Purple Flowering Bushes That Bloom All Summer

Ostentatious Blossoms

• The ostentatious summer blossoms on certain bushes are sure to garner attention. Bigleaf hydrangea “All Summer Beauty” (Hydrangea macrophylla “All Summer Beauty”) bears blue-purple flowers midspring through late summer and grows 3 to 4 feet tall in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. Acidic soils produce bluer flowers, while alkaline soils make its flowers pinker. Hardy hibiscus “Plum Crazy” (Hibiscus “Plum Crazy”) has rose-purple blossoms with darker purple veins in June to September. This bush grows 3 to 4 feet tall in USDA zones 4 through 9 and is just the right choice for low spots and wet areas.

Helps Control Soil Erosion

• The root systems of some bushes help to control soil erosion. The red-purple blossoms on red escallonia (Escallonia rubra) come out from midspring to early fall in USDA zones 8 through 10a. This capricious shrub prefers moist acidic soil and grows 4 to 15 feet tall. Lead plant (Amorpha canescens) sprouts spikes covered with bluish-purple blossoms from July to September in USDA zones 2 through 9. Excellent for poor, sandy soil, it grows 2 to 3 feet tall and sometimes dies back in very cold winters.

Bears Fragrant Flowers

• Enjoy the fragrance of the blossoms on flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus) and bluebeard “Dark Knight” (Caryopteris x clandonensis “Dark Knight”). Flowering raspberry bears rose-purple flowers in June to August, followed by edible fruit in USDA zones 3 through 8. Also known as thimbleberry, it grows 3 to 6 feet tall. “Dark Knight” offers deep bluish-purple blossoms from July to September in USDA zones 5 through 9. An attractive cut flower, this drought-tolerant bush grows 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall.

Container Gardening

• Certain bushes bloom all summer and perform well in containers. Cape fuchsia “Blaphy” (Phygelius “Blaphy”), also known as “New Sensation,” bears reddish-purple blossoms atop burgundy stems in June to September. It grows 2 to 3 feet tall in USDA zones 8 through 10, but in cooler climates, you can keep it as a houseplant and bring it outside after the last frost. Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea) bears magenta flowers all year in USDA zones 9b through 11a. It grows 15 to 25 feet tall in the ground. In containers, it exhibits a compact habit and takes well to pruning, so you can control its size.