shade
• Plant Zone: 2-10

Daphne Marianni will decorate your lawn with its long glossy leaves and yellow and green stripes. The leaves center on round clusters of lovely velveteen-looking flowers. The fragrant white flowers are tinged with pale purple or pink. You’ll love the sweet display of tubular buds with star-shaped petals.

A late winter bloomer that attracts all kinds of pollinators, the flowers show in February and March. Daphne Marianni is hardy in cooler climates. It’s an evergreen shrub in zones 2-5. Prune dead branches, but you won’t need to prune to encourage blooms.

Golden Dewdrop

Scientific Name: Duranta erecta

• Plant Type: Evergreen or deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: Central and South America
• Plant Size: 1.5-4 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Plant Zone: 3-11

This is another perennial shrub that resembles its name! It has long branches that droop with clusters of yellow berries. Golden Dewdrop also has spraying groups of small, 5-petal flowers in blue or purple. The contrast of chartreuse leaves, yellow berries, and bright purple flowers makes quite the presentation!

A tropical shrub, it grows as an evergreen in zones 9-11, but take care if you live in tropical areas. It’s considered one of the most invasive species in southern Australia. It grows fast but can be tamed with regular pruning after flowers appear. You can also let it grow loose and tall.

Heather

Scientific Name: Calluna vulgaris

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: Northern and Western Europe
• Plant Size: 1.5-2 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Partial to full sun
• Plant Zone: 4-8

Heather is loved for its long-lasting, brightly-colored flowers. Commonly known for its purple color, you can also find it in shades of red, orange, yellow, pink, and white. It has long, upright stalks of tiny, scale-like leaves and tons of tiny bell-shaped flowers.

Like most purple flowering shrubs, it blooms from late summer into fall. Heather isn’t picky but loves acidic soil and cooler climates. Check before planting because it’s considered an invasive species in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Hebe

Scientific Name: Hebe spp.

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
• Plant Size: 1.5-2 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Part sun to full sun
• Plant Zone: 3-9

You’ll love Hebe for its spiked cluster of blooms and flashy, colorful leaves. These are low-mound purple flowering shrubs with over 100 different varieties ranging in height, flower size, and leaf size. Besides purple, you can find them in red, pink, blue, and white.

Types with smaller leaves and lower to the ground tend to be hardier in cooler zones. They love a lot of sunlight and well-drained soil. Give them these, and you’ll have blooms all summer and fall. For a fuller shrub, give them full light. Too much shade can get them too leggy.

Hydrangea

Scientific Name: Hydrangea spp.

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: Asia and North America
• Plant Size: 4-15 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Partial to full sun
• Plant Zone: 5-9

You’ll find that purple flowered Hydrangeas commonly come in two popular varieties: Hydrangea macrophylla and Hydrangea serrata. Hydrangea macrophylla have larger petals, and you can change the color of the flowers by manipulating the pH levels of the soil. Choose from shades and combinations of purple, blue, red, pink, white, and green.

Hydrangea serrata is a dwarf variety that has a mix of small and micro flowerheads. While you can’t change their color, you can find specific purple varieties like Tiny Tuff Stuff. Both types have large globe clusters of flat or rounded flower heads. Both have broad fuzzy green leaves.

Change the color of Hydrangea macrophylla with the acidity of the soil. You can purchase kits to lower or raise soil pH that includes either sulfur or aluminum sulfate. The basic rule is that a pH lower than 6 will turn flowers blue or violet. A pH between 6 and 7 turns them true purple or pink-purple.

Lavender

Scientific Name: Lavandula angustifolia

• Plant Type: Deciduous herb shrub
• Geographic Origin: Europe
• Plant Size: 2-3 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Plant Zone: 5-9

Try growing this famous queen of the herbs as a hedge shrub! It does well near all kinds of plants in your flower, vegetable, or herb garden. It has silvery green leaves and stems with long spikes of tiny 5-petal flowers. There are also many different varieties of lavender to choose from, depending on your climate.

Commonly called English lavender or true lavender, it’s one of the most popular among over 400 types of lavender. The shrub blooms from early spring into fall. This low-growing perennial prefers well-drained, dry, alkaline soil. Use it to repel deer and rabbits. Pollinators love lavender.

Leptodermis

Scientific Name: Leptodermis oblonga

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: Central and South Asia
• Plant Size: 1.5-3 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Partial sun
• Plant Zone: 6-8

Like many purple flowering shrubs, leptodermis is a temperate zone deciduous type. It has small, tubular flowers with 5-point star-like petals. You’ll find the lavender-colored flowers growing in groups along red-toned stems. The shrub also has small green leaves.

Lovers of leptodermis note that it smells (and looks) like lilac! Enjoy blooms in the summer and fall. It’s an easy-going plant that can be shaped or left to grow out casually. Both deer and drought resistant, it thrives with well-drained soil and weekly waterings.

Lilac

Scientific Name: Syringa vulgaris

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: Europe
• Plant Size: 4-8 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Plant Zone: 3-7

You probably know this classic garden addition for its stunning flower clusters and recognizable fragrance. The flowers grow in large spiky clumps of small 4-petal buds. Find them at the end of stems among glossy green, heart-shaped leaves. Lilac comes in both full and dwarf sizes. Besides purple, you can find it in several shades of pink and white.

Upkeep is easy with lilac bushes. They prefer rich, loamy soil with a neutral pH and regular water. Once they’re established, they are drought-tolerant and only need yearly pruning. Just make sure to prune before the first blooms appear. The plant grows pretty fast and will need this pruning to stay healthy.

Magnolia ‘Anne’

Scientifc Name: Magnolia x ‘Ann’

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub or small tree
• Geographic Origin: South Asia
• Plant Size: 8-10 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Partial to full sun
• Plant Zone: 4-9

You probably know magnolia trees for their fragrant pink and white blooms that show in late winter. Magnolia Anne is a smaller hybrid of magnolia bred by the  U.S. National Arboretum. The goal was to make magnolia hardier and have flowers that bloom later and last longer. They ended up with eight “little girl” hybrid varieties.

Anne was the showiest with its deep pink-purple goblet-shaped flowers. It blooms in late spring, compared to the original, which barely makes it to the middle of spring! Anne magnolias have the classic green leaves expected of magnolias that turn gold in the fall. While it’s one of the larger purple flowering shrubs, it can be shaped into either a showy shrub or a small tree.

Paperflower or Bougainvillea

Scientific Name: Bougainvillea spp.

• Plant Type: Evergreen or deciduous vining shrub or small tree
• Geographic Origin: South America
• Plant Size: 2-3 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Partial to full sun
• Plant Zone: 7-12

For those living in warmer zones, check out this heat-loving shrub! Paperflower has teardrop leaves and delicate stems. The actual flowers are very tiny white flowers surrounded by three petal-like bracts. Find it in vibrant colors like purple, red, orange, yellow, pink, white, and a variety of combinations.

Grow it as a vine, shrub, or small tree, depending on your needs. Dwarf types of this purple flowering bush are perfect for flower pots. Paperflower can also be grown in hanging plants or as a security hedge depending on the type.

Paperflower blooms all year round in areas with warm winters. Otherwise, it blooms from spring through fall. It likes sun, heat, and moist, well-drained soil with an acidic pH.

Rhododendron

Scientific Name: Rhododendron

• Plant Type: Evergreen or deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: North America, Asia, and Europe
• Plant Size: 2-10 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Partial to full sun
• Plant Zone: 3-9

People mix up azaleas and rhododendrons. While all azaleas are part of the genus Rhododendrons, Rhododendrons are also a flower in their own right. Also, most rhododendrons are evergreen, while most azaleas are deciduous.

While all of them have glossy, rounded leaves, you can usually tell the difference in the flower shape. Rhododendrons have round or bell-shaped flowers with ten or more stamens. Azaleas have trumpet-shaped flowers with five stamens.

Rhododendrons can be found in every shade and color combination of red, orange, yellow, pink, purple, and white. Give them sun and loose, moist soil for the best blooms.

Rose

Scientific Name: Rosa spp.

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: North America, Asia, and Europe
• Plant Size: 1-20 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Plant Zone: 2-11

If you want top-notch purple flowering shrubs, go with purple roses! The popular flower is found naturally in shades of red, orange, yellow, pink, and white. While purple roses aren’t natural, you can find hybrids that you can grow. They range from pastel lavender to deep plum. There are hundreds of species of rose, but you can’t go wrong with a classic rose bush.

They like neutral, moist, loamy soil that drains well. Just make sure to water rose shrubs regularly. Gardeners love to take on the challenge of learning how to prune rose stems properly. Pruning should be done at the beginning of the growing season to promote health and new blooms. Do this, and you’ll have blooms from spring through fall.

Rose of Sharon

Scientific Name: Hibiscus syriacus

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: Asia
• Plant Size: 8-12 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Partial to full sun
• Plant Zone: 5-9

In the genus Hibiscus, you might mistake Rose of Sharon for Hibiscus flowers, but they’re different. While Hibiscus is tropical, the Rose of Sharon is a hardy, temperate shrub. It has tough, woody branches and dark green leaves. The flowers have five papery, petals that fan out like a saucer. You’ll recognize its dark center and a single, large, stand-alone stamen.

Rose of Sharon comes in a variety of shades of red, blue, pink, purple, and white. Be careful not to plant Rose of Sharon where its seedlings can spread into the wild. Check before planting because it’s considered invasive in some parts of the US.

Tea Rose

Scientific Name: Rosa x hybrida

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: North America, Asia, and Europe
• Plant Size: 2-8 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Plant Zone: 5-9

A hybrid of the rose bush and classic tea rose, hybrid tea roses are quickly becoming more popular. They combine the hardiness of shrub roses with the smaller fragrant flowers of tea roses. You’ll find them in every shade of the rainbow except blue.

They have the classic look of a rose with dozens of layered petals. They spiral inward to a bud that slowly opens to reveal a yellow center. They have waxy stems with glossy leaves and almost no thorns. Several hybrid varieties have had thorns completely bred out!

Tea roses prefer moist, loamy soil and a lot of sunlight. You’ll find that hybrids tend to be more drought and disease-resistant. They thrive and bloom better with regular watering and fertilizing. Prune every spring before the first buds appear.

Weigela

Scientific Name: Weigela florida

• Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
• Geographic Origin: Asia
• Plant Size: 4-8 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Plant Zone: 4-8

Weigela is a dense, low-lying shrub with small, tubular flowers and narrow, teardrop-shaped green leaves. You might be able to see the relation to honeysuckle in the shape of the flowers.

Find Weigela in shades of vibrant pink-purple.

Hummingbirds and butterflies love these purple flowering shrubs. You can enjoy their blooms in spring and summer. They adapt well to many soil types as long as it’s moist and well-drained. You should prune after the first buds appear, but you may find that pruning isn’t needed.