The world of succulents is incredibly colourful. Pick any colour and you will be able to find a succulent to match. Warm stand-out colours such as purple, pink or red are very popular thanks to their ability to instantly brighten up any space.
In this article we will look at some fantastic purple succulents of all different shades that will suit gardens, arrangements and pots. Warning, after reading this you may not resist going succulent shopping!
Best Purple Succulents
- Aeonium Schwarzkopf
- Ceropegia Woodii
- Echeveria Neon Breakers
- Echeveria Orion
- Echeveria Perle Von Nurenberg
- Echeveria Purple Pearl
- Graptopetalum Purple Delight
- Graptoveria Debbi
- Graptoveria Lilac Spoon
- Othonna Capensis
- Pleisopilos Nelii rubra
- Sedum Purple Blob
- Sedum Dragon’s Blood
- Sempervivum Purple Haze
- Sempervivum Purple Beauty
- Senecio Crassimus
Aeonium Schwarzkopf
The colour of Aeonium Schwarzkopf is one of the most intense purple available. One could say it is almost dark purple-black. And it looks absolutely amazing.
This succulent grows on a tall stem and branches out, each branch ending in a gorgeous, dark purple rosette. Aeonium Schwarzkopf can grow to about 1.5m height and width. The rosettes can reach 20cm in diameter.
A round of offsets will form around mature rosettes in Spring and Autumn and will eventually from new branches.
Aeonium Schwarzkopf is summer dormant, unlike most succulents, and grows best Autumn- Spring. This can be problematic in climates with winter frosts and snow as Aeonium Schwarzkopf is not frost tolerant and will need to be brought indoors while frosts persist.
For a full profile of Aeonium Schwarzkopf, including care, propagation and pests, see this article.
Ceropegia Woodii
String of hearts or chain of hearts is one of the most popular succulents. The heart-shaped
leaves grow on long vines or strings and can grow many meters long.
The leaves of Ceropegia woodii can range in colour but for the most part, the hearts are purple-green with white veins running through.
String of hearts prefers a bright shaded spot and can be grown indoors, on covered patios or in hanging baskets under trees.
Ceropegia Woodii is not frost tolerant and so will need to be protected in climates that experience frost and snow.
The vines will ramble if left to their own devices and can be trained up a fence or a trellis.
To read everything there is to know about the String of hearts, you may want to be interested in this article.
Echeveria Neon Breakers
The dazzling pink-purple colour and frilly leaves make Echeveria Neon Breakers a popular succulent. The rosettes grow on a short stalk and produce many offsets which, if left intact, will create a beautiful, tight clump of purple.
Echeveria Neon Breakers can grow to approximately 15cms in diameter, though if left to create clumps, the whole formation will measure much larger.
This succulent is suitable for frost-free gardens and pots. Re-potting is recommended so Neon Breakers can reach its full size and produce offsets.
A sunny spot is a must for this plant. Neon Breakers is not suitable to be grown indoors.
Echeveria Orion
The brilliant purple colour of Echeveria Orion comes through mainly in the cooler months. During summer it can fade away a little, but even then this is one eye-catching succulents.
Echeveria Orion grows quite big, in comparison to other Echeveria and individual rosettes can reach about 30cm in diameter. Pups or offsets form at the base and for a clump of purple rosettes. To reach its ideal size, Echeveria Orion will need to be re-potted regularly into bigger pots.
Not only is it beautiful, but Echeveria Orion is also one very hardy plant. It can cope with extreme heat as week as well as lots of rain.
This succulent is suitable to be grown in frost free gardens and looks absolutely stunning when mass planted. Echeveria Orion is a great pot plant too.
A sunny spot outdoors is best, though morning sun followed by bright afternoon shade will be ok too. Echeveria Orion is not suitable to be grown indoors.
Echeveria Perle Von Nurenberg
When one says purple succulents Echeveria Perle Von Nurnberg immediately springs to mind. This is one of the most beautiful and popular purple succulents available.
Echeveria Perle Von Nurnberg is, however, not a beginner plant and will need a little bit of extra love and care in order to flourish. It is particularly susceptible to overwatering and does not do well in high humidity and rain.
To successfully grow a PVN, it will need to be kept under cover during rain and watering will have to be controlled. The best way to water this succulent is to drench once the potting mix has completely dried out. Never mist or spray as this can rot the plant faster.
Echeveria Perle Von Nurnberg is best grown in pots so it can be moved from the rain. It will need exposure to the sun for at least 4 hours per day and is not a good indoor plant.
Echeveria Purple Pearl
Echeveria Purple Pearl is, in my opinion, THE best purple succulent money can buy. The purple is very intense and beautiful. It does not fade away too much in summer, unlike many other succulents.
The problem with Echeveria Purple Pearls is its sensitivity to water and humidity. Just like the Perle Von Nurnberg above, it can very easily get fungus spots and rot during heavy rain or when overwatered.
Purple Pearl is one of very few succulents my nursery grows in a covered greenhouse with a 30% shade factor, solid cover due to its sensitivity to rain.
To maintain its shape and colour Echeveria Purple Pearl will also need exposure to the sun. A sunny patio or a greenhouse would be a great home for this succulent. Purple Pearl is not suitable to grow indoors.
Graptopetalum Purple Delight
Graptopetalum are some of my favourite plants as they are incredibly hardy and very pretty. Purple delight grows pink and purple colours. The pink mostly comes through at the leaves ends and purple from the centre. The result is a gorgeous, bi-color rosette.
Graptopetalum Purple Delight grows on a tall stalk and forms a tight rosette. The leaves are chunky and wide. The plant offsets freely and can be left spreading as a groundcover or colonizing big, wide pots.
To achieve an intense purple, this succulent will need to be grown in a sunny spot outdoors. It is a fantastic garden plant in frost free gardens, but also grows well in pots.
Graptopetalum Purple Delight is not suitable for growing indoors.
Graptoveria Debbi
Succulents often change colours during the course of the year and Graptoveria Debbi is no exception. It can change from light purple to pink to dark purple depending on the environment and the growing conditions.
Despite this, Debbi always looks fabulous. The long leaves form a rosette with offsets growing from the bottom. The end result is a lovely clump of purple.
Graptoveria Debbi can be grown in the garden as well as pots and is quite tolerant to heat as well as lots of rain. This succulent, however, is frost tender and should not be grown indoors long term.
Graptoveria Lilac Spoons
As the name suggests, Graptoveria Lilac Spoons is beautiful lilac colour which can intensify with sun exposure and drop in temperature.
The leaf shape of this succulent is quite interesting and unique. Long, tubular leaves widen at the end and create a dimple. Some leaves look a bit like a spoon.
Graptoveria Lilac Spoons forms a rosette shape and grows offsets at the base. Individual rosettes can reach approximately 15cm in diameter.
But Lilac Spoons is not just a pretty face. This succulent is hardy as well and will tolerate neglect, extreme temperatures as well as lots of rain. It is not, unfortunately, frost tolerant.
Othonna Capensis
Othonna Capensis also known as the purple necklace is a lovely trailing succulent with short, cylindrical leaves growing on thin stems. This makes it a popular hanging basket plant.
The stems are always purple, but the leaves can partly change to during when warm weather comes along. In winter, the whole plant is likely to go purple, when exposed to all day sun.
While Othonna Capensis is a hardy plant, it is not frost tolerant and unlikely to survive well indoors.
Pleiospilos Nelii Rubra
Pleiospilos Nelii Rubra also known as the ‘split rock’ is a small growing succulent to approximately 5cm. The opposite leaves of this plant look like a rock splitting open when new leaves are ready to grow.
The colour of Pleispilos Nelii Rubra can vary from light purple to deep purple, depending on the growing conditions.
This succulent does not like to have wet feet and will need to be kept in a greenhouse or under cover.
It is a fantastic windowsill plant that will be able to survive being planted in the same pot for some years. For Pleiospilos Nelii to survive indoors the light coming through the window will need to bright all day long.
Sedum Purple Blob
I love this succulent just because of its name, though it is a beautiful plant as well. Sedum Purple Blob is made of small, purple rosettes and creates a mound.
The Purple Blob succulent is best planted in the garden where the roots can spread without being bound by a pot. It does well in rockeries and will look stunning if left to cascade.
Purple Blob tends to die off in winter and come growing back in spring.
Sedum Dragon’s Blood
Sedum Dragon’s Blood comes in a deep purple red colour and looks fantastic planted in pots and the garden. The colour is at its best autumn-spring and then fades away during the warm summer months.
The leaves form tiny rosettes and can spread over large areas in good conditions. If grown in pots, this succulent should be re-potted into a larger pot as the plant grows.
Sedum Dragon’s Blood is frost hardy and should survive mild frosts. It is dormant in summer and grows best in the cooler months.
Sempervivum Purple Haze
Sempervivum Purple Haze tends to grow purple during colder months and may turn completely green in summer.
The light purple colour usually appears in the center of the rosette, creating a pretty contrast between the purple and green leaves.
Sempervivum are clump forming succulents and the purple centers look particularly amazing in older plants with multiple offsets. If left to its own devices, Sempervivum will create a carpet of rosettes.
Sempervivum are known to survive frosts and snow and so can be planted in the garden in cooler climates.
In pots, re-pot every year to keep the rosettes multiplying. Sempervivum are not happy when rootbound and will likely lose many bottom leaves.
Sempervivum Purple Beauty
Sempervivum Purple Beauty is prized for the faint purple colour on all its leaves. The rosette shape of this succulent paired with the colour makes for a very attractive plant. At its most colourful, the oldest leaves are faint lilac, middle purple and the center lilac-green.
The leaves are thinner than most succulent and it is usually the short stems that carry all the water.
It is best grown in a garden, but Purple Beauty is also suitable for pots. Re-potting will encourage growth of many offsets which can be left to create a beautiful purple carpet. The offsets are incredibly easy to propagate.
This Sempervivum is also frost tolerant and will survive mild frosts.
Senecio Crassimus
Senecio Crassimus also known as the Propeller Plant grows leaves resembling plane propellers. The leaves are blue-purple and have dark purple edges. As with most succulents, the purple will intensify with sun exposure and drop in temperature.
Senecio Crassimus is a small shrub with multiple branches and can grow quite tall for a succulent. In ideal conditions this plant can reach over 1.5m height. Mass planted, Senecio Crassimus can be used as a small hedge.
A sunny, frost free garden is the perfect spot for Senecio Crassimus, though it will do well in pots too. To keep this plant growing in pots, re-potting is recommended when the roots have reached the limits of the pot.
If you liked this article you may also be interested in best heart shaped succulents.