A good ground cover plant can beautify your yard and prevent soil from washing away. Some ground cover plants produce flowers for part of the year – and you can find many different colors, including purple.
So, which ground cover plants have purple flowers? Ground cover plants with purple flowers include Alpine Aster, Bugleweed, Canterbury Bells, English Lavender, Grape Hyacinth, Hardy Cyclamen, Hyssop, Maypop, Self-Heal, and Wild Geranium. Some of these plants also produce flowers with other colors, some have interesting foliage, and some tolerate extreme cold.
Of course, some of these plants will tolerate more cold than others. The plants you choose will depend on where you live (your plant hardiness zone) and which zones each plant can survive in.
In this article, we’ll talk about 10 ground cover plants with purple flowers. We’ll also dive into the details of what they need in terms of light, water, and other important growth factors.
Let’s begin.
10 Ground Cover Plants With Purple Flowers
There are lots of ground cover plants with purple flowers out there, but here are 10 to get you started:
- Alpine Aster
- Bugleweed
- Canterbury Bells
- English Lavender
- Grape Hyacinth
- Hardy Cyclamen
- Hyssop
- Maypop
- Self-Heal
- Wild Geranium
Alpine Aster
Alpine Aster (Aster alpinus) is a ground cover plant that is native to the mountains of Europe. This perennial produces purple or white flowers from late spring to fall.
Alpine Aster needs moderate moisture levels and needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Alpine Aster likes full sun but tolerates partial shade. It can tolerate acidic, alkaline, or neutral soil pH.
Alpine Aster can tolerate cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4 (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or -34 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 4 to 6 inches, with a width of 12 to 16 inches.
You can propagate Alpine Aster by division.
You can learn more about Alpine Aster from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Alpine Aster from High Country Gardens.
Bugleweed
Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans, also called St. Lawrence Plant) is a ground cover plant in the mint family. It is a perennial evergreen that produces purple flowers in spring and summer.
The leaves of Bugleweed are green and may have white edges. The stems have hairs on two sides.
The plant is compact, and may only grow to a height of 4 to 6 inches, with a width of 8 inches.
Bugleweed can tolerate a variety of moisture levels, from wet to dry, and is drought-tolerant. It can also resist deer and foot traffic.
Bugleweed tolerates acidic, alkaline, and neutral pH in soil. This plant can tolerate light conditions from full sun to full shade.
Bugleweed can tolerate intense cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 3 (as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or -40 degrees Celsius).
Bugleweed is self-fertile.
You can learn more about Bugleweed from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Bugleweed from Wilson Brothers Garden.
Canterbury Bells
Canterbury Bells (Campanula medium) is a ground cover plant that produces 2 to 3 inch purple flowers from spring to summer (other types produce white, blue, pink, or lavender flowers). This plant is biennial, meaning that it has a two-year life cycle to reproduce.
Canterbury Bells needs moderate moisture levels and needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Canterbury Bells likes full sun but tolerates partial shade. It prefers a slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.8).
Canterbury Bells can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 2 (as cold as -50 degrees Fahrenheit or -46 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 8 to 36 inches, with a width of 4 to 16 inches.
You can propagate Canterbury Bells by division or root cuttings.
You can learn more about Canterbury Bells from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Canterbury Bells from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
English Lavender
English Lavender (Lavandula angusifolia) is a perennial ground cover plant that produces tiny (less than 1 inch) purple flowers from spring to summer.
English Lavender needs moderate to dry moisture levels and needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
English Lavender likes full sun but tolerates partial shade. It prefers a slightly alkaline to neutral soil (pH of 6.6 to 7.8).
English Lavender can tolerate cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 5 (as cold as -20 degrees Fahrenheit or -29 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 18 inches, with a width of 18 inches.
You can propagate English Lavender by layering, division, stem cuttings, or by seed.
You can learn more about English Lavender from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find English Lavender from American Meadows.
Grape Hyacinth
Grape Hyacinth (Muscari) is a perennial ground cover plant that produces tiny (less than 1 inch) purple flowers from late winter to spring.
Grape Hyacinth needs moderate moisture levels and needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Grape Hyacinth likes full sun but tolerates partial shade. It can tolerate acidic, alkaline, or neutral soil pH.
Grape Hyacinth can tolerate cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4 (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or –34 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 4 to 6 inches, with a narrow width.
You can propagate Grape Hyacinth by division, offsets, or bulbs.
You can learn more about Grape Hyacinth from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Grape Hyacinth from Nature Hills.
Hardy Cyclamen
Hardy Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium) is a perennial ground cover plant that produces small (up to 2 inches) purple flowers from summer to fall.
Hardy Cyclamen needs moderate to dry moisture levels and needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Hardy Cyclamen likes full sun but tolerates partial or full shade. It can tolerate acidic, alkaline, or neutral soil pH.
Hardy Cyclamen can tolerate cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4 (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or –34 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 3 to 6 inches, with a width of 7 to 8 inches.
You can propagate Hardy Cyclamen by division, separation, or seed.
You can learn more about Hardy Cyclamen from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Hardy Cyclamen from Ashwood Nurseries.
Hyssop
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is a perennial ground cover plant that produces tiny (under 1 inch) purple flowers from late spring to early fall.
Hyssop needs moderate to dry moisture levels and needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Hyssop likes full sun but tolerates partial or full shade. It can tolerate acidic, alkaline, or neutral soil pH.
Hyssop can tolerate cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 6 (as cold as -5 degrees Fahrenheit or –21 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 18 to 24 inches, with a width of 18 to 24 inches.
Hyssop is self-fertile.
You can learn more about Hyssop from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Hyssop from the Shop at Monticello.
Maypop
Maypop (Passiflora incarnate, or Wild Passion Flower) is a perennial ground cover vine that produces small (2 to 3 inches) purple flowers from spring to early fall.
Maypop needs moderate moisture levels and needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Maypop likes full sun but tolerates partial or full shade. It can tolerate acidic, alkaline, or neutral soil pH.
Maypop can tolerate cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 6 (as cold as -5 degrees Fahrenheit or –21 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 6 to 8 feet (possibly up to 20 feet!), with a width of 3 to 6 feet.
You can propagate Maypop by layering, stem cutting, or seeds.
You can learn more about Maypop from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Maypop from Logee’s.
Self-Heal
Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris) is a perennial ground cover vine that produces tiny (less than 1 inch) purple flowers from late spring to summer.
Self-Heal needs moderate to wet moisture levels.
Self-Heal likes partial or full shade. It can tolerate acidic, alkaline, or neutral soil pH.
Self-Heal can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 3 (as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or –40 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 1 to 2 feet, with an indeterminate width (it spread as it creeps along the ground).
You can propagate Self-Heal by layering, division, or stem cuttings.
You can learn more about Self-Heal from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Self-Heal from Annie’s Annuals.
Wild Geranium
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) is a perennial ground cover plant that produces small (1 to 2 inches) purple flowers in late spring or early summer.
Wild Geranium needs moderate to dry moisture levels and needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Wild Geranium likes partial or full shade. It can tolerate acidic, alkaline, or neutral soil pH.
Wild Geranium can tolerate cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4a (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or –34 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 8 to 30 inches, with a width of 6 to 18 inches.
You can propagate Wild Geranium by division or stem cuttings.
You can learn more about Wild Geranium from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Wild Geranium from Native Wildflowers Nursery.
Conclusion
Now you know about 10 interesting ground cover plants with purple flowers that you can try growing at home.
If you are doing some landscaping, you might want to read my article on white ground cover plants, my article on vines with purple flowers, or my article on trees with purple flowers.
If some parts of your yard don’t get much sunlight, you might to read my article on ground cover plants for shade or my article on drought tolerant plants for shade.
You might also want to check out my article on ground cover plants for Zone 6, which can tolerate subzero temperatures!
For something a little different to plant in a sunny spot in your yard, check out my article on ferns for full sun.
I hope you found this article helpful. If so, please share it with someone who can use the information.
If you want to read some of my most popular posts, check out the “Best of GreenUpSide” page here. Enjoy!
~Jonathon