purple love grass
Grass family (Poaceae)
overview
A warm season perennial grass with an incredible range of seasonal color and texture.
In spring, the small plant forms a loose open mound of blue-green blades.
In summer, foliage is topped by delightful clouds of rosy-purple spikelets.
In autumn, foliage develops a bronzy red sheen and seed ripens to a soft beige.
wildlife value
Hosts caterpillars of the Zabulon skipper. Birds forage on the seed but foliage is not palatable to deer.
maintenance
This species is a fairly short lived perennial that will reseed to replenish the population. If seeding is undesirable, deadhead after flowering. In garden situations, cut dead foliage to the ground in early spring to make way for new growth.
In disturbed fields, this grass competes with weedy and exotic species and survives detrimental cultivation practices. Plants are also salt tolerant enough to flourish on roadsides that receive winter salt.
sources
| Availability | Vendor | Website |
| X | Earth Sangha (VA) | https://www.earthsangha.org/ |
| Hill House Farm & Nursery (VA) | http://hillhousenativeplants.com/plant_list | |
| X | Nature By Design (VA) | http://www.nature-by-design.com/plantlist2019.html |
| X | Chesapeake Natives, Inc. (Region) | http://chesapeakenatives.org/plant-list/ |
Native Plant Palette 