A Passion for Purple

Let me state right upfront that anything that grows in my Southwest garden is appreciated.  I have even been know to let weeds flourish in the springtime just to see a little green emerging into a gray world.

Have you noticed that many native Southwestern plants offer yellow and red blossoms to the world? Red is striking, yellow is cheerful, but my current passion is plants with purplish blooms.  I want to share with you some of the purple plants that are currently decorating the garden (cross my fingers - one never knows in the Southwest desert what a plant will decide to do from one day to the next).

Because we have had rain and higher humidity than usual in our area, the purple sages have been putting on a riotous show all over El Paso. The rest of the year, the sages just hang around, gray-green, and forgettable until just the right barometric moment.  Then they burst into blooms of many shades, from dark purple to lilac.

Purple Sage

Purple sage also goes by the name of Texas sage. This sage grows forgotten in a cactus garden in our backyard, and we basically ignore it most of the year.  I can't even baby it with frequent waterings, which would actually lead to its demise.  One online plant expert from Arizona recommended giving the plants a little extra water to encourage blooming, but with my tendency to overwater everything, I am afraid to indulge in any risky behaviors. 

I can't imagine a more spectacular plant when it finally does bloom.  I always promise myself to buy and plant more sages (there are many different varieties), but once the excitement of the blooming period ends, I forget how beautiful sages can be and become seduced by the colorful, cheaper annuals displayed by nurseries.  Local native plant experts bemoan the fact that local gardeners can't resist the urge to prune sages into unnatural shapes, like large balls or lollipops, because they do not bloom as well (and look fake).

Ruellia in pot

Ruellia blossoms up close

My son discovered ruellias (commonly known as Mexican petunias) when he was living in Austin, Texas. They grew so well in the Austin climate that he called his plant "the little tree." My ruellias aren't nearly as lush, but they produce fascinating blossoms that last only a short time, much like a bougainvillea blossom. And ruellias are perennials, although they freeze to the soil line in our zone and emerge after the last frost date.  I must admit  this is ruellia number two.  The first one I inherited from my son didn't make the transition from Austin to El Paso.

Santa Rita cactus on left

My husband introduced me to the Santa Rita cactus that has purple pads.  It is a colorful change from the usual green pads on most cacti.  The other poor cactus on the right looks terminal.  I think I tend to water cacti in pots too much and have probably killed it.

Ice plant

Ice plant is classified as a ground cover, but my ice plant lives in the back of a frog pot.  It requires very little care. Recently, I saw a handwritten sign next to the ice plants at a nursery that said "Don't water!"  A good warning to me as well as the nursery staff, I thought.  I love the Spanish name for ice plant, dedo, which means "finger".  This plant is one of the smallest varieties.  I believe that the smaller plant is called dedo del niño (child's finder) and the large variety is called dedo del rey  (king's finger), but this information is anecdotal.  The large ice plant can be very invasive, so I stick to the small fingered plant and contain it in a pot.  I generally am not bothered by a plant labeled as "invasive", because that means it has a good chance of surviving in my garden.

Thai or Asian Basil

I fell for this curly basil when I was shopping for vegetable plants one day, and I'm glad that I did.  It produces long purple spikes that not only have a wonderful aroma but are also much more colorful than my regular green basil.  Thai restaurants are often named "Thai Basil".  It must be an important ingredient in Thai cuisine, which I am not into (yet).

All of these purple beauties are relatively easy to grow (or I wouldn't find them flourishing in my garden).

I bought several new purple plants  last weekend but haven't planted them yet.  If they survive until next week, I'll blog about them.  Do you have a favorite purple plant that survives (dare I say grows abundantly?) in the Southwest?