Purple foliage is not only a great mediator, but can help your beds to look colorful even when not much is in bloom. Until my coneflowers and rudbeckia come into bloom, one whole side of my garden is all silver and bluish foliage with a liberal dash of deep purple-tinted Eupatorium 'Chocolate' and a carefully trimmed Cotinus 'Royal Velvet'. A few daylilies may bloom in pale yellows and peach tones, and the Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' blooms shyly - not much of a floral display considering the size of the bed. But the garden always looks like it has color.
You really can't go terribly wrong if you use deep purples in your garden - a virtue which makes it worthy of being an "in" color even in years when the fashion industry says it's out. If you haven't used much purple yet, try mixing in just a few small plants and see what it does for your borders. You will undoubtedly be pleased. In fact, I'll bet when you're looking over this winter's collection of catalogs you find yourself strongly considering a few more plants in the color purple.
Just do it in moderation, please.
For more information about designing with purple, read Royal Purple: A Regal Presence in the Garden
Just for fun - read this to see if you are a Purple Person
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