Purple Love Grass (Eragrostis)

Eragrostis spectabilis (Purple Love Grass) is a showy warm season native grass that blooms in late summer with loose, open heads of reddish-purple flowers that ripen to brown seed heads in the fall. Native to the eastern half of the US, Purple Love Grass is a good choice for planting sites with dry, sandy, or rocky soils. Tolerant of black walnuts and road salt too, this grass is a great option for the most challenging conditions. Good for mass planting and erosion control. Avoid rich loams and clay soil. As it is not a long-lived grass, leave seed heads to encourage the plants to re-seed themselves. Purple Love Grass makes a good companion for sandy soil lovers like Coneflower (Ratibida), Prairie Tickseed (Coreopsis palmata), and Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea).