Striking Purple Flowers
The purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) a native of North America Prairie has since spread eastward. This plant grows wild along open woodlands and the roadsides in the South States. The wild variety of Echinacea is an endangered plant, though however as a cultivate perennial, the purple flowers are easy to obtain through seed catalogs and local garden centers.
The Solitary Clematis is a slender stemmed, perennial with stems that reach up to 1m. The plant is covered with bell-shaped nodding violet flowers that have recurving sepals from June till September. This is followed by fluffy seed heads later in the season. This species grows in the wild in southeast Europe. They are hardy and generally healthy; hence they are undemanding and easy to grow. Its stem dies down to the ground each year and should be cut back at ground level in early spring. A number of hybrids that are very attractive have been selected from solitary clematis, all of them retaining the immunity and healthiness of the species.
'Rooguchi' is a charming variety obtained in Japan, by crossbreeding clematis integrifolia and clematis reticulate. It has deep violet blue flowers and bloom incessantly from June to October. The stems do not twine against support but they tend to lean against them. The plant can be left to grow at ground level or stimulated with a help of a string or wire to grow higher. Suitable for containers it makes a good container plant. However, it is susceptible to powdery mildew.
The 'Warszawska Nike' of the clematis group is a Polish variety. It is a hardy, floriferous cultivar, having moderate growth. The plant breaks out in bloom with rich royal purple flowers with gold stamens. They are profusely borne from June to September. They make for excellent growing over fences, walls, trellises and poles. The flowers are pretty to cultivate in large containers on terraces and balconies.
The Purple lilac is a very hardy shrub and a very unstable plant. Lilacs are loved for their beauty and irresistible fragrance for generations. Being an easy flowering shrub to propagate, they have often been labeled as a "poor man's flower". Today lilacs come in a wonderful array colors that include violet, pink, blue, magenta, white to creamy white, lilac and purple. They make wonderful screens between neighboring yards and are beautiful when planted as hedges. When in full bloom during mid-spring, the fragrance from these purple flowers linger for many weeks, whether left on the bush or cut for long-lasting nostalgic bouquets.