Purple Flowering Trees in Florida

Soften landscapes during winter and cool them down in the summer with shades of purple flowering trees. Against a cerulean sky or hues of green foliage, purple works well in the garden.

Not a color on the rainbow spectrum, but when the ultraviolet light shines on certain substances, the eye sees purple. It is a mixture of colors, having both shades of red and shades of blue. Enrich your Florida yard with purple flowering trees.

Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Alexandrina’)

A harbinger of spring blooming in late winter, the deciduous saucer magnolia pumps out large 4-inch flowers in a rose-purple hue before the leaves sprout. Tulip- or goblet-shaped creamy petals burst open on branches of smooth, light gray bark. Floridata.com recommends morning sun with filtered light.

It makes a good shade tree, as a specimen or planted in a group. Trees can grow to be 30 feet and almost as wide, so space accordingly. Plant in USDA zones 8 and 9.

Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia x Muskogee)

Cool your yard this summer with lavender blooming ‘Muskogee’ crapemyrtles. A small vase-shaped tree stretching to 20 feet high and 15 feet wide, this crapemyrtle bears tissue paper like flowers 4-10 inches long and 4-5 inches wide from July to September.

With its brown, peeling bark, use the crapemyrtle as a specimen in either a formal or relaxed landscape. According to the University of Florida IFAS Extension website, they are heat and drought tolerant, require full sun and well-drained soil. Grow in USDA zones 9 to 10.

Jacaranda (Jacaranda acutifolia)

A fabulously showy, large tree with a flowering mass of electric shades ranging from blue-violet to purple, the Jacaranda is a deciduous tree with distinctive finely textured leaves branching out to an asymmetrical head. Bell-shaped flowers form at the tip of the branches in a pyramid shape, blooming between April and June.

Growing up to 50 feet tall and half as wide, it is best placed in a large landscape or used as street trees in urban settings. Although the tree will handle some shade, it performs best in sunny locations. It grows in USDA zones 9 to 11.

Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)

A small, deciduous tree with spear-like, purple, upright flowers on the tips of the branches, the fragrant leaves are fan-shaped with five to seven leaflets, ranging from gray to deep green in color.

With a height of only 10 to 20 feet and an equal spread, the chaste tree makes its statement when it is in full bloom, creating a “purple haze”, with shades of violet to dark purple. It requires sun or shade and good drainage. It's drought and salt tolerant, attracts hummingbirds and bees and grows best in zones 8 to 11.