purple lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
USDA zones3 to 9
SunNeeds full sun (6+ hours)
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size12 to 24 inches tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Habit
- Grass/grass-like
- Bloom season
- Summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Soft reddish-purple
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Purple lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis) is a grass for borders, containers, 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. Reddish-purple flower clusters float like hazy clouds above the dense tufts in late summer, then break off and roll around like tumbleweeds. It spreads by rhizomes and will reseed, so give it room. It is not a favorite of deer, though hungry deer will eat almost anything.
Pairs well with Blonde Ambition blue grama, American Gold Rush black-eyed Susan, and Gro-Low fragrant sumac.
Native range
North America.