When choosing landscape plants in desert climates, purple flowering shrubs are a way to complement the natural colors of the desert. There are many to choose from and water wise, make sure to choose species that are native or drought tolerant. Before you shop for plants, make sure you know your growing zone. For the West, the Zone Settings are more specific than the USDA Tardiness Zones. Check the web settings to locate your specific zone.
All these are evergreens.
Medium to large bushes with Purple flowers
If you are looking for a great shrub that can handle heat, drought and cold, Texas ranger (Leucophyllum species) fits the bill. This shrub is born from the winter setting, and many varieties are cultivated to produce plants with a variety of heights, leaves, and flower colors.
For large Texas rangers, the standard standard, Leucophyllum frutescens, is a popular choice. With silvery gray leaves and light purple flowers, this species grows to about eight feet tall and wide. “Green Cloud” is a cultivar with green leaves and pinkish-purple flowers, and “White Clouds” has green leaves and white flowers.
Chihuahuan sage, Leucophyllum laevigatum, is a medium variety, reaching 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. The flowers on the Chihuahuan sage are purple, and they often hide small green leaves when they bloom.
Fragrant Texas creeper, Leucophyllum pruinosum, has bright purple flowers that smell like grapes bubble gum. The leaves are silvery-grey. Fragrant Texas wild grows to about 6 feet tall and wide.
Texas ranges mentioned above hardy in the Sun Zones 7-24.
Texas mountain laurel, Sophora secundiflora, is a large shrub to small tree, slowly growing to 10 feet or more, hanging from the ground. This evergreen shrub has clusters of purple flowers dropped in early spring, and like the scent of a Texas wanderer, it adds the scent of a bubble gum vine. to your landscape design. This is a hardy plant in Zones 8-16 and 18 to 24.
A small to medium bush with purple flowers
Cleveland sage, Cleveland sage, is a medium-sized shrub with fragrant gray-green leaves. At maturity it grows to about 4 feet tall, between the flower stalks. But the flowers are the stems that make this bush special, as the tops of the purple stems spring flowers look like a dry flower on the stem . Cleveland sage is hardy in Zones 8, 9, and 12-24.
A smaller Texas ranged choice is Leucophyllum zygophyllum, which only grows to about 3 feet tall. The flowers are blue-purple. The leaves are grey-green. Like the rest of Texas, it’s tough in Zones 7-24
Adding a touch of purple to your desert landscaping will definitely make your yard special. If you want purple to stand out, a ground cover with complementary yellows will do the trick.
