13 Beautiful Types of Purple Hibiscus to Grow This Season

Purple is the color of extravagance and nobility. In ancient textiles, the shade was reserved for only the wealthiest of customers, as it was difficult and very costly to obtain the dye. It is also the very favorite color of bees. From honeybees to bumblebees and everything in between, bees see purple very well, so they tend to be most attracted to flowers in this color family.

In the world of hibiscuses, purple is one of the least common colors and is typically grouped together with blue, as these are even rarer, and the colors often appear together in the same flower.

Interestingly enough, the color can appear in both cold hardy and tropical species. While cold hardy plants lean more in the blue direction, tropical varieties tend to fall on the rosier side of the color wheel. From eggplant to lavender and every shade in between, here are some of my favorite purple hibiscus varieties!

‘Amethyst’

	botanical name Hibiscus cannabinus ‘Amethyst’
	sun requirements Full Sun to Part Shade
	height 3’-4’
	hardiness zones 5-9

‘Amethyst’ is a wonderful cultivar of the cannabinus species. This deciduous plant is a compact variety with narrow, serrated, deep green leaves. The foliage is unique and delicate, making this a standout in the garden. Growing to a petite height of just 3’-4’ tall, this is a hibiscus that will fit in small spaces and makes a great container plant as well.

The flowers on ‘Amethyst’ are simply lovely. They are pure white with a deep purple heart radiating outward from the center of the blooms. A purple column supports lots of golden pollen and draws plenty of pollinators. The petals have a corrugated texture, adding another level of interest to the blooms.

‘Ardens’

	botanical name Hibiscus syriacus ‘Ardens’
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 8’-10’
	hardiness zones 5-8

This pretty and stately variety of H. syriacus grows fairly tall and upright in a wonderful vase shape. This makes it wonderfully planted in groups as a screen or hedge. Its maple-like foliage is an attractive bright green shade, forming a perfect backdrop for its stunning blooms.

The large flowers of this cultivar are double-petaled with a peony-like appearance. Fluffy confections of orchid purple cover the plant from early summer until the first frost. The flowers only bloom for one day each, but this plant is such a prolific producer the blooms will be nearly continuous throughout the season.

‘Bayou Rose’

	botanical name Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Bayou Rose’
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 2’-4’
	hardiness zones 9-11

‘Bayou Rose’ is a chameleon in the hibiscus world. A tropical species, this plant can only be grown in the ground in zones 9-11. It will not tolerate freezing weather. The good news is that it has a maximum height of around 4’ tall, which makes it the perfect size for a large pot.

What makes this hibiscus special are its hypercolor flowers. The fully double blooms open for two days. On the first day, upon opening, they have a soft lavender interior with bright pink edges to their many ruffled petals. By the second day, the petals will turn completely lavender and slightly expose the pink stigma and yellow pollen center.

‘Blue Bird’

	botanical name Hibiscus syriacus ‘Blue Bird’
	sun requirements Full Sun to Part Shade
	height 6’-8’
	hardiness zones 4-9

This fast-growing variety can reach up to 12’ tall in one season and has a rounded vase shape. The leaves are deep green with a maple-like appearance. ‘Blue Bird’ performs well in full or partial sun and likes its soil to remain moist but not soggy.

Blue Bird’s blooms are a knockout. Only the edges are a deep periwinkle blue, while the interior of the flower is an ombre in different shades of purple with a deep burgundy in the center. The blue at the edges makes these a unique and standout flower in the garden.

‘Blue Satin’

	botanical name Hibiscus syriacus ‘Marina’
	sun requirements Full Sun to Part Shade
	height 6’-9’
	hardiness zones 5-8

‘Blue Satin’ goes by a handful of different names, including Marina and Althea. This upright shrub finds its way to about 9’ tall by the beginning of fall. It is tolerant of full sun or partial shade and has large, tri-lobed leaves in bright, cheerful green.

The flowers are sterile, so they do not drop seeds, which is both a blessing and a curse, since they are so lovely. The flowers are blue-violent with a single-petal form and a deep eggplant purple eye. The stigma and pollen are white, lending an ethereal quality. Flowers bloom for only one day, but the plant blooms heavily late in the summer.

‘Blueberry Smoothie’

	botanical name Hibiscus syriacus ‘DS01BS’ (PP#26,662)
	sun requirements Full Sun to Part Sun
	height 6’-8’
	hardiness zones 5-9

The name is a funny one, but when you see these flowers, it will make perfect sense. Like its namesake beverage, the blooms on ‘Blueberry Smoothie’ look like they were swirled around in all directions. This variety probably has the most densely petaled flowers of any cultivar I know of. They look like large peonies with varying shades of purple throughout each individual bloom.

This nice-sized deciduous hibiscus makes a gorgeous container plant and is an easy plant to grow. Its leaves are large with three lobes and glossy in medium green. ‘Blueberry Smoothie’ has an upright habit but forms many branches and has a wonderfully dense structure.

‘French Cabaret Purple’

	botanical name Hibiscus Syriacus ‘MINDOUV 5’ PP30,070
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 5’-8’
	hardiness zones 5-8

The French Cabaret series is strongly upright and showy. This hibiscus will make its mark in the garden with its towering branches and bright green maple-like leaves. Hardy to zone 8, this variety is somewhat less heat tolerant than many on this list. But if you’re able to grow it in your zone, you won’t regret it.

This shrub has large light purple flowers with many fluffy, ruffled petals. Interspersed with purple, the flowers have bits of white, typically toward the center of the blooms. They bloom for about 8 weeks in midsummer.

‘Lavender Chiffon’

	botanical name Hibiscus syriacus ‘Notwoodone’ PP12619
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 8’-12’
	hardiness zones 5-9

‘Lavender Chiffon’ is a lovely, large cultivar with a rounded growth habit and long, graceful branches. As a winner of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit, this is a particularly well-respected variety with bright green, maple-like leaves.

A late summer into fall bloomer, ‘Lavender Chiffon’ has pretty, single-petaled flowers with a ruffled center and pale yellow stigma and stamens. As you may have guessed, these special blooms are lavender, with just a hint of pink to warm them up.

‘Lilac Crush’

	botanical name Hibiscus hybrid Summerific ‘Lilac Crush’
	sun requirements Full Sun to part Sun
	height 5’
	hardiness zones 4-9

The Summerific series is known for its large, colorful, single-petal form flowers, and Lilac Crush fits the bill perfectly. Its large (7”-8”) flowers are a stunning lavender shade with a brilliant red eye. The stigma matches the flower’s eye and supports a sprinkling of light yellow pollen.

This variety has very good heat and cold tolerance, with a wide range of zones where it can be grown in the ground. At 5’ tall, it is the perfect height for a garden bed or a large container. ‘Lilac Crush’ is happy in full or part sun and blooms through the summer months.

‘Minerva’

	botanical name Hibiscus syriacus ‘Minerva’
	sun requirements Full Sun to Part Sun
	height 10’
	hardiness zones 5-9

‘Minerva’ is a sturdy and tolerant shrub in terms of heat and dry weather. Its dense, leathery, deep green foliage has the maple-leaf formation common among H. syriacus varieties. It is also flexible where sun exposure is concerned, as it will thrive in both full and partial sun.

Minerva’s flowers are simply wonderful. The color is a glowing lavender with just a hint of pink to the interior of the petals. They have a deep red eye, creamy white stigma, and pollen in the center. These pretty flowers have a light and airy appearance and bloom in midsummer.

‘Paraplu Violet’

	botanical name Paraplu Violet hibiscus x ‘Minsybv3s01’ USPPAF
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 8’-12’
	hardiness zones 5-9

This Proven Winner is a special one, but so many of these wonderful purple hibiscuses are! ‘Paraplu Violet’ is a fast-growing variety with thin, graceful stems that sway in the breeze. The growth habit is upright, and the leaves are smaller and bright green.

The flowers steal this show.  Paraplu produces large flowers for a long period in the summer. The blooms are single petal form and the most incredible shade of cool blue-violet. These pretty blooms have a glowing quality with a warm red center and bright white stigma.

‘Purple Pillar’

	botanical name Hibiscus syriacus ‘Gandini Santiago’
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 10’-16’
	hardiness zones 5-9

‘Purple Pillar’ lives up to its nickname! With a mature height between 10’-16’ and a width of only 2’-3’, it resembles a flower-emblazoned pillar. The shape and size of this variety make it a standout that will fit into spaces that need a tall, narrow shrub, and the flowers are incredibly pretty.

A very large, splashy, deep red eye looks like a starburst in the center of these semi-double-petaled blooms. The outer petals are a lovely lavender shade, veined with the deep wine red of the center. The flowers are mid-sized and very eye-catching. The semi-double form adds a sweet softness to the form of the blooms as well.

‘Purple Satin’

	botanical name Hibiscus syriacus ‘Purple Satin’
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 8’-12’
	hardiness zones 5-9

If I could have a dress fashioned from the petals of any flower, I would want it to be made from the petals of ‘Purple Satin’. This long-blooming variety has delicate flowers in a most exquisite shade of violet, veined with dark pink and graced with a deep red eye. The satiny sheen of the petals makes an enchanting backdrop for a pure white stigma and stamens.

‘Purple Satin’ is a vigorous grower, reaching up to 12’ in one year. It has low water needs and requires little maintenance. It is tolerant of heat and drought and makes an incredible focal point. Mass plantings of this variety would be positively spectacular.