Many sweet grasses, including numerous love grasses, are indispensable as compulsory planting for the bank area. Not so the purple love grass (Eragrostis spectabilis). It prefers to be dry and is therefore ideal for garden concepts that should do without a lot of water.
As the name already suggests, the purple love grass is characterized by strong purple-red panicles of flowers. In the case of love grasses, these are strongly reminiscent of grain ears, whereby the red color of the flowers of Eragrostis spectabilis has a very special ornamental value. During its blooming period from August to October, the sweet grass can transform entire bed areas into a picturesque sea of pink flowers. From a distance, the filigree inflorescences look like a soft purple down that decorates the bed. In addition to the high ornamental value of its red flower clouds, purple love grass is also very easy to care for and needs relatively little water.
Purple Love Grass in the Garden
Eragrostis spectabilis is originally from the prairie regions of America. The distribution area extends from eastern Canada through the USA to Mexico, where the sweet grass prefers dry and sunny locations. For this reason, purple lovegrass is often found as a natural planting for dry and sun gardens like the
• Heather Garden
• Cactus Garden
• Prairie Garden
• Ranch Garden• Rock Garden
• Succulent Garden
• Desert Garden.Purple love grass is also often planted in the Japanese garden, where sparse planting and simple beauty reign, as a color accent to the rather inconspicuous Japanese love grass. Eragrostis spectabilis is also a good tip for gravel and gravel surfaces, for example under windows or on heaps.
| Eragrostis spectabilis | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | curved, expansive, clumpy |
| Growth: | 40 - 60 cm |
| Growth: | 40 - 50 cm |
| Special feature: | brown inflorescences in autumn |
| Location: | Sun |
| Floor: | dry to fresh, well-drained, loamy-sandy |
Purple lovegrass can be found in the flower or perennial gardenalso plant very well. Not only that its loose clumps create beautiful contrasts to flowers and shrubs. The blooming panicles of the love grass are also often used as decorative cut greenery in bouquets and flower arrangements. Good plant neighbors in flower beds and borders are Patagonian verbena, pink candles and autumn cranesbill and sage. They also bloom in decorative shades of pink and red, which ensures harmonious arrangements in the bed.
Facts:
Purple love grass is closely related to millet. The collective term describes a number of sweet grasses that are used as grain, including the two love grasses teff (Eragrostis tef) and hairy love grass (Eragrostis pilosa). Both species are native to Africa and, like purple love grass, are very drought-loving. In threes, the love grasses make a beautiful trio for the dry or sunny garden.
Purple Love Grass - location and planting
As already mentioned, the location for Crimson Lovegrass should be sunny and dry. Light sunbeds, drying beds and sunny open spaces are therefore particularly suitable for planting. Despite its great love for the sun, Eragrostis spectabilis is very hardy and tolerates temperatures down to -23 °C. A special winter protection is therefore not required. Only a frost-free period of 14 weeks is required annually, which is not a problem in this country.
The appropriate soil pH for purple lovegrass is in the acidic to neutral range, between 4 and 7.5. The optimal soil for Eragrostis spectabilis is well-drained and either gravelly-loamy, sandy-loamy or sandy-clayey. The substrate should be lean if possible, but reasonably rich in nutrients and humus. On the other hand, calcareous, saline and oxygen-poor soils are poorly tolerated.
➔ Plant purple love grass - instructions step by step
- 1. Step: The best planting time for purple lovegrass is late spring. Make sure that there is no longer any threat of late frost and it is best to plant after the ice saints.
- 2. Step: The soil substrate for Eragrostis spectabilis must be loose and permeable. In order to guarantee good water drainage, a gravel drainage system makes sense. Also enrich the substrate with gravel and/or sand. This enables good air exchange in the floor.
- 3. Step: Dig a planting hole 1½ times the size of the root ballis. The topsoil thickness must be at least 10 cm after planting. In addition, a planting distance of approx. 40 to 50 cm to neighboring plants is important. Because the clumps of the purple love grass grow very expansively. Group plantings of 3 to 5 plants each are particularly attractive.
Purple love grass - water and fertilize
Crimson love grass requires relatively little care if the site conditions are optimal. Due to its origin, the sweet grass gets along incredibly well with temporarily dry soil, which is why manual watering is rarely necessary.
You can basically do without additional nutrients with Eragrostis spectabilis. However, it makes sense to apply a layer of mulch in the root area. It protects the soil from excessive evaporation, especially in summer, and also reliably keeps weeds away from the plant.
Crimson Love Grass - cut and propagate
The scientific name of Eragrostis spectabilis actually means Handsome Love Grass. He refers to the soft clouds of blossoms, which sway picturesquely in the wind because of their lightness. On the one hand, love grasses got their popular name because of their charming, decorative flowers, on the other hand, love grass is also very popular as a cut plant for flowery declarations of love.
Purple love grass in particular can be found in numerous bouquets on romantic occasions such as Valentine's Day or anniversaries. In addition, the sweet grass is extremely decorative in vases, which is why you can remove individual specimens for decoration during flowering.
The annual pruning takes place on purple love grass immediately after flowering. This not only prevents plant diseases caused by wilted parts of the plant, but also prevents the plant from multiplying uncontrolled. The spikes of the sweet grass form numerous small grains (so-called caryopses) during the ripening of the fruit, which, like grain, multiply quickly with the wind. In order to prevent this, the heads of corn must be shortened in good time.
➔ Propagation by seed
In order to sow purple love grass in a controlled manner, it is sufficient to let a few spikes mature. After the fruit has ripened, you can simply collect it and sow it in the desired spot in the garden. The seed usually thrives quickly and splendidly without the gardener having to do anything.
➔ Propagation by root division
In the case of Eragrostis spectabilis, the division of the plant is not only used for propagation. This also allows older eyrieswonderfully rejuvenate. Dig out the love grass in spring before new growth and divide the eyrie into two equal parts with a spade. The sections can then be transplanted directly back into the bed.
Diseases and Pests
Purple Lovegrass is extremely hardy. There are no known diseases or pests on the plant. However, waterlogging can easily lead to root rot. Therefore, maintain dry site conditions whenever possible and do not overwater the lovegrass.