best purple (grape) colored annual for sun and heat?

[Ohioguy]

I would like to plant an annual under our front window, which is on the west side. As such, it is getting shaded from the direct sun in the morning until about Noon. Then it gets direct sun until about 45 minutes before sunset. In the summer, it will probably be getting about

9 hours of sun a day. With brick up against the back, it can cause a little bit of a heat island if there is no breeze.

The only stipulation my wife has is that she would like it to have purple (aka grape) colored flowers. At first I thought she meant dark red or burgundy, but she does not like those shades. I would prefer something that has a long flowering season, can tolerate heat, doesn't need watered 3x a week, and preferably not needing deadheaded all the time.

The lower sill of the window is about 44" above the ground there, so I could have a row of something taller in the back, and something shorter in front. The area we have to work with is 31" wide, from the side of our house out to the edge of the sidewalk, and maybe 12' long. This will be the most visible area that people see if they walk to our front door, and I sort of feel like I have to make up for the onions I planted out by the mailbox.

Any suggestions? Thank you so much!

[David E. Ross]

Salvia, Mexican sage (perennial), 'Goodwin Creek Grey' lavender (also perennial. The latter two will fill the 31" width. All like heat, sun, and only a little water.

[neaglenl]

im not good at this, that would be my husband. but i would most likely go with things near the same size tho

[Ohioguy]

I was really hoping for a snapdragon that is purple or grape colored, but every time I find someone supposedly describing a "purple" snapdragon, it turns out to be reddish or burgundy, not purple or grape.

Does such a thing even exist?

[David E. Ross]

You indicated that you a looking for a plant for the summer in a spot that will be quite warm. Here in my part of southern California, snapdragons are strictly a winter flower. They do not survive the heat of summer. While your winter is likely too cold for snapdragons, your summer is probably as warm as mine. Forget them.

[Ohioguy]

Huh. My Mom, who lives near here in Ohio, has always had great luck with her snapdragons. They have loads of flowers early, then the flowers seem to die back a bit in the heat of summer, but the plants stay green and decent looking. Then as September and October roll around, the plants have loads of flowers again. Sometimes the flowers last through November, so she gets about 2.5 to 3 months of flowering off of them. If she covers them with straw, they often make it through the winter, too.

[Ohioguy]

I wanted to use artist purple flossflower, or ageratum. Around here, all I can find is "artist blue", however. (from proven winners) In the end, I decided to simply start a bunch of purple zinnias from seed, in several of those jiffy 7 tiny seed starters that has a clear plastic cover and a dozen tiny peat pots.

I also got a couple of seed packs of purple morning glory. I remember those being easy to care for, so I'll just direct seed them along the fence, then mulch them after they come up.