IN THIS GUIDE
- Top Trees With Purple Leaves
- 1) Acer palmatum
- 2) Acer platanoides
- 3) Betula pendula
- 4) Cercis canadensis
- 5) Fagus sylvatica
- 6) Prunus cerasifera
- 7) Prunus serrulata
- 8) Sambucus nigra
- Top Shrubs With Purple Foliage
- 9) Berberis thunbergii
- 10) Cotinus coggygria
- 11) Corylopsis sinensis
- 12) Corylus maxima
- 13) Hebe
- 14) Loropetalum chinense
- 15) Pittosporum tenuifolium
- 16) Rincinus communis
- 17) Salvia Officinalis
- 18) Weigela Florida
- Perennials With Purple Leaves
- 19) Actaea
- 20) Ajuga reptans
- 21) Anthriscus sylvestris
- 22) Canna
- 23) Dahlias
- 24) Euphorbia dulcis
- 25) Heuchera
- 26) Ophiopogon planiscapus
- 27) Rheum palmatum
- 28) Sedum telephium
- Purple-Leaved Edibles for the Vegetable Garden
- 29) Amaranthus cruentus
- 30) Atriplex hortensis var. rubra
- 31) Chenopodium quinoa
- 32) Cichorium intybus
- 33) Lactuca sativa
- 34) Ocimum basilicum
- 35) Perilla frutescens var.crispa
Choosing plants with purple leaves can help break up the green and add interest to your garden.
Purple leaves can add drama to a planting scheme, they can break up the verdant hues and help you play around with perspective and draw the eye.
They can help you in creating the perfect colour scheme for your space, and in creating diverse and interesting planting schemes – even helping you beautify food-producing spaces.
Read on for suggestions of trees, shrubs, perennials and even edible plants with purple foliage.
Top Trees With Purple Leaves
First of all, consider trees with purple leaves, as these larger plants can often have the most impact.
There are a huge range of trees with purple leaves that can work very well in a garden.
No matter how large or small your garden may be, you should have no difficulty finding one or more purple foliage trees to suit.
Some great trees with purple leaves to consider are:
1) Acer palmatum

- COMMON NAME(S): JAPANESE MAPLE
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Atropurpureum’, ‘Burgundy Lace’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
2) Acer platanoides

- COMMON NAME(S): NORWAY MAPLE
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Crimson king’, ‘Crimson sentry’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
3) Betula pendula

- COMMON NAME(S): BIRCH TREE
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Purpurea’, ‘Dark Prince’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
4) Cercis canadensis

- COMMON NAME(S): REDBUD
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Merlot’, ‘Ruby Falls’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
5) Fagus sylvatica

- COMMON NAME(S): COPPER BEECH
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Atropurpurea’, ‘Purpurea’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
6) Prunus cerasifera

- COMMON NAME(S): ORNAMENTAL PLUM
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Princess’, ‘Pendula’ or ‘Thundercloud’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
7) Prunus serrulata

- COMMON NAME(S): FLOWERING CHERRY
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Royal Burgundy’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
8) Sambucus nigra

- COMMON NAME(S): ELDER
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Black lace’, ‘Purpurea’ or ‘Black Beauty’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
A number of the choices above not only have ornamental appeal, but also produce fruits that can have edible uses.
Crab apples, for example, and elderberries, are useful crops that can be used in making preserves, wines, and more.
Get the trees right first, and the rest of the planting scheme should follow.
Layered planting below your trees with beneficial guild plants can help you make the most of your space, and achieve lush and impressive results.
Top Shrubs With Purple Foliage
To complement any trees with purple leaves you have planted, you should next consider adding some purple leaved shrubs.
Shrubs might be placed below or around your trees, at the back of garden borders, or even included in mixed hedgerows.
Consider including some evergreen shrubs with purple leaves as well as some which lose their leaves in winter.
The more variety you add to your garden, the better it will be for wildlife, and the more interest there will be throughout the year.
Some interesting shrubs with purple leaves to consider are:
9) Berberis thunbergii

- COMMON NAME(S): BARBERRY
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Royal burgundy’, ‘Bagatelle’ or ‘Royal Cloak’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
10) Cotinus coggygria

- COMMON NAME(S): PURPLE SMOKE BUSH
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Royal purple’, ‘Velvet Cloak’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
11) Corylopsis sinensis

- COMMON NAME(S): WINTER HAZEL, WITCH HAZEL
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Spring purple’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
12) Corylus maxima

- COMMON NAME(S): PURPLE-LEAVED FILBERT
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Purpurea’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
13) Hebe

- COMMON NAME(S): HEBE
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Burning heart’, ‘Heartbreaker’, ‘Caledonian’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
14) Loropetalum chinense

- COMMON NAME(S): CHINESE FRINGE FLOWER / STRAP FLOWER
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Fire dancer’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
15) Pittosporum tenuifolium

- COMMON NAME(S): TAWHIWHI
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Tom Thumb’, ‘Breeway’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
16) Rincinus communis

- COMMON NAME(S): CASTOR OIL PLANT
- HARDINESS RATING: H2
17) Salvia Officinalis

- COMMON NAME(S): PURPLE SAGE
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Purpurascens’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
18) Weigela Florida

- COMMON NAME(S): WEIGELA FLORIDA
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Foliis purpureis’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
Remember, deep, dramatic purple leaves can really stand out amongst lighter green hues.
Purple leaved shrubs can make a marvellous backdrop for lighter green, yellowish or silvery foliage.
Sometimes, those with cooler hues can help make the garden boundaries recede into the background, and might even make your garden seem larger.
Perennials With Purple Leaves
Using purple foliage plants in your garden, of course, does not have to end with the trees and shrubs.
Some further perennials with purple leaves should also be considered.
Some interesting options, for example, are:
19) Actaea

- COMMON NAME(S): BANEBERRY / BUGBANE
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Brunette’, ‘Queen of Sheba’, ‘Pink Spike’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
20) Ajuga reptans

- COMMON NAME(S): BUGLE
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Atropurpurea’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
21) Anthriscus sylvestris

- COMMON NAME(S): COW PARSLEY
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Ravenswing’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
22) Canna

- COMMON NAME(S): CANNA INDICA
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Russian Red’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
23) Dahlias

- COMMON NAME(S): DAHLIAS
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Magenta star’, ‘David Howard’, or ‘Tally Ho’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
24) Euphorbia dulcis

- COMMON NAME(S): CHAMELEON
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Chameleon’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
25) Heuchera

- COMMON NAME(S): CORAL BELLS
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Sugar berry’, ‘Purple petticoats’ or ‘Fireworks’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
26) Ophiopogon planiscapus

- COMMON NAME(S): BLACK MONDO GRASS
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Nigrescens’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
27) Rheum palmatum

- COMMON NAME(S): RHUBARB Atrosanguineum
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Atrosanguineum’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
28) Sedum telephium

- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Xenox’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
Of course, this is by no means a complete list.
You could not only plant these and a range of other purple cultivars of perennial flowers, but should also consider many different grasses and sedges to introduce russet, red, bronze and purplish tones into your garden.
Of all the options on this list, Heuchera is perhaps one of the most impressive and the most versatile – though any of the plants listed above should be considered if you can meet the right conditions for their growth in your garden.
Purple-Leaved Edibles for the Vegetable Garden
The largely ornamental plants mentioned above can all really bring interest and drama to your garden.
But a garden should ideally be productive and provide yields as well as visual appeal.
Fortunately, growing food and giving some space over for vegetable cultivation does not need to mean that you sacrifice aesthetics.
A vegetable garden can also be a beautiful space – filled not just with companion plant flowers, but also with visually arresting vegetable varieties and herbs.
There are actually a wide range of edible plants with purple leaves to grow in a vegetable garden. For example:
29) Amaranthus cruentus

- COMMON NAME(S): PURPLE AMARANTH
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Velvet Curtains’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H2
30) Atriplex hortensis var. rubra

- COMMON NAME(S): RED ORACH / RED MOUNTAIN SPINACH
- HARDINESS RATING: H2
31) Chenopodium quinoa

- COMMON NAME(S): QUINOA
- BACKGROUND: Leaves often turn purple as they age.
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
32) Cichorium intybus

- COMMON NAME(S): CHICORY / RADICCHIO
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Palla rossa’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
33) Lactuca sativa

- COMMON NAME(S): LETTUCE
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Ruby’, ‘Red fire’, ‘Merlot’, ‘Red Leprechaun’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H2
34) Ocimum basilicum

- COMMON NAME(S): PURPLE BASIL
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: ‘Dark Opal’, ‘Crimson King’.
- HARDINESS RATING: H1C
35) Perilla frutescens var.crispa

- COMMON NAME(S): CHINESE BASIL
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
There are also many, many Brassica cultivars which have purple leaves.
Many varieties of cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, mustards, tatsoi, pak choi, and kohlrabi can bring vibrant purple hues to your garden.
Some of these have a particularly vibrant and arresting purple hue.

Remember, too, that these edibles do not have to be relegated to your vegetable plot, you can integrate these with other plants in your garden.
Perennial brassicas with purplish leaves, in particular, can be very useful ornamentally as well as for culinary use.
Plants with purple leaves can be found on the above list which will suit many different gardens, with many different climates, microclimates and soil types.
But of course, when choosing any plants for your garden, you need to think about the conditions where you live.
You need to choose the right plants for the right locations.

A permaculture garden designer, sustainability consultant and freelance writer, Elizabeth works as an advocate for positive change. She aims to inspire others to reconnect with nature and live in a more eco-friendly way. She also tries to practice what she preaches as she tends her own forest garden, polyculture beds and polytunnel. See her personal website here.