“Purple-spiked plants” is not a formal gardening classification, but maybe it ought to be. This specific colour and form is a peacemaker in the garden and also a favorite of gardeners from coast to coast.

In the lightest of lilac into the deepest royal purple and every shade in between, these purples can bridge the gap between white and yellow, green and pink or even orange and blue. And the spikes of these plants offer perpendicular interest in gardens full of roundness and round forms.

You may think about lavender once you first listen to the classification of “purple-spiked plants,” however there’s a universe of different choices. Catmint, Russian sage, penstemon and salvia also reap a variety of garden styles.

AHBL

The timeless Russian Sage (Perovskia, USDA zones 6 to 9) gives lavender a run for the money as the most common purple plant in the present gardens. Easily massed and faster growing than chamomile, this plant appears to mass and combine with ease in just about any environment.

Catmint (Nepeta, USDA zones 3 to 9) is another fast paced, easy-to-propagate plant which mimics lavender’s growth habit and fashion.

More about growing catmint

Brian Maloney Design Associates

Purchase only a few of these plants and they’ll quickly bloom to a small mass for you.

Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Penstemon (USDA zones 3 to 9) is yet another alternative that provides brilliantly hued flower spikes in a bright blue-purple.

Las Pilitas Nursery

Salvia, or sage, has a large selection and will grow in just about any garden. This variety is called diviner’s sage (Salvia divinorum, USDA zones 3 to 9).

Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC

Salvia is great in clumps or mixed in with larger, lighter blossoms. Plant salvia when you will need a contrast for only a couple of pennies. These plants could be split and divided every couple of years to get new, free plants.

Mac Devereux Harborough Decorators

Using Purple-Spiked Plants in the Garden

Masses of purple-spiked plants seem beautiful in just about any setting. From desert rock gardens to traditional cottage gardens and everything in between, these crops strikes a pretty, sweet chord.

Wagner Hodgson

The deepest of purples contrasts nicely against blue foliage, found in grasses like blue fescue. Try pairing different purples with blues in the nursery or garden center before purchasing to find the best mix.

Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC

Mix any of those purple-spiked plants with purple globes of allium to get a fun contrast of form and height.

Jean Marsh Design

It is hard to go wrong with whichever purple-spiked crops you choose. They offer vertical interest and colour every summer and provide fairly foliage throughout the growing season.

They’re all easy to care for and simple to divide for plants. Each provides a distinct shade of purple to tone whites and brights on your garden, and each blends nicely with a host of different plants. What more could you ask from a humble perennial?

Inform us : how can you use purple spikes on your garden layout?

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