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12 Best Garden Plants with Purple Leaves

April, 2023 | Plants Plants By Color
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Purple Heart plant trailing out of a pot in front of a stone wall and pastel blue painted door. The leaves are simple, pointed and have a beautiful dusky purple shade.

Plants with dramatic foliage or unusual colors are great for adding interest to a garden space — especially in small gardens. When space is limited, having garden plants with purple leaves can add vibrancy and contrast in between flowers and the usual green growth of other plants.

What makes leaves purple?

The purple coloring in these plants is caused by a plant compound called anthocyanin. It overpowers the green chlorophyll in leaves to produce amazingly vivid shades of purple, pink, and red.

Looking directly down on a Smoke Bush with distinctive oval leaves that are a deep, warm shade of purple with bright pink veining.
Smoke Bush

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Outdoor garden plants with purple leaves

From the low-growing deep purple rosettes of Sempervivum to the glowing, purple foliage of the smoke bush. Here are 12 garden plants with purple foliage that you use to liven up your garden!

1. Purple Heart (Tradescantia pallida)

One of my favorite garden plants with purple leaves, Purple Heart is a beautiful trailing plant with distinctive purple foliage. It has narrow, spearhead-shaped leaves that have a dusky purple-green color on the topside and a vibrant purple underneath. As an extra treat, it also produces tiny pink flowers in summer.

Although evergreen, it’s a fairly tender plant, with a minimum temperature range of 20F to 30F. It could overwinter in some areas under protection like a cold frame or greenhouse. This mini wooden cold frame from Amazon is a great way to protect tender plants in a small garden.

A close up of a stem on a purple heart plant. It has a deep royal purple color with a slight blue-grey sheen. A set of stone steps can be seen leading off into the distance in the background.

2. Sempervivum 

Usually known as houseleeks or hen n chicks, sempervivums are a type of succulent that forms compact mats of rosettes. They are a unique, low-growing alpine that would work well as a tiny plant option for mini fairy gardens.

You can find them in a range of colors, but purple sempervivums definitely have an edge with their deeply pigmented purple foliage. Hardy and with good drought resistance, they’re a great purple leaf plant for a low-maintenance garden!

Some of the most purple Sempervivum varieties:

  • ‘Purple Beauty’
  • ‘Ruby Heart’
  • ‘Onyx’
Looking down at a close up of a rosette of sempervivum leaves. They have a very deep purple color, warm purple at the center of each leaf, fading out to a deep, cool purple. The single rosette sits in a grey plastic container on a wooden bench.
Sempervivum ‘Onyx’

3. Coral Bells (Heuchera)

Loved for their colorful and vibrant foliage, you can find a heuchera cultivar in almost any color! They’re also evergreen perennials in most areas, meaning you get to enjoy their vibrant purple foliage all year.

As tender shade loving plants, it’s best to plant them in partially shaded borders.

Some of the most vibrant purple Heucheras:

  • Heuchera ‘Wildberry’
  • Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’
  • Heuchera ‘Grape Timeless’
Purple heuchera leaves with a mixture of silvery, pink and red tones. They were recently water so are covered in droplets of water. They're also in flower and have long thick, purple stems with tiny pink flowers at the top.
Heuchera ‘Grape Timeless’

4. Acer palmatum

There are hundreds of colorful Acer cultivars, including some with deep purple leaves. Acers change color as they move through the season, so expect a varied display of color. With purple Acers, the new leaves tend to start with a pinky color before becoming purple.

Acers are generally small which makes them lovely trees to grow on balconies. There are lots of differently colored cultivars of this Acer species, so we’ve listed some with the most purple foliage below.

  • Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’
  • Acer palmatum ‘Fire Glow’
  • Acer palmatum ‘Nigrum’
  • Acer palmatum ‘Red Filigree Lace’
  • Acer palmatum ‘Amagi-shigure’

Related Read | Essential Tips for Growing Trees in Containers

Looking down on a 'Fire Glow' acer cultivar in a terracotta pot. The leaves are a very deep shade of purple. They contrast nicely against the rust color of the pot.
Acer palmatum ‘Fire Glow’ in October

5. Purple Basil 

For a splash of color in the herb garden, purple basil is a unique addition! It has a very deep purple color that would contrast beautifully against other green herbs in your garden.

Once cooked it loses its color, so if you want it to retain its purple hue it’s best when used fresh or added right at the end of cooking. Basil plant varieties with purple leaves include, ‘Purple Ruffles’ and ‘Red Ruby’.

Another aromatic kitchen herb with purple foliage is sage. New leaves and shoots are a beautiful, dusky purple color.

A close up photo showing the deep purple leaves of purple basil. They have the familiar waxy sheen and deep veining, but are deeply pigmented. Bright green basil is seen out of focus behind, creating a clear contrast between green and purple.

6. Eastern Redbud ‘Forest Pansy’

The Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), otherwise known as the State tree of Oklahoma, is a beautiful native tree with heart-shaped leaves and beautiful pea-like blossoms in spring. There are two cultivars called ‘Forest Pansy’ and ‘Ruby Falls’ which have the most purple foliage.

A purple, heart-shaped leaf is at the center of the image. It's surrounded by other purple leaves in the background, and some that are green with purple edges. A wire netted fence is on the left.

7. Hebe

I’m a big fan of hebes, they have such uniquely colored foliage, often with really eye-catching variegation too. There are a few hebe cultivars that have beautiful highly pigmented purple leaves. There are also several hebes with pink colored foliage too if you’re looking to keep the dramatic color going!

Hebe cultivars with purple leaves:

  • Hebe ‘Purple Rain’
  • Hebe ‘Black Beauty’
  • Hebe ‘Raspberry Chocolate’
A close up looking at the top of a hebe 'Raspberry Chocolate'. The newest leaves are a warm purple/pink, and lower down they become more of a dusky maroon.
Hebe ‘Raspberry Chocolate’

8. Sedum

Some sedum varieties have beautiful, vibrant pinky/purple leaves. Their purple, succulent leaves are also usually paired with a magnificent display of pink flowers in summer. The contrast between the light pink flowers and deep purple leaves is incredibly eye-catching.

Sedum varieties with purple leaves:

  • Sedum ‘Sun Sparkler’
  • Sedum ‘Purple Emperor’
  • Sedum ‘Dark Magic’
  • Sedum ‘Mojave Jewels Ruby’
There's a mass of pinky purple sedum foliage with it's signature long stems and succulent-like leaves with lightly serrated edges. It's a selection of young plants in light gray pots.
Sedum ‘Mojave Jewels Ruby’

9. Smoke Bush ‘Royal Purple’

If you’re looking for something with a softer look, the ‘Royal Purple’ smoke bush (Cotinus Coggygria) has beautiful foliage. The rounded leaves with their long stems are very distinctive and create a tropical, open look.

It has vibrant purple leaves from spring and throughout the summer. Plus, you’ll also be treated to a delicate haze of tiny, cream-colored flowers.

A branch covered in simple, rounded, oval leaves with light veining. They have a beautiful, soft purple color and have a smooth look. The stems attaching the leaves to the main branch are quite long, giving the foliage a softer, open look.

10. Ruby Leaf

A member of the amaranth family, Ruby Leaf (Alternanthera dentata or Alternanthera brasiliana) has beautiful deep purple foliage. It’s quite short so works well at the front of borders or in containers to add some vibrancy.

Two cultivars with the most purple foliage:

  • Alternanthera brasiliana ‘Purple Prince’
  • Alternanthera dentata ‘Little Ruby’
The whole image is covered in purple foliage. The leaves which are catching the sunlight look dusky purple/grey. Leaves in the shade have a warm purple color.
Alternanthera dentata ‘Little Ruby’ | Photo by Meganesia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

11. Cordyline

One of the most architectural plants with purple leaves, Cordyline is a beautiful palm-like plant that can add a little tropical vibrance to urban spaces. There are some beautiful, purple-colored varieties that can provide contrast against softer foliage, especially plants with silvery leaves.

Purple cordyline varieties:

  • Cordyline ‘Red Star’
  • Cordyline ‘Purple Sensation’
A Red Star cordyline sat amongst the soft, blue feathery foliage of the grass-like Festuca glauca. It's a lovely contrast in texture and color. Othe pink flowers sit on the right hand side out of focus adding more contrast.

12. Purple-leaf False Shamrock

With delicate, clover-like leaves, purple-leaf false shamrock (Oxalis triangularis) adds an elegant flush of purple to borders or containers. It will happily live outdoors down to about 23 degrees Fahrenheit.

Looking for more dramatic foliage? There are also lots of amazingly vibrant plants with pink leaves that can add some warmth and drama to your garden too!

Another eye-catching foliage color to bring into your garden is black. Plants with black leaves pair exceptionally well with warm colors, like purple or pink.

Other foliage colors that can add vibrancy and interest to your space…

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  • Hey there! I'm Hannah from Mini Garden Spaces.

    I'm a gardener currently based in Gloucestershire. Balconies, patios or windowsills... no matter how small your garden, you'll find top tips on growing beautiful plants and tasty veg in your mini garden space.

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