Bring on the Drama With Purple Foliage
These 9 plants, in shades from plum to maroon, will add dark, moody color to your garden year-round
In a sea of green foliage, purple-leaved plants stand out. They’re different, so they catch our eye. Aside from their intrigue, purple plants also serve as foils to bright foliage by heightening the contrast, or as dark pockets that bring depth to a planting bed. See how to grow nine plants that bring the drama of purple to the garden.
2. Japanese Painted Fern
(Athyrium niponicum var. pictum)
Native to eastern Asia
Japanese painted fern brings silver, burgundy and a hint of green to the woodland garden. Reaching 1½ feet tall and 2½ feet wide, it tolerates heavy shade but can be grown in partial sun if provided with plenty of moisture. It brightens woodland understories and complements metallic garden elements, all with a hint of purple.
Where will it grow: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (zones 3 to 8)
Water requirement: Consistent moisture for optimum growth
Light requirement: Partial to full shade; can tolerate more sun in moist soil
See how to grow Japanese painted fern
(Athyrium niponicum var. pictum)
Native to eastern Asia
Japanese painted fern brings silver, burgundy and a hint of green to the woodland garden. Reaching 1½ feet tall and 2½ feet wide, it tolerates heavy shade but can be grown in partial sun if provided with plenty of moisture. It brightens woodland understories and complements metallic garden elements, all with a hint of purple.
Where will it grow: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (zones 3 to 8)
Water requirement: Consistent moisture for optimum growth
Light requirement: Partial to full shade; can tolerate more sun in moist soil
See how to grow Japanese painted fern
3. ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ Autumn Snakeroot
(Actaea simplex ‘Hillside Black Beauty’)
The dark leaves of ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ stand out in the understory of a woodland garden. The foliage itself reaches only about 2 feet tall, with showy flowers appearing in late summer that can bring the plant’s height up to 6 to 7 feet.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (zones 3 to 9)
Water requirement: Regular; prefers moist, well-drained soil
Light requirement: Partial shade
See how to grow autumn snakeroot
(Actaea simplex ‘Hillside Black Beauty’)
The dark leaves of ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ stand out in the understory of a woodland garden. The foliage itself reaches only about 2 feet tall, with showy flowers appearing in late summer that can bring the plant’s height up to 6 to 7 feet.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (zones 3 to 9)
Water requirement: Regular; prefers moist, well-drained soil
Light requirement: Partial shade
See how to grow autumn snakeroot
4. Black Mondo Grass
(Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’)
Species native to Japan
With foliage color so dark that it appears almost black, black mondo grass is a dark accent on the ground plane. Reaching roughly 1 foot tall and wide, mondo grass can be grown in masses or as a specimen around boulders. Pair it with gold or chartreuse flowers or foliage for a real color pop. Unlike many grasses, black mondo grass can grow in the shade, which can be a valuable asset.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 10)
Water requirement: Moderate to regular, depending on climate
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
See how to grow black mondo grass
(Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’)
Species native to Japan
With foliage color so dark that it appears almost black, black mondo grass is a dark accent on the ground plane. Reaching roughly 1 foot tall and wide, mondo grass can be grown in masses or as a specimen around boulders. Pair it with gold or chartreuse flowers or foliage for a real color pop. Unlike many grasses, black mondo grass can grow in the shade, which can be a valuable asset.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 10)
Water requirement: Moderate to regular, depending on climate
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
See how to grow black mondo grass
5. ‘Grace’ Smoke Tree
(Cotinus ‘Grace’)
Garden hybrid
Reaching a mature size of 10 to 15 feet tall and wide, ‘Grace’ smoke tree is a suitable background tree or shrub for gardens featuring other cooler colors, or even paired with a shot of chartreuse. This garden hybrid goes through seasonal color shifts throughout the year, with maroon-colored leaves intensifying to a deep purple in winter.
Clusters of pink, stringlike petioles attached to the tree’s flowers arrive in early summer, hovering above the foliage like abundant smoke clouds.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 25 degrees Fahrenhet, or minus 31.7 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 9)
Water requirement: Average; do not overwater
Light requirement: Full sun
See how to grow ‘Grace’ smoke tree
(Cotinus ‘Grace’)
Garden hybrid
Reaching a mature size of 10 to 15 feet tall and wide, ‘Grace’ smoke tree is a suitable background tree or shrub for gardens featuring other cooler colors, or even paired with a shot of chartreuse. This garden hybrid goes through seasonal color shifts throughout the year, with maroon-colored leaves intensifying to a deep purple in winter.
Clusters of pink, stringlike petioles attached to the tree’s flowers arrive in early summer, hovering above the foliage like abundant smoke clouds.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 25 degrees Fahrenhet, or minus 31.7 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 9)
Water requirement: Average; do not overwater
Light requirement: Full sun
See how to grow ‘Grace’ smoke tree
6. Japanese Maple
(Acer palmatum cvs.)
Species native to Japan, Korea and China
The Japanese maple stands like an elegant living sculpture in the garden. A range of tree shapes and leaf colors enables gardeners to find a tree just right for them. While these deciduous trees reach their peak color in fall, starting in summer, or earlier, certain cultivars develop their purplish foliage hue. See more beautiful Japanese maple cultivars, many with stunning purple and magenta foliage:
11 Japanese Maples for Breathtaking Color and Form | 12 Japanese Maples for a Sunny Garden
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 8)
Water requirement: Regular
Light requirement: Soft dappled shade or morning sun with afternoon shade is best; too much sun will scorch its leaves.
See how to grow Japanese maple
(Acer palmatum cvs.)
Species native to Japan, Korea and China
The Japanese maple stands like an elegant living sculpture in the garden. A range of tree shapes and leaf colors enables gardeners to find a tree just right for them. While these deciduous trees reach their peak color in fall, starting in summer, or earlier, certain cultivars develop their purplish foliage hue. See more beautiful Japanese maple cultivars, many with stunning purple and magenta foliage:
11 Japanese Maples for Breathtaking Color and Form | 12 Japanese Maples for a Sunny Garden
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 8)
Water requirement: Regular
Light requirement: Soft dappled shade or morning sun with afternoon shade is best; too much sun will scorch its leaves.
See how to grow Japanese maple
7. New Zealand Flax
(Phormium cvs. and hybrids)
Species native to New Zealand
New Zealand flax has become a garden favorite over the years, gracing containers, foundation plantings or any space calling for an oversize grasslike plant. New Zealand flax grows in a range of colors, styles and forms, including cultivars that take on a rosy to purply hue. ‘Amazing Red’, shown here, is a popular purple version, and ‘Firebird’ and ‘Jester’ lean more toward maroon.
Where it will grow: Hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 9.4 degrees Celsius (zones 8 to 11)
Water requirement: Low to moderate
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
See how to grow New Zealand flax
(Phormium cvs. and hybrids)
Species native to New Zealand
New Zealand flax has become a garden favorite over the years, gracing containers, foundation plantings or any space calling for an oversize grasslike plant. New Zealand flax grows in a range of colors, styles and forms, including cultivars that take on a rosy to purply hue. ‘Amazing Red’, shown here, is a popular purple version, and ‘Firebird’ and ‘Jester’ lean more toward maroon.
Where it will grow: Hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 9.4 degrees Celsius (zones 8 to 11)
Water requirement: Low to moderate
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
See how to grow New Zealand flax
8. Purple Florida Hopbush
(Dodonaea viscosa ‘Purpurea’)
Straight species native to Arizona, Mexico, Florida and other warm regions of the world
Florida hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa) is prized for its versatility as a quick screening or hedging plant, with gardeners in warm, arid U.S. regions increasingly using it — some as a replacement for oleander shrubs (Nerium oleander). While it can quickly grow to 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide, it can be maintained at a smaller size.
‘Purpurea’ incorporates all these traits, with the addition of purply, bronzy foliage that deepens in winter. While it’s slightly less cold-hardy than the straight species with green foliage, ‘Purpurea’ still screens beautifully and provides shelter for birds while being drought-tolerant.
Where it will grow: Hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 9.4 degrees Celsius (Zone 8)
Water requirement: Drought-tolerant once established, it does best when watered every three to four weeks in summer and monthly in spring and fall; in desert regions, water every 14 days in spring through fall and rely on natural rainfall in winter.
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
See how to grow Florida hopbush
(Dodonaea viscosa ‘Purpurea’)
Straight species native to Arizona, Mexico, Florida and other warm regions of the world
Florida hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa) is prized for its versatility as a quick screening or hedging plant, with gardeners in warm, arid U.S. regions increasingly using it — some as a replacement for oleander shrubs (Nerium oleander). While it can quickly grow to 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide, it can be maintained at a smaller size.
‘Purpurea’ incorporates all these traits, with the addition of purply, bronzy foliage that deepens in winter. While it’s slightly less cold-hardy than the straight species with green foliage, ‘Purpurea’ still screens beautifully and provides shelter for birds while being drought-tolerant.
Where it will grow: Hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 9.4 degrees Celsius (Zone 8)
Water requirement: Drought-tolerant once established, it does best when watered every three to four weeks in summer and monthly in spring and fall; in desert regions, water every 14 days in spring through fall and rely on natural rainfall in winter.
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
See how to grow Florida hopbush
9. ‘Afterglow’ Echeveria
(Echeveria ‘Afterglow’)
Garden hybrid
While all echeveria plants are known for their beauty and colorful foliage, ‘Afterglow’, with its dusty pink and lavender color, is even more of a scene stealer. Every summer, a stem with pink flowers towers above the foliage.
With individual rosettes reaching 1 foot to 2 feet tall and wide, it can be nestled among other plants as an accent or massed together for a dramatic purple effect. Like all echeverias, ‘Afterglow’ is frost-sensitive but grows in containers as well as in the ground. Gardeners living in regions with cold winters can plant echeveria in a container, bring it inside or to a sheltered outdoor spot over winter and then return it to the garden once temperatures warm.
Where it will grow: Hardy to about 32 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0 degrees Celsius, (zones 9 to 11)
Water requirement: Drought-tolerant; looks best with moderate water
Light requirement: Full sun in cooler regions; needs shelter from harsh summer sun
See how to grow echeveria
More
10 Ways to Use Deep Purple Foliage in Your Garden
See more ways to design with beautiful foliage
(Echeveria ‘Afterglow’)
Garden hybrid
While all echeveria plants are known for their beauty and colorful foliage, ‘Afterglow’, with its dusty pink and lavender color, is even more of a scene stealer. Every summer, a stem with pink flowers towers above the foliage.
With individual rosettes reaching 1 foot to 2 feet tall and wide, it can be nestled among other plants as an accent or massed together for a dramatic purple effect. Like all echeverias, ‘Afterglow’ is frost-sensitive but grows in containers as well as in the ground. Gardeners living in regions with cold winters can plant echeveria in a container, bring it inside or to a sheltered outdoor spot over winter and then return it to the garden once temperatures warm.
Where it will grow: Hardy to about 32 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0 degrees Celsius, (zones 9 to 11)
Water requirement: Drought-tolerant; looks best with moderate water
Light requirement: Full sun in cooler regions; needs shelter from harsh summer sun
See how to grow echeveria
More
10 Ways to Use Deep Purple Foliage in Your Garden
See more ways to design with beautiful foliage
(Opuntia santa-rita)
Native to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and south through Chihuahua, Mexico
Not only does Santa Rita prickly pear stand out in the garden with its architectural form and attractive blue-gray color, but it also features distinct purple-tinged pads. While the purple color usually appears when temperatures drop, and fades weather warms up, some older plants stay purple year-round.
These extremely drought-tolerant cactuses reach 2 to 5 feet tall and wide. This plant can be treated as a specimen, but it is important to keep it away from areas that receive traffic, as its pads have sharp spines and glochids, tiny bristles, that you don’t want to rub up against.
Where it will grow: Hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 9.4 degrees Celsius (USDA Zone 8; find your zone)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
See how to grow Santa Rita prickly pear