Purple moor grass 'Moorhexe'

Questions about purple moor grass 'Moorhexe'

Does purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' need sun or shade?

Purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' 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 soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. It copes with soil that stays wet.

What zones does purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' grow in?

USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °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 moor grass 'Moorhexe' flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers mid July to early September. 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 moor grass 'Moorhexe' be planted?

14 in (35 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 2½ ft (75 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' plants do I need?

At 14 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

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

In a mixed border, plant it as one at a time, repeated along the bed at intervals; a slender one reads better as a clump of three.

In the bed above, the planner used three in three groups.

Is purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' poisonous to dogs and cats?

No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.

"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.

Is there a native plant like purple moor grass 'Moorhexe'?

Purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' comes from Europe to West Siberia and Kazakhstan, Mediterranean, Ethiopia. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Blazing star 'Kobold': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 6 in shorter, flowers early July to early August.
• Great blue lobelia: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early August to mid September, blue, not purple.

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 moor grass 'Moorhexe'?

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 moor grass 'Moorhexe'?

Purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' is over by early September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
• Bottle gentian: from late August to early October, 20 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Blue mistflower: from late August to mid October, 2½ ft tall.

What does purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' look like in winter?

Purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' turns the colour of straw and, left uncut, stands through the winter, with seed for the birds. Cut it down in late winter, before the new shoots come up.

Is purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' good for bees and butterflies?

Purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' is visited by songbirds.