Molinia caerulea
Purple moor grass
Common names: Blue moor grass, Common moor grass, Purple moorgrass
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 15 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Jul–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −30 °C
- Water need
- Medium
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Elke Freese · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Molinia caerulea, the purple moor grass, is a native grass of bogs, heaths, and damp meadows. It gets its name from the long, thin stems that were once used to clean long tobacco pipes. It forms dense tufts of narrow, light green leaves. From July to September, slender flower panicles with a violet tinge rise above the foliage on fine stems. Depending on the cultivar, it grows 50 to 150 cm tall, and the cultivar 'Heidebraut' is among the taller ones. In autumn the grass turns a bright golden yellow, and in winter it remains standing as a straw-colored framework. It grows slowly and takes a few years to show its full effect. The moor grass meadows in which it grows wild have become rare.
Care instructions
Plant purple moor grass in spring in a sunny to partly shaded spot with fresh to moist, nutrient-poor soil. Water regularly in the first year, and later water thoroughly during long dry spells, as it prefers even moisture to dry roots. In a container, the soil must never dry out completely. No fertilizer is needed, as it makes the stems long and soft. Cut the grass back to just above the ground only in February or March, before new shoots appear. Until then, the stems adorn the bed in winter. Typical mistakes include overly rich soil, a permanently dry location, and cutting back in autumn. Divide or transplant the grass only in spring, and afterwards it needs some patience.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–May
FloweringJul–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 10 °C, ideally 20 °C
- Days to sprout
- 14 to 35 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, humus-rich, lean, well-drained
Purple moor grass grows best on nutrient-poor, humus-rich and evenly fresh to moist soil, as found at moorland edges, wet meadows and heaths. It is happiest on neutral to acidic soil and tolerates slightly chalky ground. Changing moisture does not bother it; only permanently bone-dry sand does not suit it. On rich garden soil the grass grows tall and soft and flops easily, while on poor soil it stays sturdier.
Feeding
Light feeder
Purple moor grass needs no fertiliser. It comes from nutrient-poor sites, and too much food makes the stems long and soft, so the clumps fall apart in summer. On very poor sandy soil you may lay a thin layer of mature compost in spring; more is not necessary. In a container, too, fresh compost every few years is enough.
Overwintering
Purple moor grass is fully hardy and needs no protection in the bed. Leave the straw-yellow stems standing over winter; they look especially beautiful in hoar frost. In a container, move the pot against a sheltered house wall, stand it on feet or wooden battens and wrap it in horticultural fleece or hessian in hard frost. On frost-free days, water sparingly, because the root ball should not dry out completely, but should not sit in water either.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
- From seed
The best way to propagate purple moor grass is by division in spring, shortly before the new growth starts. Lift a strong clump and divide it into hand-sized pieces with a sharp spade, because the roots are dense and tough. Replant the pieces immediately and keep them moist. Cultivars such as ‘Heidebraut’ you divide so that they stay true to type. The wild species can also be sown: from March to May, scatter the fine seeds over poor seed compost, cover them only with a very thin layer and keep them bright and evenly moist. For wet meadows and naturalistic plantings, use regional seed from your area; do not dig anything up at natural sites.
For your garden
Grow Purple moor grass yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
Free, no time limit
Notes from real gardens
What other gardeners have written down about this variety, anonymous and voluntary.
No notes shared yet. Will you be the first to write one down?