If you haven’t yet heard, Very Peri is Pantone’s Colour of the Year! This is an annual trend forecast by the colour giant that determine which colour is set to appear all over our homes and gardens in the following year.
This year’s Very Peri is ‘A New Pantone Colour Whose Courageous Presence Encourages Personal Inventiveness And Creativity’.
In terms of picking out plants for your garden in 2022’s trendiest hue, there is so much to choose from. Very Peri features blue and violet red undertones, which makes it perfect for a calming garden designed for thoughtfulness, reflection and creative thinking.
Here are 10 plants that cover the spectrum, and would be right at home in your Very Peri garden!
Verbena bonariensis
These delightfully delicate blooms are ideal for mid-borders. They produce purplish tufts that reappear every year, and attract insects to your garden.
Clematis Multi Blue
Clematis is a beautiful climbing plant that can be trained up a trellis or garden wall. Plant in a sunny position to maximise on flowering potential, and see a waterfall of blooms – almost all year round, if you play your cards right!
Lobelia syphilitica
Found growing in bogs and swamps in its native Missouri, Lobelia starts pushing out flowers in midsummer, and these last through to autumn. They create wonderful hints of purple-blue in the borders, and are great for damp gardens.
Nemesia Denim Blue
I talked about denim gardening on my website here, and these Nemesia fit right into the trend! The flowers looks super sweet in pots and borders, producing a mound of indigo-blue to brighten up your garden.
Heliotrope Marine
This plant offers far more than its sweet cherry scent. Its clusters of purple-blue flowers are endlessly pleasing to look at, and the insects can’t get enough of them either! Plant in borders, beds and patio pots for impact in all areas of your garden.
Teasel – Dipsacus
Before they turn into delightful brown seedheads that provide food for winter birds, teasel plants produce violet flower heads that make a summer garden sing. At 3m tall, they stand proud above their peers!
English Lavender
Who doesn’t love lavender? Perfect for a wildlife-friendly garden, lavender is long-flowering, producing blue-purple blooms that are nothing but iconic for a cottage garden look!
Alliums
Alliums are a must-have for bulb lovers. They’re incredibly easy to grow – though some taller varieties will require staking – and bring violet-hued joy to your garden throughout summer. As a bonus, they turn into hauntingly beautiful skeletons come autumn!
Salvia
Salvia is a herb in the mint family that pumps out gorgeous, deep blue-violet flowers from midsummer until the first frosts. They’re well loved for their colour and their nectar, which attracts pollinating insects.
Catmint – Nepeta
Another aromatic herb, catmint produces lavender-blue flowers on top of grey-green foliage. Plant it near your veggies to deter pests!

Michael has been involved with gardening and plants since he was just five years old. He is a self-professed Plant Geek, and was listed in the Sunday Times top 20 most influential people in the gardening world, thanks to his plant hunter role at Thompson & Morgan.
Michael was responsible for new plant introductions such as the Egg and Chips plant and the FuchsiaBerry and keeps busy travelling the world in search of new plants as well as lecturing worldwide, including stints in Japan. He is very active on social media – so why not give him a follow at @mr_plantgeek or Facebook. You can also listen to The Plant Based Podcast with Michael and co-host Ellen-Mary on iTunes, Spotify and Google.
Linda Benham
I have just stumbled upon your website and was thrilled to see a list of purple and blue flowers. I have just moved to a Cotswold village and my cottage has a small neglected garden. My first job has been to remove everything from it either giving the plants away or potting them up to keep. I then applied some soil conditioner/enhancer and I am ready to roll. I am struggling to decide what to grow as I want a cottage garden and have moved from a London courtyard garden which was all white. I just wanted to say thank you so much. I am going to ready everything except the vegetable bit because sadly I have no space, but if an allotment happens I will read that too. Best wishes for Christmas and the new year. Linda