14 Stunning Varieties of Purple Hibiscus (2024)

Hibiscus flowers are beloved for their showy, ornamental flower blossoms. They have papery flower petals and prominent central stamens that bloom in various colors and color combinations, including purple. In this guide, I’ll share 14 beautiful types of purple hibiscus flowers.

14 Popular Types of Purple Hibiscus Flowers

1. Paraplu Violet Hibiscus

The paraplu violet hibiscus is a hybrid of the rose of Sharon hibiscus with a complicated, unpronounceable scientific name. Although its name isn’t very pretty, it is a lovely variety of hibiscus. The shrubs are large and leafy, and they produce extra-large flower blossoms. The flowers open up in an iridescent shade of bluish violet with a slight pink tinge glowing outward from the centers of the flowers. At dawn and dusk, the flowers appear almost luminescent. Prominent yellow stamens at the centers of the flowers attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.

2. Purple Pillar Hibiscus

The purple pillar hibiscus produces double flower blossoms starting in summer and continuing into the fall with two layers of petals. The flowers have a variegated color pattern that is deep magenta toward the flower’s center, fading to a delicate lavender toward the petals’ tips.

What truly sets this hibiscus apart from others is its pillar-like shape. At maturity, the purple pillar hibiscus can grow to be 16 feet tall and just four to five feet across, giving it an impressive column or pillar-like shape. Planted on either side of a garden path, these hibiscus plants can make beautiful hedgerows or “walls” and can be used to frame the edges of your yard, as you might use stone pillars.

3. Marina Purple Hibiscus

Commonly sold under the trademark name ‘Blue Satin’, the marina purple hibiscus is a stunning purple-blossomed variety. Each bloom has fluttery, full petals in a powdery shade of violet-blue that are anchored to a purple-red throat. The petals surround a prominent, creamy-white stamen.

The flowers of this hibiscus variety are short-lived, only remaining open for about a day. The plant, however, blooms abundantly and continuously throughout the season (midsummer through fall). As a result, these upright shrubs put on a beautiful show while in season.

The flowers attract both hummingbirds and butterflies, and the plants can be used in borders, beds, or as hedgerow screens. However, remember that hibiscus shrubs are deciduous and will lose their leaves in the off-season.

4. Blue Bird Purple Hibiscus

The blue bird purple hibiscus is a more compact variety but still can reach up to eight feet in height at maturity. The flowers of this hibiscus are real showstoppers. They are large at up to five inches in diameter and have dusty, bluish-purple flowers that are similar in color to a bluebird’s plumage. Each flower is accented by a deep, reddish-purple ring and veins that move outward from the center, surrounding a prominent creamy white tongue of stamens.

When in bloom, the large flowers overtake the blue bird hibiscus plant, giving the impression of a pile of flowers. Another benefit of this hibiscus variety is its exceptional hardiness, as it is winter hardy down to USDA hardiness zone four. Blue bird hibiscus flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, making them an excellent addition to a pollinator garden.

5. Purple Magic Hibiscus

The purple magic hibiscus is a stunning variety of woody shrub. It requires warmer weather, lots of sunlight, and a mild climate to thrive. In the right conditions, it will bloom freely and abundantly throughout the year.

The flowers of the purple magic hibiscus are large and pinwheel-shaped. They feature dark, maroon or purple petals that, in some growing conditions, will feature white spots or dappled buttery yellow-colored markings along their outer edges. The petals surround a prominent, golden-yellow stamen. In cooler climates, the purple magic hibiscus can be grown in a container and moved indoors throughout the colder seasons.

6. Lavender Chiffon Hibiscus

The lavender chiffon hibiscus produces elegant double flowers in a delicate shade of lavender or ballet-slipper pink that deepens to a strawberry pink at the center of the flowers. The two rows of petals feature a larger, more prominent base row and a second row on top of slightly more diminutive petals that flutter around a creamy-white stamen. Its large flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. This hibiscus variety has a well-deserved Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

7. Starry Starry Night Hibiscus

The starry starry night hibiscus is a variety with a big payoff during its blooming season, which runs from mid or late summer through fall. The shrubs produce green foliage that is dark like the night sky and bright, pinkish-purple flowers that look like moons in front of the midnight backdrop. Why do they resemble moons and not stars? Because of their large size at about eight inches across. The petals overlap each other, creating a fanned appearance, and the flowers have crimson eyes that anchor light-yellow stamens.

This variety of hibiscus is hardy down to zone four, and it can be grown successfully in containers in cooler climates where it is moved to a warm location for overwintering.

8. Plum Crazy Hibiscus

If you know anything about hibiscus history, then you know about the Fleming brothers. These three brothers (Dave, Bob, and Jim) were the sons of a naturalist working in Nebraska State. The brothers became fascinated by hibiscus plants and focused on hybridizing them. They created countless garden-worthy hybrids and cultivars, including the plum crazy hibiscus.

This hibiscus variety produces flowers that are crazy large at up to 10 inches across. They blossom in a color that the brothers referred to as “antique purple” which is an iridescent shade of magenta that deepens to a dark shade of plum at the eye. This variety of hibiscus is exceptionally hardy, and its ludicrously large flowers add a real dose of fun to the garden from mid or late summer into the fall.

9. Purple Heart Hibiscus

Another hibiscus hybrid from the famous Fleming brothers, the purple heart hibiscus is another with impressively large flower blossoms (six to 12 inches across). These blossoms feature a fanned or pinwheel-like arrangement of large, grooved petals. The flowers are crimson to purple in color and feature golden-yellow stamens that protrude from their centers.

This complex hybrid is a product of two hybrid hibiscus parents, ‘Pinot Noir’ and ‘Purple Hat Society’. This hibiscus variety is hardy down to zone four and also grows well in large containers. Purple heart hibiscus flowers attract a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

10. Purple Ruffles Hibiscus

The purple ruffles hibiscus is aptly named, as its flowers are thickly ruffled – especially when compared to other hibiscus varieties. They feature a single layer of five prominent petals and a central pom-pom of additional, ruffly petals that are shorter than the base layer, giving the flower heads a tufted appearance. The petals feature a variegated color scheme of gradient pinks and purples.

This hibiscus grows as an upright and bushy shrub that makes a good hedgerow or specimen plant in a garden. Purple ruffles hibiscus plants can also be successfully planted, grown, and overwintered in large containers.

11. Amethyst Hibiscus

The amethyst hibiscus is a stunning variety. It produces dark-green foliage and modestly sized flowers that are three to four inches in diameter. The flowers have a resemblance to white windflowers or even poppies, with a stunning array of five slightly ruffled petals in a snowy shade of white that abruptly changes to dark amethyst at the throat. This deep purple shade offsets the golden-yellow dots found on the flowers’ stamens. The amethyst hibiscus is a perennial down to hardiness zone five, but it can also be grown as an annual in cooler climates due to its swift growth rate.

12. Magenta Chiffon Hibiscus

From the same series of hibiscus plants as the lavender chiffon hibiscus included above, the magenta chiffon hibiscus features the same, ruffled, rose or peony-like flower blossoms that give this plant superior beauty. On the magenta chiffon hibiscus, the flowers are, of course, magenta in color with a slight purple iridescence to the petals. These hibiscus flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees.

13. Purple Satin Hibiscus

The single flowers of the purple satin hibiscus are of a more traditional hibiscus shape. With a circle of five oblong petals surrounding a prominent, fat creamy-white stamen. The petals have a purple gradient color with cool bluish-violet tips that warm to a shade of pinkish-purple and a deep maroon at their bases. These flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Purple satin hibiscus plants do well in hedges, borders, beds, and even sloped gardens (they won’t thrive in full shade).

14. Dinner Plate Hibiscus

Dinner plate hibiscus is one among many common names for the Hibiscus moscheutos, a species of hibiscus plant that is also commonly referred to as the rose mallow, swamp mallow, easter rosemallow, or swamp rose mallow. The term “dinner plate” refers to the large, almost flat (slightly cup-shaped) flowers that span about eight to 12 inches across. This species of hibiscus does best in wet soil, making it a good choice for rain gardens, pond borders, and other gardens near water.

Purple Hibiscus Blooms for the Warm, Sunny Garden

Since they do not occur naturally in the wild, purple hibiscus flowers can add a lovely allure to any garden. Just be sure you have plenty of space for larger varieties to spread out and warm enough weather for them to survive the winter and eventually reach maturity.