Purple gas plant

Questions about purple gas plant

Does purple gas plant need sun or shade?

Purple gas plant grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).

It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does purple gas plant grow in?

USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).

Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does purple gas plant flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early June to late June. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should purple gas plant be planted?

24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.

It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many purple gas plant plants do I need?

At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is purple gas plant poisonous?

Yes: moderate toxicity to people. The oil on the leaves and seed pods can cause a blistering rash on skin exposed to sunlight. Wear gloves and long sleeves to handle it.

Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

Is there a native plant like purple gas plant?

Purple gas plant comes from Southern and Central Europe and Central Asia. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Purple milkweed: the same flowering time; a drift, not a specimen, 6 in narrower.
• Purple coneflower: the same colour; a drift, not a specimen, 6 in narrower.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat purple gas plant?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

What flowers after purple gas plant?

Purple gas plant is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Daylily: from late June to early August, 2½ ft tall.

What does purple gas plant look like in winter?

Purple gas plant dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.

Is purple gas plant good for bees and butterflies?

Purple gas plant is visited by pollinators and butterflies.