8 Beautiful Purple Flowering Trees

Trees with purple flowers are great for brightening up your garden during spring and summer.

They also help to attract bees and other pollinators to your garden.

Here are 8 beautiful purple flowering trees to plant in your yard. Some of these trees can also be planted in large containers.

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purple flowering trees

8 TREES WITH PURPLE FLOWERS

1. Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia)

Jacarandas are one of the most popular flowering trees, with beautiful long lasting light purple flowers.

They grow best in warm climates (zones 9b to 11 in the US), in a spot that receives full sun for most of the day. 

Jacarandas can grow 32 to 50 feet (10 to 15 metres) and the same distance in width, so they need plenty of room to spread out in the garden.

purple jacaranda tree

2. Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp) 

Crape Myrtles are deciduous flowering trees that are suited to most areas.

They can tolerate a range of conditions including light frosts in winter and warm temperatures in summer.

Crape Myrtle trees bloom from summer to fall and then the leaves turn beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red before falling off.

purple crepe myrtle flowers

3. Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)

Chaste tree is another beautiful purple flowering tree that blooms from late spring until early fall.

They can grow 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 metres) tall and spread out 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 metres). 

Chaste trees will freeze during very cold weather but they’ll quickly grow back. [1]

purple chaste tree

4. Lilac Bush (Syringa vulgaris)

Lilac bushes can be grown as shrubs or small trees and some varieties can grow up to 15 feet (4.5 m) tall.

They’re hardy, low maintenance trees that bloom in late spring.

Lilac’s fragrant purple flowers are great for attracting butterflies and they’re beautiful as part of cut flower arrangements.

purple lilac flowers

5. Magnolia ‘Royal Purple’ (Magnolia x soulangeana)

Royal purple magnolia trees are ideal for small gardens and they also do well in containers.

The large purple flowers can grow up to 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter and they appear on the bare branches in late winter or early spring so they’re great for providing an early pop of color to your garden.

purple magnolia flowers

6. Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)

Mountain Laurel is a beautiful flowering evergreen shrub or small tree that blooms from late spring to early summer.

They grow best in partial shade and usually reach about 10 feet (3 metres) tall.

Mountain laurels don’t need regular pruning but you can trim them back lightly if they get too big.

purple mountain laurel

7. Orchid tree (Bauhinia variegata)

Orchid trees are stunning, low maintenance flowering trees that grow best in warm climates.

They have beautiful purple or pink flowers that look similar to orchid flowers.

Orchid trees can grow 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 metres) tall and grow best in a position that receives full sun during the day.

purple orchid tree

8. Dogwood (Cornus florida)

Dogwoods are popular deciduous trees with beautiful flowers that can be pink, red, white or purple.

They grow best in areas with cool winters and warm summer temperatures. In fall the leaves turn red before they fall off.

Dogwoods grow well in full sun or part shade and they usually reach about 16 feet (5 metres) tall.

purple dogwood tree

Purple flowering tree care tips

Make sure there’s plenty of room for the tree to grow and spread out in the garden.

Improve the soil by digging some aged compost or soil improver into the soil before planting and regularly water the tree while it’s young until it becomes established.

Apply a layer of mulch around the base of the tree to reduce weeds and help it retain moisture.

Lightly prune the tree annually, making sure to remove any diseased branches to keep the tree healthy.

Apply a slow release fertilizer in spring to encourage the production of large, long lasting flowers.

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So there are eight beautiful purple flowering trees that are sure to beautify your garden.

Planting one or more of these trees is a great way to bring color and interest to your garden while also attracting birds, bees and other beneficial insects.

Which of these trees with purple flowers do you like best? Let me know in the comments below.

Are you on Pinterest? I have boards dedicated to Urban Gardens and Garden Ideas that you may enjoy. You can also find me on Facebook.

trees with purple flowers

Kelly Martin

Hi, I'm Kelly Martin, a landscape gardener and designer with over 10 years experience. I have a passion for small space gardening and I love designing and creating beautiful outdoor spaces that maximize the potential of small urban gardens. Read more

This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Nkem

    There is something about trees with purple flowers that just feels magical! These are all beautiful trees.

  2. Lyosha

    Super beautiful flowering trees indeed! I love it when the trees bloom.

  3. Stella

    I think that I would love to have the lilac bush tree. My favorite color, too. At the moment I have two flowering trees in my house (that were planted by someone else and the meaning is not lost on me, you plant a beautiful tree and so many will enjoy it decades after you are gone from the place) and they are absolute stars when they bloom. One is a flowering cherry tree (no cherries, but amazing blooms) and the other has white flowers. I don’t know much about it, but wow, it is beautiful.

  4. Subhashish Roy

    Wow what a wonderful collection of purple trees. They all look so beautiful. So sad we don’t get to see most of these varieties here in our place. So it was such a refreshing experience.

  5. Erica (The Prepping Wife)

    I had no idea that purple flowers attracted bees to a yard or garden! I will definitely add some purple flowers to mine. Lilacs are easily my favorite on your list. I remember my aunt had large lilac shrubs in her yard as a child, and it is something I’ve always envisioned my garden having as well.

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