Who wouldn’t want to wake up to a field of purple flowers? Just seeing them makes you want to stay in that lavender haze.
Now there might already be purple flowers growing in your backyard and you’re thinking of keeping them so you’ll have your own field of purple flowers.
Well, we’d recommend that you first take a few steps back because some might not be real flowering plants but actually weeds.
To help you decide if you’ll keep them or not, here’s a list of grass-like plants with purple flowers. Hopefully, yours will fall into the flowering plant category!
19 Grass-Like Plants with Purple Flowers
1. Purple Moor Grass (Molinia caerulea)
| Scientific Name | Molinia caerulea |
| Common Name | Purple Moor Grass Tall Purple Moor Grass |
| Family | Poaceae |
| Height | 2 to 4 feet |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
| Maintenance | Medium |
| Light | Full Sun Partial Shade |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | ClayLoam (Silt)Sand Good Drainage Moist |
| Landscape Use | Meadow Pond Border Mass Planting |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
The Purple Moor is a species of grass native to Europe. We’ve added it to this list because although it is real grass, it has invasive potential when present in your garden.
This plant grows best in acidic soils and is commonly found in swamps or open landscapes.
One indicator that it’s Purple Moor is when you see long, pointy, slightly hair leaves growing in mounded tufts of closely crowded 35-inch stems.
During the blooming season, this plant grows narrow purple spikelets of flowers.
You can use the Purple Moor as ornamental grass in your garden. Just make sure all the surrounding plants also get enough nutrients to fight off their weedy nature.
2. Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis sylvatica)
| Scientific Name | Myosotis sylvatica |
| Common Name | Bugloss Cape Forget-Me Not Summer Forget-Me Not |
| Family | Boraginaceae |
| Height | 8 inches to 1 feet and 6 inches |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | High |
| Light | Full Sun |
| Life Cycle | Annual |
| Soil Type | Good Drainage |
| Landscape Use | Container Accent Border Mass Planting |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
Its name definitely fits its nature because once Forget-Me-Not enters your garden, it will make sure you won’t forget it.
Expect this plant to take over your entire backyard and even kill some plants along the way. This plant thrives in moist well-drained soil and doesn’t need much water to survive.
During spring, the well-known Forget-Me-Nots bloom in a cyme inflorescence with 5 purple petals.
Forget-Me-Nots are also edible and are typically used in salads and teas to add sweetness.
To keep other plants safe while keeping the beautiful Forget-Me-Nots, you can use it as a border or container plant.
3. Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)
| Scientific Name | Sisyrinchium angustifolium |
| Common Name | Bermuda Blue-eyed Grass Blue-eyed Grass Blue Eyes Grass Flower Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass Sassy Grass Stout blue-eyed grass |
| Family | Iridaceae |
| Height | 1 to 2 feet |
| Growth Rate | Medium |
| Maintenance | Medium |
| Light | Full Sun Partial Shade |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | Clay High Organic Matter Loam (Silt) Sand Good Drainage Moist |
| Landscape Use | Meadow Naturalized Area Slope/Bank Walkways Border Mass Planting |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
They may have long thin leaves, but Blue-Eyed Grass is actually another grass-like plant.
It’s a flowering plant from the Iris family that thrives in moist soil and damp areas like marshes, low woods, stream banks, and slopes.
The Blue-Eyed Grass propagates through its rhizomes and it usually grows in clumps of grass-like leaves. During spring, it blooms purple star-shaped flowers with a yellow center.
You can plant them in groups in your walkway to improve your garden’s curb appeal.
Another perk of keeping the Blue-Eyed Grass is that you can use it as a medicinal plant. Native American have long cooked their leaves as it helps regulate bowel movement.
4. Doveweed (Murdannia nudiflora)
| Scientific Name | Murdannia nudiflora |
| Common Name | Dove weed |
| Family | Commelinaceae |
| Height | 12 inches |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | High |
| Light | Full Sun |
| Life Cycle | Annual |
| Soil Type | Clay Loam (Silt) Sand Shallow Rocky Good Drainage Occasionally Wet |
| Landscape Use | Container Border Mass Planting |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
You’ll know you have Doveweed in your garden when you see them forming a dense mat on the floor, especially during summer. This plant also thrives in overly-irrigated or damp soil.
It’s commonly confused with regular grass because of its narrow short leaves and parallel veins. But when it blooms, it surely stands out with its 3-petaled purple flowers.
The Doveweed spreads quickly through its stolons and if left untouched, it might get a hold of the existing grass and plants in your garden.
It’s a tough weed to remove because it can quickly propagate through its stolon and can resist herbicides.
5. Monkey Grass (Liriope)
| Scientific Name | Liriope |
| Common Name | Lilyturf Lily Turf Monkey Grass Spider Grass |
| Family | Asparagaceae |
| Height | 9 inches to 1 feet and 6 inches |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Light | Deep Shade Partial Shade Full Sun |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | Good Drainage |
| Landscape Use | Container Lawn Drought Tolerant Garden Border Mass Planting |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
Monkey Grass may be ornamental for your yard because of its narrow, long, pointy and variegated green leaves but it’s not a true grass. It’s a herbaceous perennial plant that’s indigenous to Asia.
You’ll commonly see it growing in clumps with its 18-inch leaves naturally arching to the ground.
Every summer, the Monkey Grass produces small 6-petalled flowers that grow on its elongated stem. Later on, these flowers turn into black berries.
When the Monkey Grass is left untouched, it can multiply aggressively and become a threat to other wildlife in your garden. So, always keep them in check to keep the peach in your yard.
6. Spiderwort (Tradescantia)
| Scientific Name | Tradescantia |
| Common Name | Hairy Stem Spiderwort Indian Paint Purple-heart Spiderwort Tradescantia Wandering Jew Spider lily |
| Family | Commelinaceae |
| Height | 1 to 3 feet |
| Growth Rate | Medium |
| Maintenance | Medium |
| Light | Dappled Sunlight Full Sun Partial Shade Perennial |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | Clay Loam (Silt) Sand Good Drainage Moist |
| Landscape Use | Hanging Baskets Houseplants Lawn Slope/Bank Small Space Walkways Accent Border Mass Planting |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
No, it doesn’t bring spiders in your garden. Spiderworts are actually perennial wildflowers commonly found in North America and Europe.
It got its name from the thick sticky secretion from the inside of its stem. This substance is like thready resembling a spider’s web, thus its name.
They have long thin and blade-like leaves that’s why they’re commonly mistaken for grass. And when it blooms, Spiderworts produce 3-petalled purple flowers.
Spiderworts are climbing and trailing species which makes them perfect as hanging basket plants for patios and home gardens. It’s also a safe choice so you won’t have to deal with its weedy features.
7. Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea)
| Scientific Name | Glechoma hederacea |
| Common Name | AlehoffsCat’s Foot Creeping Charlie Field Balm Gill-over-the-hill Ground ivy Hay Maids Runaway Robin |
| Family | Lamiaceae |
| Height | 8 inches |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | High |
| Light | Dappled Sunlight Deep Shade Full Sun Partial Shade |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | Perennial Clay High Organic Matter Loam (Silt) Sand Shallow Rocky |
| Landscape Use | Mass Planting Border |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
The Creeping Charlie is one of the toughest weeds to kill.
It has stems that are creepers spreading like a mat all over your lawn and competes with nutrients from other plants. It’s so tough that it can even withstand herbicides or the blades of a lawnmower.
This perennial plant comes from the mint family and is native to Europe and Asia. It’s commonly found in lawns, roadsides, and waste areas.
During the blooming season, upright stems emerge and produce 5 petalled tubular-shaped flowers.
On the brighter side, the spinach-like leaves of the Creeping Charlie are edible. It’s actually used to add a minty touch to salads.
8. Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
| Scientific Name | Cirsium vulgare |
| Common Name | Bull Thistle Common Thistle |
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Height | 7 feet |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | High |
| Light | Full Sun |
| Life Cycle | Biennial |
| Soil Type | ClayLoam (Silt) Sand |
| Landscape Use | Meadow Naturalized Area Pollinator Garden |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
You can easily recognize the Spear Thistle for its fluffy purple flowers that grow on top of a spiny green ball. Resembling a cactus, its leaves, and stems are long but covered in barbs.
Although they’re exotic-looking, we’d recommend you mow this weed out as early as possible.
Preferably, before its flowers pop out or else you’ll have to dig out the plants individually and that’s a lot of work.
On a positive note, the flower buds of the Spear Thistle are edible like an artichoke heart. After removing the spines, you can also add their leaves and stems to your salad.
9. Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara)
| Scientific Name | Solanum dulcamara |
| Common Name | Bitter Nightshade Bittersweet Bittersweet Nightshade Blue Blindweed Blue Nightshade Climbing Nightshade Devil’s Apple European Bittersweet Fellonwort Felonwood Poisonous Nightshade Scarlet Berry Snakeberry Soda Apple Violet Bloom Wolfgrape Woody Nightshade |
| Family | Solanaceae |
| Height | 2 to 10 feet |
| Growth Rate | Medium |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Light | Full Sun Partial Shade |
| Life Cycle | Annual |
| Soil Type | ClayLoam (Silt)Sand |
| Landscape Use | Container Drought Tolerant Garden Pollinator Garden Accent Specimen |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
The Bittersweet Nightshade produces beautiful purple flowers yet invasive and highly toxic – bittersweet indeed.
This is a perennial scrambling shrub native to Europe and Asia. It’s commonly found in swamps, riverbanks, roadsides, and other disturbed areas.
It got its name from its sweet leaves and bitter roots, thus, the Bittersweet Nightshade.
This plant has a multi-branched vine where its ovate green leaves and purple flowers with yellow stamens grow.
It’s widely reported as an invasive plant in the United States. Small infestations may be controlled manually but you may resort to using herbicides when things go out of hand.
Fair warning, all parts of the Bittersweet Nightshade are toxic. It causes diarrhea, vomiting, skin irritation, dermatitis, and nausea when ingested.
So, it’s best if you wear protective gear when dealing with this plant.
10. Nodding Thistle (Carduus nutans)
| Scientific Name | Carduus nutans |
| Common Name | Musk thistle Nodding plumeless thistle Bristle thistle |
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Height | 1 to 6 feet |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | High |
| Light | Full Sun |
| Life Cycle | Biennial |
| Soil Type | Clay Chalky Sandy Loam |
| Landscape Use | Mass planting Border |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
The heads of the flowers of this plant tend to nod down, that’s why it’s named the Nodding Thistle. It’s a biennial plant from the daisy family and native to Europe and Asia.
The most prominent part of this plant is its flower head, which is actually a large globose with tiny individual flowers. As it matures, the flower heads drop to 90 to 120 degrees as if it’s nodding.
The leaves of the Nodding Thistle are unique in themselves – 15 inches long with barbs on their wavy edges.
Unfortunately, it’s declared as a noxious weed in many countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States, and Canada.
They have a vast root system so it’s better if you get rid of them as early as possible.
11. Sweet Violet (Viola odorata)
| Scientific Name | Viola odorata |
| Common Name | Common Violet Devon Violet English Violet Florist’s Violet Fragrant Garden Violet Garden Violet Sweet Blue Violet Sweet Violet Violet Violets Wood Violet |
| Family | Violaceae |
| Height | 4 to 6 inches |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Light | Full Sun Partial Shade |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | ClayLoam (Silt) Sand |
| Landscape Use | Container Patio Border Mass Planting |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
Having vibrant purple flowers like the Sweet Violet is really a pleasing view. But sooner or later, you’ll realize that they’re multiplying faster than you can count them.
The Sweet Violet is a perennial weed native to Europe. It flourishes in neglected gardens and other unattended locations.
The leaves of the Sweet Violet are heart-shaped with rounded lobes at the base and teeth around the edges.
Sweet Violets have purple heart-shaped petals. It’s actually one of the most aromatic plants making it a common ingredient in perfumes.
But they’re more than ornaments since they’re also used in cakes, cookies, salads, and teas.
They have underground rhizomes that enable them to spread throughout your garden. So as beautiful as they may be, it’s better to control this weed before it creeps over your whole backyard.
12. Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule)
| Scientific Name | Lamium amplexicaule |
| Common Name | Deadnettle Greater Henbit Henbit Henbit Dead-Nettle |
| Family | Lamiaceae |
| Height | 16 inches |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | Medium |
| Light | Partial Shade Deep Shade Annual |
| Life Cycle | Annual |
| Soil Type | Occasionally Dry |
| Landscape Use | Lawn |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
Henbit, as its name suggests, is a favorite food for chickens. But chickens are not the only ones who like this plant.
You can consider adding this weed to your backyard given its unique two-lipped, tubular, and hairy purple flowers. Its leaves are also hairy and shaped like a kidney with scalloped edges.
The Henbit thrives in partial shade and moist environmental conditions like streams and ponds.
Henbits are edible being popular additions to salads and tea. They’re also used medicinally as a laxative, to relieve pain from arthritis and even to reduce fever.
The good thing about this weed is that it’s manageable. So as long as you keep it on its side of the lawn, you won’t have to worry about its noxious features.
13. Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
| Scientific Name | Cirsium arvense |
| Common Name | Canada thistle Creeping Thistle Field Thistle Swamp Thistle Thistle |
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Height | 2 to 5 feet |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | High |
| Light | Full Sun Partial Shade |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | Clay High Organic Matter Loam (Silt) Sand |
| Landscape Use | Mass planting Border |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
The Creeping Thistle definitely lives up to its name as a notorious perennial weed.
This plant has spear-shaped leaves with sharp spines. It later blooms with pompom-shaped purple flowers that grow in clumps at the top of the plant.
The flowers turn into fluffy white seed balls resembling dandelions and it propagates vigorously with the help of the wind.
Once they spread, they develop an extensive root system that’s hard to remove. It entails constant pulling and mowing of your garden just to eradicate them.
The good thing is that the Creeping Thistle thrives in poor soil.
So, you can hit two birds with one stone by keeping your soil fertilized and healthy. This way, you’ll prevent this weed from growing while helping your plants grow.
14 . Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)
| Scientific Name | Prunella vulgaris |
| Common Name | Heal All Selfheal |
| Family | Lamiaceae |
| Height | 2 to 12 inches |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Light | Full Sun Partial Shade |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | ClayLoam (Silt) Sand |
| Landscape Use | Butterfly Garden Pollinator Garden |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
Although it’s named Selfheal for being a herbal remedy for throat ailments, it does the opposite where it grows – it restricts grass’s growth.
Selfheal is actually a perennial wildflower that’s easily recognizable for its scalloped leaves, purple flowering spikes, and hairy stems.
It thrives in moist fields, pastures, woodlands, and even roadsides. It adapts to different light and soil conditions.
The plant contains tannins which are sought after for their anti-inflammatory properties. They’re used to heal burns, soothe a sore throat, relieve pain from arthritis, and even as a remedy for heart disease.
Unfortunately, this plant grows only from 2 to 12 inches so it can survive mowing. The more effective but tiring way is manually pulling them out of the ground.
15. Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea maculosa)
| Scientific Name | Centaurea maculosa |
| Common Name | Spotted Knapweed |
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Height | 2 to 4 feet |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | High |
| Light | Full Sun |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | Sand Shallow Rocky |
| Landscape Use | Mass planting Border |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
The Spotted Knapweed is another grass-looking plant that you should look out for.
This is a herbaceous perennial weed native to Western Asia and Europe. It commonly grows on roadsides, pastures, stream banks, ponds, and other disturbed areas.
The Spotted Knapweed blooms vibrant spotted purple flower head with black margins on the bract tips.
At least 6 tall erect stems emerge from the ground in its every growing season. Each stem would hold as many as 40,000 seeds distributed by wind.
It’s also considered an invasive weed within the United States. It’s a major source of headache for farmers and gardeners because it tends to crowd out plants and potential food for livestock.
Unfortunately, it’s resistant to herbicides. You can either manually pull out the Spotted Knotweed or mow it before it begins to flower.
It may take years of repeatedly doing this or until there are no more of its seeds left in your garden soil.
16. Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum)
| Scientific Name | Lamium purpureum |
| Common Name | Dead Nettle Purple Archangel Purple Dead Nettle Red Dead Nettle Velikdenche |
| Family | Lamiaceae |
| Height | 16 to 18 inches |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Light | Full Sun Partial Shade |
| Life Cycle | Annual |
| Soil Type | LoamSandy |
| Landscape Use | Lawn Mass planting |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
You can easily spot the Purple Dead Nettle with its whorls of purple flowers. These flowers have a top hooded petal with 2 lower-lip petals placed on the top of their leaves.
This is an annual weed originating from Europe and Asia. It’s usually found on lawns, roads, meadows, and gardens.
The Purple Dead Nettle prefers full sun to partial shade and moist fertile soil. It grows fast during cool weather seasons.
However, it’s easily mistaken for Henbit. But to end the confusion, take note that Henbit has stemless leaves and short leaf stalks while the Purple Dead Nettle grows from 16 to 18 inches.
17. Dove’s Foot Crane’s Bill (Geranium molle)
| Scientific Name | Geranium molle |
| Common Name | Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill Dovesfoot Geranium |
| Family | Geraniaceae |
| Height | 2 to 12 inches |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Light | Full Sun |
| Life Cycle | Annual |
| Soil Type | Sandy Loam Clay |
| Landscape Use | Lawn Mass planting |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
The Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill is another annual herbaceous plant the grows small purple flowers with jagged petals. This plant is native to the Mediterranean and naturalized in Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
It’s usually found in meadows, pastures, lawns, hedges, banks, forest edges, and waste grounds. It grows best with full sun and dry soil.
The Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill spreads in clumps of stems with a basal rosette of hairy, distinctly lobed leaves.
Apart from being an ornamental garden plant, the leaves of the Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill are also used to treat gout, joint pains, and other external injuries.
18. Purpletop Verbena (Verbena bonariensis)
| Scientific Name | Verbena bonariensis |
| Common Name | Argentinian Vervain Brazilian Verbena Brazilian Vervain Clustertop Verbena Purple Top Tall Verbena Tall Vervain Vervain |
| Family | Verbenaceae |
| Height | 2 to 5 feet |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Light | Full Sun Partial Shade |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | Clay Loam (Silt) Sand Shallow Rocky |
| Landscape Use | Meadow Walkways Border Mass Planting |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
The Purpletop Verbena stands out when it blooms cluster of tiny lavender flowers on top of a field of green leaves and long wispy stems.
Rightfully so, it’s the winner of the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society.
It’s a perennial upright plant native to South America and was later naturalized in the United States.
The Purpletop Verbena can tolerate different soil types but grows best with full sun.
They’re best used as an ornamental border to fill up vertical spaces in your garden.
Or, you can turn them into ornamental grass to achieve a picturesque field of purple flowers.
19. Violet Woodsorrel (Oxalis violacea)
| Scientific Name | Oxalis violacea |
| Common Name | Violet Woodsorrel |
| Family | Oxalidaceae |
| Height | 4 to 8 inches |
| Growth Rate | Rapid |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Light | Full Sun Partial Shade |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Type | Dry Shallow Rocky Sandy Loam Clay |
| Landscape Use | Mass planting Border |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
The final plant on our list is the Violet Woodsorrel, a perennial herb native to North America.
The Violet Woodsorrel is known for its lavender-colored flowers with pale green centers that bloom from spring to summer.
They grow slender stems that are 4 to 8 inches tall. It also has three-part leaves shaped like a heart that fold downward at night.
The Violet Woodsorrel is instrumental in prairie restorations and woodland gardens. Now, you can incorporate the Violet Woodsorrel in your lawns as an ornamental plant or a ground cover.
You should know that this plant is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. So, make sure they’re out of reach from these animals as you use them in your backyard.
