Exotic shrubs with violet and purple flowers

Exotic shrubs with purple, mauve or crimson flowers have a very distinctive presence in the garden. This section helps you find the right plant in the shade you're after, whether you wish to grow it in a pot or in the ground, depending on its aspect, size and hardiness. From satiny mauve to deep purple, these shrubs will enliven a sheltered terrace, a patio or a mild-climate garden. Purple has the rare quality of adding depth to the garden: it goes as well with silvery foliage as with vivid greens and large tropical-looking leaves.

Tibouchina urvilleana is one of the most spectacular, with its large, intense violet-blue flowers and its velvety foliage. Polygala myrtifolia charms with its endless mauve-pink flowering on the terrace or by the seaside. More bushy Duranta repens carries clusters of violet-blue flowers, finely edged with white for months, followed by decorative fruits. On a different scale, Cuphea hyssopifolia ‘Purple’ forms a small dense cushion covered in purplish-crimson flowers. These varieties play with contrasts to create a mellow atmosphere or, on the contrary, to intensify warm colours nearby.