Low Growing Purple Perennials: Your Guide To 12 Stunning Groundcover

ByRimon Chowdhury Updated on

Are you staring at that empty space at the front of your garden bed, wondering what to plant? You want color and texture, but you don’t want tall, floppy plants that will block the view of your other garden treasures.

I know the feeling well. Finding the perfect plants to edge a border or fill a gap can be a real puzzle. You need something that’s beautiful, hardworking, and won’t demand all your time and attention.

Imagine a lush, weed-suppressing carpet of rich purple blooms that returns year after year with minimal fuss. These plants not only add a touch of royal elegance to your landscape but also serve as a living mulch, attracting pollinators and making your garden healthier.

In this complete low growing purple perennials guide, we’re going to unlock the secrets to creating that stunning effect. You’ll discover my top plant picks, learn exactly how to care for them, and get the confidence you need to transform your garden. Let’s get started!

Why Choose Low Growing Purple Perennials? The Undeniable Benefits

Before we dive into the specific plants, let’s talk about why these little powerhouses are such a fantastic addition to any garden. The benefits of low growing purple perennials go far beyond just looking pretty—they are some of the most practical and hardworking plants you can choose.

Here’s why I recommend them to fellow gardeners time and time again:

  • Effortless Weed Control: Dense, mat-forming perennials are nature’s weed barrier. They quickly cover bare soil, shading out and out-competing pesky weed seedlings. This means less time on your knees pulling weeds and more time enjoying your garden!
  • Low Maintenance Champions: Once established, most of these plants are incredibly self-sufficient. They come back every year, require minimal pruning, and many are quite drought-tolerant. They are the definition of “plant it and forget it” gardening.

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  • Pollinator Magnets: The vibrant purple hues are irresistible to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Planting these flowers is a simple way to support your local ecosystem and improve the pollination of your other garden plants. This is a key part of creating eco-friendly low growing purple perennials.

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  • Stunning Visual Appeal: Purple is a color of sophistication and tranquility. It pairs beautifully with almost every other color in the garden—from hot pinks and oranges to cool blues and silvers. These low-growing varieties create a soft, beautiful edge to paths and borders.

Our Top 12 Low Growing Purple Perennials for Every Garden

Ready to find the perfect plant for your space? Here are my tried-and-true favorites. I’ve included a variety for different light conditions and zones, so you’re sure to find a match. This is your ultimate list of how to low growing purple perennials successfully.

1. Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)

This is the plant that creates those breathtaking carpets of color you see spilling over rock walls in spring. It’s an absolute showstopper.

  • Height: 4-6 inches
  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Zones: 3-9
  • Why I love it: It’s incredibly drought-tolerant once established and provides a dense, evergreen mat of foliage year-round. The sheer volume of flowers in spring is simply spectacular.

2. Ajuga / Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)

Ajuga is a fantastic problem-solver for shady spots where grass struggles to grow. The dark, glossy foliage is just as beautiful as the spikes of purple flowers.

  • Height: 4-8 inches
  • Sun: Part Shade to Full Shade
  • Zones: 4-9
  • Why I love it: It spreads reliably (be sure to give it room!) and forms a dense groundcover that chokes out weeds. Varieties like ‘Black Scallop’ have stunning, near-black foliage. A word of caution: it can be aggressive, so plant it where it has boundaries.

3. Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)

Perfect for planting between stepping stones, Creeping Thyme releases a wonderful fragrance when you walk on it. It’s a sensory delight!

  • Height: 2-4 inches
  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Zones: 4-9
  • Why I love it: It’s tough as nails, tolerates foot traffic, and is beloved by bees. It thrives in poor, dry soil where other plants might fail.

4. Bellflower (Campanula portenschlagiana)

Also known as Dalmatian Bellflower, this charming plant produces a profusion of star-shaped, violet-blue flowers for a very long season.

  • Height: 6-8 inches
  • Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade
  • Zones: 4-8
  • Why I love it: It’s incredibly long-blooming, often flowering from late spring right through summer. It’s perfect for tucking into rock walls or the front of a border.
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5. Hardy Geranium / Cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’)

If you want one of the longest-blooming perennials in existence, look no further. ‘Rozanne’ is a garden celebrity for a reason!

  • Height: 12-18 inches (a bit taller, but has a sprawling, groundcover habit)
  • Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade
  • Zones: 5-8
  • Why I love it: It blooms its heart out from late spring until the first frost. Its sprawling nature allows it to weave beautifully between other plants, filling gaps with ease.

6. Aubrieta / Rock Cress (Aubrieta deltoidea)

Similar to Creeping Phlox, Aubrieta is a classic rock garden plant that creates a stunning cascade of purple flowers in the spring.

  • Height: 4-6 inches
  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Zones: 4-8
  • Why I love it: It thrives in the nooks and crannies of rock walls and path edges. After it blooms, shearing it back keeps the silvery-green foliage looking neat and tidy.

7. Dwarf Iris (Iris reticulata)

These little gems are one of the first signs of spring, often pushing up through the snow. They provide a much-needed pop of early color.

  • Height: 4-6 inches
  • Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade
  • Zones: 5-9
  • Why I love it: They are perfect for tucking into small spaces and naturalizing in rock gardens. The foliage dies back in summer, so plant them near other perennials that will fill in the space.

8. Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’)

While ‘Walker’s Low’ can reach up to 2 feet, its relaxed, sprawling habit makes it function beautifully as a large-scale groundcover at the front of a border.

  • Height: 18-24 inches
  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Zones: 4-8
  • Why I love it: It’s incredibly heat and drought tolerant, deer resistant, and blooms for months. Shear it back after the first flush of flowers for a repeat performance.

9. Lamium / Spotted Dead Nettle (Lamium maculatum)

Another shade garden superstar, Lamium brightens up dark corners with its beautiful silvery foliage and delicate purple flowers.

  • Height: 6-8 inches
  • Sun: Part Shade to Full Shade
  • Zones: 3-8
  • Why I love it: It’s deer and rabbit resistant, and the variegated leaves provide interest even when the plant isn’t in bloom. It’s a fantastic, non-aggressive groundcover.

10. Verbena (Glandularia canadensis ‘Homestead Purple’)

This is a true workhorse. ‘Homestead Purple’ is a fast-spreading groundcover verbena that is covered in clusters of brilliant purple flowers all summer long.

  • Height: 8-12 inches
  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Zones: 6-10
  • Why I love it: It’s incredibly heat-tolerant and blooms nonstop. It’s perfect for covering a large, sunny bank or spilling out of a container.

11. Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris)

A unique and fuzzy early-spring bloomer, the Pasque Flower is followed by incredibly ornamental, feathery seed heads that look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

  • Height: 8-12 inches
  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Zones: 4-8
  • Why I love it: It provides interest for multiple seasons, from its fuzzy buds to its bell-shaped flowers and fascinating seed heads. It’s also very drought-tolerant.

12. Liriope / Lilyturf (Liriope muscari)

With grass-like foliage and spikes of grape-hyacinth-like flowers in late summer, Liriope is an excellent, tough-as-nails edging plant.

  • Height: 10-15 inches
  • Sun: Full Sun to Full Shade
  • Zones: 5-10
  • Why I love it: It is incredibly versatile, tolerating a wide range of conditions from sun to shade, and both wet and dry soil. It’s also evergreen in many climates.

Your Complete Low Growing Purple Perennials Care Guide

You’ve picked your plants, now what? Don’t worry—these flowers are perfect for beginners! Following a few low growing purple perennials best practices will ensure they thrive for years to come.

Planting Your Perennials for Success

The best time to plant is in the spring or fall. This gives the roots time to establish before the stress of summer heat or winter cold. Dig a hole that is twice as wide as the nursery pot but just as deep. Gently loosen the roots at the bottom of the plant, place it in the hole, and backfill with soil. Water it in well to settle the soil around the roots.

Watering Wisely: The “Less is More” Approach

For the first year, water your new plants regularly to help them get established. After that, most of these selections are quite drought-tolerant. The golden rule is to water deeply but infrequently. Let the soil dry out a bit between waterings. Good drainage is more important than frequent water for preventing root rot.

Feeding and Fertilizing (or Not!)

One of the best low growing purple perennials tips I can give you is to go easy on the fertilizer. Most of these plants, especially ones like Thyme and Aubrieta, thrive in average or even poor soil. A top-dressing of compost in the spring is usually all they need to be happy.

Pruning and Deadheading for More Blooms

For mounding plants like Catmint and Hardy Geranium, shearing them back by about a third after their first big bloom will encourage fresh new growth and a second wave of flowers. For mat-forming plants like Phlox and Aubrieta, a light trim after flowering keeps them compact and tidy.

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Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Gardening Practices

Creating a beautiful garden can and should go hand-in-hand with supporting the environment. Choosing sustainable low growing purple perennials is a fantastic start. Many of the plants listed above are native or adapted to low-water conditions, reducing your need to irrigate.

By avoiding chemical pesticides and herbicides, you protect the very pollinators these flowers attract. Using a layer of organic mulch like shredded leaves or compost not only enriches the soil but also helps retain moisture, further reducing your water usage. This is how you create a truly eco-friendly low growing purple perennials garden that gives back to nature.

Solving Common Problems with Low Growing Purple Perennials

Even the toughest plants can run into trouble. Here’s a quick guide to troubleshooting some common problems with low growing purple perennials.

  • Problem: The center of the plant is dying out.

    Solution: This is common in mat-forming perennials after a few years. It’s a sign the plant needs to be divided. In the spring or fall, simply dig up the clump, discard the dead center, and replant the healthy outer sections.
  • Problem: Leggy growth with few flowers.

    Solution: This is almost always a sign of not enough sun. For sun-lovers like Phlox, Thyme, and Verbena, “full sun” really means at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. If they aren’t getting it, they’ll stretch to find more light.
  • Problem: Yellowing leaves and mushy stems.

    Solution: You’re likely overwatering, or the soil has poor drainage. Let the soil dry out completely before watering again. If the problem persists, you may need to amend your soil with compost or grit to improve drainage.

Frequently Asked Questions About Low Growing Purple Perennials

When is the best time to plant low growing purple perennials?

The ideal times are spring and early fall. This allows the plants to establish their root systems during periods of moderate temperature and reliable rainfall, setting them up for success in the seasons to come.

How do I stop my groundcover perennials from spreading too much?

For vigorous spreaders like Ajuga or Creeping Thyme, the easiest way to control them is with physical barriers. A garden spade can be used once a year to edge the planting area, cutting back any runners that have escaped their designated space. You can also install underground landscape edging.

Can I grow low growing purple perennials in containers?

Absolutely! Many of these plants, especially Bellflower, Hardy Geranium, and Lamium, look fantastic spilling over the edges of pots and window boxes. Just be sure to use a quality potting mix and remember that container plants need more frequent watering than those in the ground.

Which of these low growing purple perennials are most deer-resistant?

While no plant is 100% deer-proof, some are much less appealing to them. Your best bets for deer resistance from this list are Creeping Thyme, Catmint (Nepeta), Lamium, and Pasque Flower. Deer tend to avoid plants with fuzzy or highly fragrant leaves.

Your Garden of Purple Awaits!

You now have a fantastic list of beautiful, hardworking plants and all the knowledge you need to grow them successfully. From the sun-baked rockery to the shady border, there is a perfect low growing purple perennial waiting to fill that empty spot in your garden.

Remember that gardening is a journey, not a destination. Start with one or two new plants, see how they perform in your unique space, and build from there. The simple act of adding these groundcover gems will reduce your weeding time, support pollinators, and bring a touch of effortless elegance to your landscape.

So go ahead, pick a favorite, and get planting. Happy gardening!

Rimon Chowdhury
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