How big does Purple love grass grow?

About 60 cm × 60 cm after ten years (height × width). Its ultimate size is 30–70 cm × 30–80 cm.

What soil does Purple love grass grow in?

It tolerates these soils: sandy, average garden soil.

Is Purple love grass hardy?

Hardy down to -29 °C (USDA zone 4, RHS H7). It gets through winter in every part of the country.

When does Purple love grass flower?

Flowering: July–October, purple, red, pink.

How much water does Purple love grass need?

Water need: low. Drought tolerance: high.

Purple love grass

Eragrostis spectabilis

Purple love grass (Eragrostis spectabilis) is an ornamental grass that reaches 60 cm × 60 cm after ten years. Light: full sun. Hardy down to -29 °C. Drought tolerance: high.

Illustration of Purple love grass — An illustration of the typical shape of the mature plant, not a photo.

What it's good for, and what it isn't

Purple love grass is a low warm-season grass: in late summer a reddish-purple haze of flowers floats above the green tuft of leaves, fading to brown in autumn and drying well for arrangements. It belongs in a hot, sunny spot in dry, lean, sandy or gravelly soil, where it needs next to no care. It self-seeds readily, dies back in winter and is long-lived only where drainage is good.

Watch out for

No serious pests or diseases; aphids, leaf spot and spittlebugs turn up occasionally. It seeds about freely: the ripe flower head breaks off and rolls along in the wind like a tumbleweed, scattering seed, so seedlings can appear in unexpected parts of the garden, and stems lying on the ground root at the nodes. Cut the flower heads off before the seed ripens if you want to prevent this. In heavy, wet soil it grows poorly and does not live long.

Key facts

Light: Full sun
Water need: Low
Care: Low
Size after 10 years: 60 cm × 60 cm
Hardiness: down to -29 °C
Foliage: Deciduous
Flowering: J F M A M J J A S O N D July–October, purple, red, pink

All details

Group	Ornamental grass
Light	Full sun
Size after 10 years	60 cm × 60 cm
Ultimate size	30–70 cm × 30–80 cm
Hardiness	down to -29 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)
Soil	Sandy, Average garden soil
Foliage	Deciduous
Flowering	July–October, purple, red, pink
Water need	Low
Drought tolerance	High
Maintenance	Low
Root aggressiveness	Low
Suckering	no data
Spreading	Medium
Distance from buildings	no data
Distance from paving	no data
Litter	not typical
Planting distance	40 cm
For dogs	no data
For cats	no data
For children	no data
Typical price	no data

Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor.

Frequently asked questions

Data updated: October 17, 2026 · How our data is made

Appears in these lists

Ground cover plants Drought-tolerant plants Drought-tolerant plants for sandy soil Ornamental grasses Plants for a Mediterranean garden

Looks good next to it

Purple coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

Blanket flower

Gaillardia aristata

Border stonecrop hybrids

Hylotelephium × hybridum