Use these landscaping sources to decorate your lawn with purple and lavender colors

The older I’ve grown, the more I’ve learned to appreciate anything that lets me feel cooler in summer.

I keep Barrow, Alaska, on the weather app on my phone just so that I can know that somebody somewhere is shivering. And I use plants with visually cooling colors that will take the edge off the heat.

Such it is with lavenders and purples. These are colors that tame down the sun, yet they blend with yellows and oranges – two of the brightest colors we grow.

Please let me introduce you to my favorite landscaping sources of purple and lavender. I hope you’ll make some new friends from my list.

Althaea (Rose of Sharon). People who like hibiscus but who hate to see them freeze at the end of the season should love this shrub. It is completely winter-hardy across Texas. Different varieties will mature at 6 to 15 feet in height and 5 to 10 feet in width. The flowers may be single or double, they may be pink, rosy-red, lavender or white or bi-colored. It’s great in the sun.

Angelonia. These wonderful annuals burst onto the scene about 25 years ago, and they’ve just gotten better and better since. Use them in the back of a floral border or use them as the tall plant in a patio container. They grow to 10 to 15 inches in height, And they range from purple to pink, blue and white in color.

Crape myrtles. There are about 125 varieties of this most popular southern flowering shrub. Of those, at least 30 or 40 are lavender or purple. In all candor, I have to tell you that my favorite of them all is ‘Catawba,’ a lovely purple type. But whichever purple variety you choose, you will have the advantage of having a plant that will blend with all of the other colors of crape myrtles. It wouldn’t be summer in Texas without them.

Fanflowers. I remember the first time that I grew this great annual flower. I bought it in a hanging basket and immediately put it in a large patio pot so that it could spill over the edges and down toward the ground. Blue flowers are the rarest of colors, and this may be the best of all the blues. Use it in the ground, in baskets or in pots, and be prepared to be thrilled.

Perilla. In all of its iterations this looks like a coleus. It’s a spectacular annual, but it handles sun better than coleus. The variety ‘Magilla’ presents absolutely spectacular colors all season long. It’s a robust grower and a wonderful plant for large containers or for the back of the color bed.

Purple fountaingrass. With all of the interest in ornamental grasses, this one has become nothing short of a rockstar. In North Texas it is an annual, meaning that it will freeze and die in the winter. However, for six or seven months it will provide you with the rich deep purple foliage and purple flowers that eventually will shade towards tan. It’s especially attractive at the back of the flower bed with colorful annuals in front of it.

Purpleheart. It’s completely winter-hardy in North Texas. It freezes to the ground the first night temperatures drop below 32F, but it sprouts back up again in the spring. It has rich purple foliage all season long, so it’s handsome in a rock garden or mixed with perennials. It is mannerly and beautiful.

Mexican petunia. The original Mexican petunia is extremely aggressive and its growth, to the point of being invasive. Katie’s dwarf ruellia, by comparison, is ultimately compact and handsome. It produces blue flowers atop its volleyball-sized plants.

Autumn sage (Salvia greggii). This is the most popular of all of the salvias. Over the past 35 years, growers have brought us almost every shade of white, pink, salmon, rosy-red, red, two-toned and purple. And, it’s that purple that I want to include here. Purple autumn sage will bloom from spring until frost. It’s not the most common of colors, but if it’s purple you want, it’s worth the hunt.

Ornamental sweet potato. These trailing vines came into common use about 20 years ago, and now you see them all over town. There are chartreuse types and there are purple-leafed types. Some types tend to grow aggressively, so give them ample room. Yes, they will produce yams, but don’t try to eat them. They’re huge and they’re woody.

Trailing lavender lantana. If I could only have two or three lavender or purple flowers, this would be one of them. It’s that dependable. There has never been a spot too hot for it, and there has never been a place too sunny for it. It’s great in beds and it’s outstanding in large patio containers and large hanging baskets. There is a white-flowering form that is a nice complement.

Gomphrena (globe amaranth). Our grandmothers grew gomphrenas and called them “bachelor buttons.” However, many of us grew up knowing another hand-me-down plant by that name. Gomphrenas can be enjoyed in the garden, or they can be cut and hung upside down to dry.

You can hear Neil Sperry on KLIF 570AM on Saturday afternoons 1-3 pm and on WBAP 820AM Sunday mornings 8-10 am. Join him at www.neilsperry.com and follow him on Facebook.

This story was originally published June 18, 2021 at 5:30 AM.