What is purple fountain grass good for?
Purple Fountain Grass packs a one-two punch. First, it delivers purplish, burgundy-red foliage that sets your garden apart. And in addition to its unmatched foliage, it produces fluffy, purple flower spikes in the heat of summer for even more vibrancy. And this gem of a plant is also a botanical bird feeder. Purple Fountain Grass and Sun believeable Sunflower These flowers can produce thousands of blooms every season, from first bloom to first frost. They are beautiful paired with the soft purple look of Purple Fountain Grass which is drought tolerant and easy to grow.Purple Fountain Grass Grass Purple Fountain is winter hardy to USDA Zones 9-10 where it is easily grown as a perennial in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Best performance is in full sun.Planting: Plant your Purple Fountain in an area with full sun (about 6 hours of sunlight daily) and well-drained soil. Once you’ve chosen your location, dig a hole that’s large enough to accommodate your plant’s root ball, place your plant, backfill the soil and water to settle the roots.While crown divisions are the most popular and recom- mended method for propagating purple fountain grass, growers have reported this method to be costly. Alternatively, tissue- cultured plantlets are a more cost-effective propagation method because growers can root and divide the plantlets.
Is purple fountain grass an annual?
Purple fountain grass is a perennial in Zones 9 and 10, but is frequently grown as an annual in cold-winter Zones. Grow purple fountain grass in a sunny spot with well-drained soil. It grows best when it gets about an inch of water a week (either from rain or the water hose). Purple fountain grass does not typically need to be fertilized, especially when grown as an annual. However, you can fertilize this sun-loving plant with any general-purpose fertilizer if you wish.In optimal conditions, Purple Fountain Grass can grow 1-2 feet per month during the vegetative phase. The plants can reach heights of 3-4 feet at maturity.With its flowing fountain shape, colorful foliage, and bottlebrush plumes throughout summer and fall, purple fountain grass can add contrasting shape and texture, as well as movement in your garden. Its tall plumes rise above the clumping grass and sway in the breeze.
When should you cut purple fountain grass?
The big thing with grasses is cutting them back once a year and dividing them once every four or five years,” Dori says. Most gardeners leave their native grasses in place for winter interest and to provide food for birds. The time when you should cut back ornamental grasses is in late winter or early spring. Early spring is a good time to cut back when you live in temperatures where you can enjoy the seed heads and fall color through winter. As long as the grass has had a haircut before the next season, that’s all it needs to not get in the way of new growth.However, whilst spring provides great conditions for germination, so too does autumn! Sowing grass seed in September and October is great as long as temperatures in your area are at least 8-10°C during the day and night with no adverse conditions due in your local weather forecast.