Gentiana purpurea

Purple gentian is rarely encountered in gardens or commerce as it requires cool conditions and can be quite tricky to germinate - we are thrilled to offer it! It is closely related to yellow gentian, but has velvety purple-brown flowers and slightly shorter stems.

This lime-loving mountain denizen is best grown in rich, moist but-well drained sandy loam in full sun to part shade. This is a slow-grower that may take many years to come into flower. Will not tolerate much humidity, heavy soil, or drought.

Zones: 4 to 8

Family: Gentianaceae

Type: Perennial

Height: 24 to 36 in.

Spread: 12 to 24 in.

Exposure: full sun

Soil Conditions: avoid lime, moist, average

Bloom Time: July to September

Bloom Color: Red-purple

Native Range: Central and Northern Europe

Image Credits:

• Image 1 (woods) Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Image 2 (field) Tomas Figura, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons