How to Plant Purple Fountain Grass

Overview

Planting purple fountain grass in your garden will give you a charming ornamental grass that is easy to care for. Like many ornamental grasses, purple fountain grass is a perennial, although in colder climates it can be grown as an annual. It can grow up to 4 feet tall with a spread of 3 feet. The foliage is a dark shade of purple with bushy flowers that bloom in the summer and fall. The grass is only hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11.

Step 1

Choose a suitable growing spot in your garden. Purple fountain grass prefers full sun, but it can handle partial shade. It also can handle any soil type as long as it is well drained.

Step 2

Plant in the spring after the last frost. This will give the grass time to get established and start growing once the weather warms up.

Step 3

Dig a hole for your purple fountain grass. Make sure the hole is as deep as the container the purple fountain grass came in and 2 to 3 times as wide. The hole needs to be large enough to fit the grass and with room to spare for back-filling. If you are planting more than one container of purple fountain grass, space each hole 4 to 5 feet apart so it can spread out as it grows.

Step 4

Place the purple fountain grass in the hole. Fill the hole with soil and pat it down firmly.

Step 5

Water the purple fountain grass for 5 minutes.