Consider planting ground cover plants with purple flowers. Ground cover plants are low-growing plants that spread to form a dense mat covering bare soil. With their rich hues and profuse blooms, these low-growing plants can create an eye-catching carpet of color. Whether you need drought-tolerant ground cover for full-sun areas or shade-loving options like hostas and violets, there are many purple-flowering choices.
These plants extend the landscape’s colorful show, from Aubrieta’s early season blooms to Russian sage’s fall flowers. Creeping phlox, ajuga, and Lamium practically smother themselves in flowers at peak bloom. Evergreen types like creeping thyme and vinca minor offer four-season appeal. As a lawn alternative, ecological ground covers help reduce maintenance while attracting butterflies and pollinators.
This quick-spreading ground cover forms a living mulch that covers and beautifies the ground. In our guide, you can learn more about using a low-maintenance ground cover in your yard and the benefits they bring. By the end, you’ll better understand all the types of groundcover plants with purple flowers and how they grow. (Read Do Fig Trees Lose Their Leaves)
Why Add Ground Cover Plants With Purple Flowers?
They Add Striking Color Contrast
The rich hues of purple flowers stand out boldly against green grass or foliage. They provide an eye-catching color contrast that brightens any garden bed or border. Purple evokes feelings of romance and royalty, making these plants ideal for creating a regal look.
They Flower Profusely
Many purple flowering ground covers produce abundant blooms. Blanketing the ground, the sheer number of blossoms can make a dramatic statement. Some plants, like creeping phlox or ajuga, are practically smothered in flowers when in bloom.
They Flower Early or Late in the Season
Ground covers like candytuft, aubrieta, and Lamium extend the flowering season with early spring blooms. Others, like Russian sage, keep the color going into fall. This provides a much-needed color pop when not much else is in flower.
They Attract Pollinators
Butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees flock to purple blooms. Planting ground covers with dark purple flowers provides needed nourishment for pollinators. It also allows you to enjoy watching the wildlife drawn to your garden.
They Spread Quickly to Cover Ground
Most purple ground covers fill rapidly thanks to spreading roots, rhizomes, or stolons. This ability makes them well-suited for covering large areas and choking out weeds. A few starter plants can carpet an entire bed or hillside in just a couple of seasons.
They Require Minimal Care
Once established, many purple flowering ground covers need little maintenance. Their low growth habit reduces the need for pruning or deadheading spent blooms. And their spreading tendency helps shade out weeds.
Why You Should Grow Ground Cover Plants
Beyond their pretty purple blooms, ground cover plants offer many practical benefits, making them a landscape workhorse. Here are some top reasons for incorporating ground covers into your outdoor space:
Prevent Soil Erosion
Ground covers shield soil from the impact of heavy rain and water runoff. Their dense root systems also hold soil in place on slopes and banks. This makes them ideal for areas prone to erosion. (Read Is Marigold Perennial)
Out-Compete Weeds
By covering bare ground, ground covers prevent weeds from establishing. Their low, dense growth chokes out most weeds, eliminating the need for extensive weeding and mulching.
Replace Turf Grass
Ground covers provide a low-maintenance alternative to turf grass. Their deep roots help them thrive with less water and fertilizer. They do well in poor soils and shady areas where grass struggles.
Protect Tree Roots
Low-growing ground covers can be planted under and around trees where turf grass won’t grow well. By keeping the soil consistently covered near trees, ground covers prevent damage to shallow roots.
Attract Wildlife
Butterflies, bees, birds, and other wildlife rely on nectar-producing ground covers. The flowers provide food, while the dense foliage offers shelter and nesting sites.
Control Traffic and Erosion on Slopes
On banks and inclines, ground covers prevent soil erosion while allowing rain and snow melt to percolate into the soil. Their low profile deters foot traffic that damages steeper areas.
Accent Walkways and Hardscapes
Planted around patios, pathways, or garden structures, ground covers act as living mulch. They soften hard edges while inhibiting weeds.
Unify Disparate Garden Elements
Used as an intricate tapestry beneath trees, shrubs, and perennials, ground covers visually tie the landscape together. The sweep of color and texture creates harmony in the garden.
Great Ground Cover Plants with Purple Flowers:
Many ground covers offer gorgeous purple blooms. Here are some top options for your garden’s best ground cover plants.
Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
This popular evergreen ground cover shows off cheery bluish-purple flowers in spring. Periwinkle thrives in shade and spreads quickly to form a dense mat. It grows 4-6 inches tall but can spread several feet wide. Its shiny dark green leaves remain attractive when not in flower. It is an excellent choice for blanketing shady slopes and suppressing weeds.
Creeping Phlox’ Violet Pinwheels’ (‘Phlox ‘Violet Pinwheels’)
Creeping phlox bursts into bloom in spring with hundreds of 5-petaled violet flowers adorning its creeping stems. It forms a lush carpet of needle-like green foliage just 6 inches high. One of the most floriferous creeping phlox varieties, the drought-tolerant ground cover is quite valuable for covering sunny slopes, rock gardens, and foundation plantings. (Read Persian Lilac Vs Common Lilac)
‘Birch Hybrid’ Bellflower (Campanula ‘Birch Hybrid’)
‘Birch Hybrid’ bellflower charms with loads of purple bell-shaped blooms in early to mid-summer. The mat-forming plants stay compact at 8-12 inches tall with a spread of 18-24 inches. Its dense mat of green leaves has good vigor and quickly fills in spaces. Works well in rock gardens, edging sunny borders, or softening stone walls with its long bloom time.
Carpet Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)
Ajuga reptans carpets the ground with foliage that ranges from solid green to green variegated and bronze-tinged spikes of flowers. The compact foliage churns out short purple flower spikes of purple flowers in mid to late spring. Vigorous and adaptable, it thrives in sun or shade and various soil types. It grows 4-8 inches tall but spreads readily via creeping stems—a tough, no-fuss ground cover.
‘Celeste’ Lithodora (Lithodora diffusa ‘Celeste’)
This low-growing evergreen ground cover shows off masses of star-shaped gentian blue flowers from late spring to early summer. Its neat, glossy green foliage forms a tidy mat no more than 6 inches tall. Does best in full sun with well-drained soil. This ground cover is also resistant to harmful conditions, makes an attractive year-round ground cover, and adds organic interest to rock gardens.
‘Queen Charlotte’ Sweet Violet (Viola odorata’ Queen Charlotte’)
This heirloom viola variety bears abundant deep purple blooms in early spring and intermittently until frost. Its heart-shaped leaves form a lush carpet under 1 foot tall. Spreads moderately via stolons. Adds a delicate grace note to shaded garden beds and pathways. Sweet violets thrive in shade gardens and naturalize easily.
Chocolate Vine (Akebia quinata)
A deciduous ground cover vine, the chocolate vine produces racemes of vivid purple flowers in early spring. It grows rapidly to 25 feet and spreads indefinitely via twining stems and underground runners. It works well as a large-scale ground cover, and the plant thrives in full sun to partial shade. Also valued for its edible sausage-shaped fruit.
Purple Rock Cress (Aubrieta deltoidea)
Aubrieta deltoidea produces masses of tiny purple flowers that bloom in early spring on trailing mats just 4-6 inches tall. Its gray-green leaves form a dense carpet in rock gardens and slopes. It thrives in full sun, yet it is a ground cover that requires well-drained soil. Combines nicely with spring bulbs and other early bloomers. The flowers or leaves of this ground cover need cutting back to encourage the reblooming of this beautiful ground cover.
Winter Blooming Bergenia (Bergebia crassifolia)
This hardy perennial sends up purple shades of flower clusters on short stems over low-growing leaves in late winter to early spring. Its large, leathery leaves often take on a red tint in cooler months. It grows just 12 inches tall while spreading 18-24 inches wide. Adds early season color to shady beds and combines well with bulbs. It offers the best purple foliage color in part shade.
Magenta Rock Rose (Cistus x pulverulentus ‘Sunset’)
This sun-loving shrubby perennial bears 2-inch saucer-shaped magenta flowers from late spring to early summer. It forms a tidy 18-inch tall x 3-foot wide mound that suppresses weeds. Thrives in hot, dry conditions. It is striking when massed as a low hedge or ground cover. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage reblooming. (Read Problems With Dahlias)
Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
Creeping thyme makes an excellent evergreen ground cover for hot, sunny areas. It forms a tight mat of tiny leaves topped by clusters of purple flowers in summer. It grows as an annual ground cover to heights of 1-2 inches and spreads 18 inches wide. It adds a wonderful fragrance when brushed against. It makes an ideal ground cover to place around paving stones and rock gardens. Shear occasionally to maintain compact growth.
Creeping Phlox Or Evergreen Ground Cover With Creeping Thyme
For year-round interest, consider these evergreen ground covers that also produce pure purple blooms:
Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
This aromatic woody perennial offers graceful purple flower ground cover clusters spring through summer atop tiny green leaves. It remains an evergreen ground cover plant in mild climates. Max height around 2 inches. This purple flower ground cover plant enhances paths and walkways.
Lithodora (Lithodora diffusa)
An easy-care evergreen perennial that blooms with starry gentian-blue flowers in late spring. Forms a compact mat under 6 inches tall. Thrives in full sun with good drainage.
Common Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
Oval green leaves and purple or lovely lilac-blue flowers in spring cover the ground. The dainty flowers grow 4-6 inches tall, and the flowers on top spread indefinitely. It is also available with white flowers and purple flowering forms.
Horned Violet (Viola cornuta)
The evergreen foliage forms a carpet of foliage and flowers under 6 inches tall. It blooms with green leaves and tiny lavender flowers – purple with white centers, lavender-blue flowers, or white bi-colored flowers over a very long season from early spring to frost. Self-seeds freely.
Wild Violet (Viola sororia)
This native woodland violet blooms in spring with deep blue-purple flowers over heart-shaped green leaves. Grows 4-8 inches tall. Spreads by underground rhizomes and reseeds readily. Thrives in partial or full shade.
Creeping Mazus (Mazus reptans)
A mat-forming perennial with small purple and yellow snapdragon-like blooms in late spring. Foliage is light green and vaguely hairy. It grows just 2-4 inches tall but spreads moderately in moist, shady sites.
Blue Star Creeper (Isotoma fluviatilis)
Dainty bright blue star-shaped flowers that bloom from late spring to frost. Forms lush full-sun ground cover plants 2-4 inches tall. The plant grows in partial sun or part shade, spreading along the ground via stolons.
Ice Plant
When the sun hits the leaves of the ice plant, they act as if they are ice crystals. The purple-blue flowers of this flowering plant are not the only colors; you can find pink flowers and tubular flowers in white and yellow.
Conclusion
The ground covered with purple flowers and purple blooms atop provide a stunning visual impact in the garden. They flower profusely, spread readily to cover ground and help control weeds and erosion. Evergreen plant types like creeping thyme and periwinkle offer year-round texture and color.
When choosing purple ground covers, look for purple-flowering ground covers or trumpet-shaped flowers suited to your site’s sun exposure, soil, and moisture levels.
Give them ideal growing conditions; beautiful purple flowers can add a lush living carpet. Use them as an enticing accent or expansive mass planting. Whatever your style, attractive ground cover with purple spectacle will elevate your landscape.
