Colorful trees stand out from the rest of the landscape. One of the most popular colors in the garden is purple.
Texas is a great place to grow purple-flowering trees. Winters in the state are chilly, but mild, and summers are long, hot, and humid. Many flowering plants thrive in this climate. They provide curb appeal and also attract birds, butterflies, and bees to your garden.
Here is a list of trees that are particularly well suited to the climate in Texas.
1. Chaste Tree
The chaste tree, also called vitex, has one of the most extensive blooming seasons of any Texas flowering species. It is a multi-stemmed, huge shrub with rounded canopies and dense, symmetrical foliage.
From May to September, the tree is adorned with fragrant violet-purple flowers. Pollinators are drawn to the blossoms.
Vitex trees have no known pests or diseases. They can grow in full sun and tolerate most well-draining soil conditions.
2. Texas Redbud
The Texas redbud is a small deciduous tree or multi-trunk shrub that grows to a height of 15 to 20 feet. It is known for its purple-red flower clusters that bloom in the spring.
Redbuds produce beautiful rose, pink, purple, or white flowers that resemble pea blossoms. The flowers appear before the leaves. Every spring, they announce the warm temperatures to come.
The leaves, once they come out, are thick and leathery.
3. Texas Mountain Laurel
The Texas mountain laurel is a natural evergreen shrub with multiple trunks that can be trained to grow into a small tree. It has attractive dark green, glossy foliage.
The dark violet, bluish-lavender, and white flowers exude a strong, sweet scent. The smell has been compared to grape Kool-Aid and heritage German irises.
Mountain laurel is hardy and thrives in alkaline soils.
4. Crape Myrtle
Crape myrtles thrive in a wide range of soil types, including the alkaline, dark clay found throughout much of North Texas. They are valued for their hardiness, low maintenance requirements, and vibrant flowers.
The crape myrtle is admired for its long summer blooming season. Its flowers come in white, pink, red, and lavender colors.
Crape myrtles are drought resistant, and they are susceptible to overwatering and poor drainage problems. Choose a sunny spot for these trees. Planting them in full or partial shade inhibits blooming and increases disease risk.
5. Desert Willow
The desert willow has long, thin, deciduous lancelet-shaped leaves that disappear in late fall. When fully mature, this small tree can reach a height of 30 feet and a canopy of 20 to 25 feet.
Flowers bloom throughout the summer and early fall, attracting a variety of native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
Its spectacular flowers are trumpet-shaped, fragrant, and come in a range of colors from light pink to light purple, with white and red being rare.
6. Texas Lignum-Vitae
Texas lignum-vitae is a leafy, compact evergreen that rarely grows taller than 6 feet. However, in optimal conditions, it can reach twice that height.
It is native to southern and western Texas, as well as northern Mexico. The deep-green foliage appears darker than neighboring shrubs, making it easy to recognize.
Flowers bloom between March and September, usually after rain.
7. Purple Lily Magnolia
Magnolias are one of the most elegant southern trees there are. These lovely tiny trees put on a vibrant flower show before the first leaf buds emerge. It grows slowly, taking 10 to 15 years to reach full maturity.
Purple Lily Magnolia is a deciduous shrub that blooms in April and early May.
It produces many compact, spherical, pinkish-purple lily-shaped flowers. The flowers are occasionally followed by cone-shaped purple or brown fruit.
8. Texas Smoke Tree
The Texas smoke tree is a small ornamental tree with the potential to grow into a huge shrub. This lovely tree’s fall color and smoky plumes are its main selling points.
It has lovely pink to purple-pink flowers in billowy spring panicles. From a distance, they appear to be smoke or haze, which explains the common name. Its fall colors range from yellow to orange to crimson.
The Texas smoke tree is an outstanding flowering tree for the Texas environment. It is resistant to heat and drought, and it tolerates limestone soils. However, it is not well-known and finding it may be challenging.
