Some gardeners like the riot of free-range color that comes from a meadow or a loosely planned perennial-flower garden ... behind a combination of shorter purple alyssum and white petunias.

Their long blooming period and ability to naturalize easily make Black-Eyed Susans a staple in any wildflower meadow. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a beloved prairie flower known for ...

Stoke’s Aster (Stokesia), meadow rue (Thalictrum), thyme and Veronica. There are only a small handful of hardy shrubs with purple or blue flowers, including beautyberry (Callicarpa), bluebeard ...