Purple love grass

Eragrostis spectabilis

In other languages: Eragrostis spectabilis (Nederlands) · Eragrostis spectabilis (Français)

Purple love grass is a low ornamental grass from the prairies, open fields and sandy roadsides of eastern and central North America. It forms a compact clump of narrow green leaves that turn orange to reddish brown in autumn. In August and September a cloud of fine, widely branching reddish-purple panicles appears above it, wrapping the whole plant in a shimmering haze. Gardeners value it because it does well on poor, dry, sandy soil in full sun, where many other plants wither. It is ideal at the front of a dry border, in a gravel garden or on a sunny bank.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Full sun
warm and bright
Moisture
Dry
tolerates drought
Legal basis
Sand or loam
any pH
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -25 °C
Size
0.5 m
tall, 0.6 m wide
Flowering
August–September

Key facts
Pruning months	March
Height	0.5 m
Native to Belgium	No, planted
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous
Flowering	August–September

Identify

Purple love grass: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Compact clump 30–50 cm tall and up to 60 cm across, topped by the panicles.
Leaves: Narrow, green and slightly hairy; orange to reddish brown in autumn.
Flowers: In August–September, fine, widely branching reddish-purple panicles that later fade to light brown.
Panicles: Ripe panicles break off and tumble away in the wind.
Roots: Fibrous clump without runners.

Flowering: August–September · Plants: April–May · Pruning: March

In your garden

Why grow it?

A reddish-purple haze of plumes in late summer, beautiful when backlit.
Drought-tolerant: ideal for poor, sandy soil in full sun.
Low and compact, so suitable for the front of a border, a rock garden or a gravel garden.
Fine autumn colour in orange and reddish brown.
Little work: one cut in March.

Purple love grass: where does it grow best?

Full sun: in shade it flowers poorly and the clump falls open.
Poor, free-draining sandy or loamy soil, acid to chalky.
Dry soil: it dislikes wet roots, especially in winter.
Plant 40–50 cm apart, in groups for the best haze effect.

Light: Sun
Soil type: Sand or loam
Acidity: Not fussy
Moisture: Dry
Size: 0.5 m tall, 0.6 m wide
Hardiness: Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

Ice plant: Pink flower heads in late summer, also for dry soil.
Catmint: Blue flowers and grey leaves next to the reddish-purple plumes.
Thyme: A low, fragrant ground cover for the same dry, sunny spot.
Blue fescue: Blue tufts that contrast well with the purple haze.
Wild marjoram: Flowers in late summer, attracts bees and likes dry soil.

Maintenance

Purple love grass: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

Plant in April–May, once the soil has warmed up.
Do not improve heavy soil with manure, but with coarse sand or gravel for good drainage.
Set the clump at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil.
Space plants 40–50 cm apart, about 4 plants per m².
Water in well and water in dry spells for the first few weeks; hardly at all after that.

Care

Water: Only in the first weeks after planting. After that it copes even in dry summers.
Feeding: Not needed: on rich soil the clumps become floppy and the plant falls open.
Mulching: If you like, mulch with gravel or coarse sand, not compost: that keeps the base dry.
Seedlings: It self-seeds a little on bare soil; weed out unwanted seedlings while young.
Winter: Leave the clump standing until March: the old leaves protect the crown.

Tip: Plant it in a group on lean, sunny soil and give it no fertiliser: the clump stays compact and the reddish-purple haze looks its best.

Purple love grass: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: In March, before new growth starts.

How:

Cut the whole clump back to about 5–10 cm above the ground.
At the same time, clear up the blown-off panicles caught in the border.
Do not cut back in autumn: the clump looks good in winter and protects itself.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed: In April–May, in small pots or where it is to grow, in a warm, sunny spot; barely cover the fine seed. Self-sown seedlings in the garden are easy to move while young.
Division: In May, as growth starts: slice the clump into pieces with roots and replant them at once.

Purple love grass: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

Fully hardy, to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
Wet soil in winter is the biggest danger; in a free-draining spot it comes back every year.
Leave the clump standing until March to protect the crown.
In a pot: use a lean, sandy mix and keep the pot out of the rain in winter.

Diseases and pests

Rot: The clump fails to reappear in spring or rots in the middle, especially on heavy, wet soil. Plant in sand or a raised spot, with gravel.
Clump falling open: Soil too rich, too much water or too little sun. No fertiliser, more sun.
Seedlings: Young plants in bare, sunny spots and in gravel. Weed them out while young if you do not want them.
Late start: It is slow to emerge in spring: give it until late May before giving up on it.

Through the year

March: Cut back to 5–10 cm.
April: Plant. Sow in small pots in a warm spot.
May: Plant, sow or divide. New growth begins.
June: Water young plants in dry spells.
August: Flowering: a reddish-purple haze of plumes.
September: Flowering. Beautiful when backlit.
October: Autumn colour in orange and reddish brown. Ripe panicles break off.
December: Leave the clump standing until March.

You and this species

Did you know?

Eragrostis means ‘love grass’, from the Greek eros (love) and agrostis (grass); spectabilis is Latin for ‘showy’.
Ripe panicles break off and tumble away in the wind; that is how the plant spreads its seed.
Teff, the Ethiopian grain used to make injera, belongs to the same genus: Eragrostis tef.

Garden plants · All species