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California Native Plant

Nassella pulchra

Purple Needlegrass

Plant photo of: Nassella pulchra
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Information by: The Plant Nerd Inc.        Photographer:

 

Description

This perennial grass has deep green leaves reaches 3' tall and wide. Airy flowers and purple seedheads appear in spring. This grass tolerates full to part sun and clay soil. Foliage goes dormant in summer and then comes back when weather cools down. Nasella pulchra is used for restoring natural meadows, stabilizing soil and revegetation. This grass tolerates drought as well as wet conditions.

Maintenance Tips

Nassella pulchra is a very fine textured native grass that can grow up to 3' tall and wide. This is very drought tolerant and thrives in just about any place in any garden. It requires almost no maintenance, but it is common to cut it back very hard in the winter to prune off the old spent flowers. This species is self-seeding, which can be a problem in a designed garden. If you are using it around other plants, you may want to apply a pre-emergent to keep the seeds from germinating.

 

Plant Type

Grass

Height Range

1-3'

Flower Color

Purple

Flower Season

Spring

Leaf Color

Green

Bark Color

n/a

Fruit Color

n/a

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full, Half

Water

Very Low

Growth Rate

Fast

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

Soil Condition

Well-drained, Moist, Dry

Soil pH

Acid, Neutral, Basic

Adverse Factors

Invasive

Design Styles

Meadow, Mediterranean, Ranch, Seascape, Spanish, Tropical, Water Garden, Wetlands, Wild Garden, Woodland

Accenting Features

Unusual Foliage

Seasonal Interest

Winter, Spring, Fall

Location Uses

Lawn, Parking Strip, Park, Parking Lot, Raised Planter, Roadside, With Rocks

Special Uses

Container, Erosion Control, Mass Planting, Lawn Substitute, Naturalizing

Attracts Wildlife

n/a

Water Saving Tip:

Group plants with similar watering needs in the same area.