Trees or Bushes with Purple Flowers for the Valley

[observer53]

Originally Posted by DougStark

If your wife likes purple AND an amazing fragrance, buy her a Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow bush. Here's a link:
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow - Monrovia - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

I've had one in a pot for 15 years. Since it likes acid soil, growing it in a pot is easier than in our lousy soil here. The blooms change color daily (hence the name) and are very fragrant. Mostly a shade plant for this climate.

That's a new one for me. Thanks!

Originally Posted by stevek64

For a deciduous/low care/low water tree, a desert willow tree has various shades of trumpet flower shaped blooms and one of the flower colors is a real nice deep purple. Just make sure you see the bloom before buying it to know what color the blooms are as they vary.

Desert Willow Landscape Plants | Garden Guides

For the most reliable/easy care/blooms with a bunch of nice purple flowers everyday from early spring to about November and going dormant for only a few months a year, I'd suggest a Mexican Petunia shrub, ie a ruellia brittoniana. A larger shrub will bloom a few dozen purple flowers every morning, drop them in the day sometime depending how hot it is/how much sun they get, then bloom a new batch of purple flowers the next day. It's crazy how fast it will make so many new blooms.

Ruellia brittoniana 'Purple Showers' | Fine Gardening

I've found it NOT to be invasive in our desert climate.


As some mentioned the lilac vine, Hardenbergia violacea, and a texas sage will bloom purplish flowers and grow well here but they aren't as consistent year round. The lilac vine is a really nice plant though, especially if you give it a bit of filtered shade/shade especially in the afternoon.

Jacaranda trees are very pretty with purplish flowers but you're purple display will last a few weeks at most. And while there are some nice specimens that grow here, frankly the most of the tree looks kind of scraggly/sparse in our parts in my view. Just a little too hot for most of them to be happy based on what I've seen. San Diego area they thrive/bloom all summer and look real nice.

A vitex tree has great purple bloom spikes in the spring but most of the year it's void of flowers.

The Texas Mountain Laurel tree/shrub blooms real nice purple flowers but it's a few weeks bloom than out kind of thing too in regards to blooms. This year with the hot spell we had the blooms lasted even less. The blooms smell like grape bubble gum which smells great/is an addicting smell to me.

I'd plant the ruellia in a big pot, to allow for watering without the kudzu like spread we experienced (they were planted in a raised planter, not in our icky soil).

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by observer53

That's a new one for me. Thanks!



I'd plant the ruellia in a big pot, to allow for watering without the kudzu like spread we experienced (they were planted in a raised planter, not in our icky soil).

Spoiled Ruellia is a bad behaved Rueillia is what you're saying?

I never tried one in a big pot but I bet they'd look nice that way.....do they require quite a bit of watering that way?