purple prairie clover
Dalea purpurea
USDA zones3 to 8
SunNeeds full sun (6+ hours)
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size1 to 3 feet tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Subshrub
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Purple
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea) is a perennial for borders, pollinator gardens, meadows, and naturalized areas. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun and dry to moist soil of most types. Tiny rose-purple flowers form cone-like heads on upright wiry stems. Butterflies and birds visit them. Deer usually look elsewhere for a meal.
Pairs well with Butterfly milkweed, Little bluestem, Rough gayfeather, and Magnus coneflower.
Native range
AL, AR, AZ, CO, and 25 more places. See all 29
AL, AR, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NM, NY, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, WI, WY; AB, MB, ON, and SK.