Desert plants with purple flowers are unique and beautiful and found in abundant varieties – Texas sage and the ice plant are among them. We are positive you will find what you are looking for in this article.
Which plant should you opt for? Continue reading to know the answer to this and so much more!
Contents
Different Desert Plants With Purple Flowers
1. Texas Sage
It is a perennial belonging to the Scrophulariaceae family and is native to North-Central Texas to Northern Mexico.
The plant is characterized by its silvery green foliage. The leaves are ornamental and remain green throughout the year and silver in winter. Plant it with a desert marigold to achieve the perfect purple and yellow flower combination or with other Sage companion plants.
– Growing Season
The best season for growing the sage plant is summer through fall. Its average height is 3 feet tall and the same wide. This plant species is red. It blooms in warm climates, prefers hot summers and humidity to dry conditions, and is intolerant to cold.
– Specific Needs
It grows in all kinds of sun, from partial to full, and prefers well-drained loamy, sandy soil. It is drought-tolerant and, therefore, does not need much watering. But you do need to water it until it is mature.
The plant does not need any supplemental fertilizer. It flowers beautifully on its own, but if it does not, add a phosphorus-rich fertilizer.
It is propagated through softwood cuttings taken after its blooming period or when it is dormant in fall or winter. The plant does not mind growing in humid places.
2. Texas Mountain Laurel
It is a dark-green perennial that belongs to the family of Fabaceae and is native to the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. The plant has pea-sized flowers with a lavender undertone at the ends of the branches. Its glossy leaves remain green throughout winter.
– Growing Season
The ever-green desert bush with small purple flowers grows best in March and April and reaches an average height of 20 feet. It bears purple-colored flowers. It is grown outside because let’s be realistic, there is no way you can fit a 20 feet tall plant inside your house! Furthermore, it tolerates summer and appreciates good rainfall.
– Specific Needs
It grows in full sun but tolerates a bit of a shady spot and prefers afternoon sun in a semi-shaded area.
It prefers a wide range of soils but shows a noteworthy performance in well-drained soils. You do not need to fertilize it except when the soil is nutrient-deficient. Adding calcium to the soil at the time of planting helps the plant establish itself better.
The plant is drought-tolerant, and overwatering causes it to grow abnormally fast and have weak branches. Overwatering can cause too-rapid growth, which may cause branch formation to be weak. It is tolerant to high humidity levels.
3. Ice Plant
It is a perennial that belongs to the Aizoaceae family and is native to South Africa. The plant bears flowers in a beautiful shade of purple, and its leaves are large, giving the impression of a succulent when looked at from a distance.
– Growing Season
It grows best in spring, summer, and fall. It is a low-growing plant and grows to only 3 to 6 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wide. The plant bears beautiful purple, yellow, orange, red, and pink flowers. Place the plant indoors to add a vibrant touch to your home.
– Specific Needs
The plant grows best in full sun, for at least six hours, and produces lavish flowers. If planted in a shady area, it tends to show weak growth.
As far as the soil is concerned, it prefers dry soil with good drainage. It thanks you when you plant it in gravel or sandy soil. The soil does not need to be nutrient-rich.
Add water to the plant occasionally during its growing season when the plant is mature. You do not need to water it if your area experiences frequent rainfall. Mulch the plant if you live in a snowy climate.
A slow-release fertilizer helps the plant to bloom, but when grown in containers, it does not need any feeding. It is propagated through division, cuttings, and seeds. The plant does not like to grow in humidity above 40 percent.
4. Fairy Duster
The plant is a perennial that belongs to the Fabaceae family and is native to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico, and Texas. Its flowers are in a dense and round cluster of slender pink stamens.
– Growing Season
The plant shows optimal growth in spring. It is a medium-sized plant 3 feet tall and 1 to 3 feet wide. It has unique, showy, and feathery blooms in the shape of pink balls that attract pollinators like butterflies, hummingbirds, etc.
– Specific Needs
Give your plant a full sun and see it grow majestically. It prefers well-drained, sandy, and gravelly soil. Too much moisture-retaining soil has the potential to be destructive to the plant.
It has low watering needs but still needs more water as compared to the other drought-tolerant varieties of desert plants. You only need to water it once during its growing season.
Add fertilizer to the plant in the late winter or early spring to help it produce its signature blooms. It is propagated through vegetative cutting or seeds. Humid conditions are not a must for it, but it does like when subjected to it.
5. Angelita Daisy
It is a herbaceous perennial and is member of Asteraceae family and is native to the south-western United States. The grass-like leaves bear ornamental value and are accompanied by fruits.
– Growing Season
The plant grows in winter and spring. It, too, is a low-growing shrub with a height of 10 inches and a width of 18 inches. It produces attractive yellow with purple-undertoned flowers.
– Specific Needs
It is a full-sun lover and does not tolerate shade by a bit, and does well in well-drained, less in organic content, and slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil.
The plant needs regular watering but let the soil dry out between watering sessions. It is propagated through the dispersal of seeds or cuttings from a developed plant. The plant could be happier in a humid atmosphere.
6. Barrel Cactus
The plant is a perennial that belongs to the Cactaceae family and is native to North and South America. It grows in a low, tubular shape and has spikes all over. These spikes are stiff spines giving the impression of needles.
– Growing Season
The plant grows in Spring and summer and has a slow growth rate, with an average height of 3.5 feet and a width of 2 feet. It is easy to maintain indoors when there are three inches tall. The blooms are a beautiful purple tone.
– Specific Needs
Place your plant near the window if you are growing indoors so that it receives a good amount of sunlight. It shows slow growth and does not bloom with less or no sunlight. The plant grows in well-drained, sandy, perlite, and compost soil.
It is a water-forgiving plant, as you need to water it once a month or two, and it does not need water in winter.
If needed, add fertilizer low in nitrogen content. Furthermore, it is propagated through seeds taken from a dead plant or through cuttings. It prefers humidity but at most 50 percent.
Conclusion
No one can resist desert plants bearing purple flowers. But do not worry, as we are here to help you choose!
Whichever plant you decide to grow, always remember the following important points from the article above:
- The blooms of the duster plant are one of a kind. Plant it to make your garden or home stand out.
- If you do not prefer big flowers and are looking for a plant that acts as a privacy screen? The laurel plant is your next best friend.
- Are you bored with the regular green leaves? Plant the sage plant and leave everyone amazed.
After knowing more about these plants, which one would you like to grow?
References
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/leucophyllum-frutescens/
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/echinocactus/
- https://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/homehort/archives-of-weekly-articles-davids-plant-of-the-week/texas-mountain-laurel/
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