Plant of the Month September 2025: Purple Lovegrass

In late August and September, Purple Lovegrass casts a lovely purplish haze over the roadsides and low fields. This lowgrowing, warm season bunch grass lights up the early fall landscape with airy clouds of small reddish-purple flowers that seem to float above the dense tufts of low foliage that grows only 6 -12” high. The airy inflorescence has an intricate whorled branching structure with three delicate wiry stems rising from the main pedicel and holds the small flowers, then seeds, above the foliage reaching 12 – 20” high. In mid to late October, the panicle turns to cream while the flat blue-green leaves of summer take on reddish purple autumnal hues, extending the fall show. By late fall after the seeds mature the airy inflorescence breaks off and blows or tumbles away, dispersing its seeds to create new colonies. This characteristic has given rise to other common names as colorful as the grass is useful such as Tumble grass and Petticoat Climber.

The delicate inflorescence belies the tough, rugged nature of this low grass. It thrives in sunny hot, dry sites and tolerates poor infertile sandy soils, heat, cold, extended drought, salt, and herbivores like rabbits and deer. It even tolerates part shade and damp to wet soils. It spreads by rhizomes and seeds and is often seen along roadsides or other disturbed habitats. It is widely distributed across eastern and central North America and in Virginia is common in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont and frequent in low elevations in the mountains. Look for it along roadsides, open fields, clearings. river shores, dune grasslands and scrub, interdune swales or even open woodlands.

As you have probably guessed, this tough little grass offers many outstanding landscaping possibilities.

It is particularly lovely planted in masses or as a low groundcover for hot dry sunny sites or sandy soils where other plants often fail to thrive. It also makes a splendid edging plant along the front of a border or walkway. It is even tough enough to be used as a lawn alternative in sunny well-drained sites if there is infrequent foot traffic, only needing mowing a few times a growing season. Perfect for low meadows, it spreads to fill in gaps and creates a lovely foil for perennials. The fibrous roots excel at stabilizing and holding soil so it is particularly useful along banks or slopes and other sunny erosion-prone sites.

It's salt tolerance makes it perfect for planting in urban areas, along roadsides, or on upper shorelines and along river banks or sand or gravel bars. Virginia Cooperative Extension includes it in ‘Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic’ and the Native Plant Trust says, “Purple lovegrass is a tough plant for tough places.” In short it thrives on neglect! For a stunning landscape effect, try planting it where the low-angled fall sun can shine through the autumnal foliage and inflorescence lighting up the landscape.

Purple Lovegrass offers many ecological benefits too such as cover and nesting sites for birds and small mammals, as well as for many pollinators and beneficial insects thus contributing to a diverse and healthy ecosystem. Its fibrous roots offer excellent erosion control, and its seeds are eaten by many songbirds and small mammals. It is also a host for small butterflies such as the Zabulon Skipper. And the beautiful reddish-purple inflorescences are beautiful in flower arrangements or dried. This low grass just keeps on giving.

Perhaps the only challenge to growing this stunning and tough low grass, is finding it in local nurseries, but you are in luck however, we will have a large number of Purple Lovegrass available at our upcoming Fall Plant Sale on September 5, 6, and 7th at Good Luck Cellars in Kilmarnock along with many other beautiful sedges, grasses and perennial companions. Find more information about the Sale and a complete Plant Sale List of the nearly 135 species and 2000 plants we will be offering on our website at www.nnvnps.org.