Purple moor grass 'Variegata'
Molinia caerulea 'Variegata' · Poaceae
A neat tuft of cream-striped leaves under a spray of thin, arching, butter-yellow stems that carry tiny purple flowers. The whole plant turns gold in autumn.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Mid July to mid September
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around purple moor grass 'Variegata'
The planner designed this bed around purple moor grass 'Variegata' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why purple moor grass 'Variegata' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Purple moor grass 'Variegata' × 3, purple
- 2 Stemless gentian × 31, blue
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 8, yellow
- 4 Garden phlox 'David' × 3, white
- 5 Purple milkweed × 3, purple
- 6 Globe arborvitae 'Danica' × 1, green leaves
- 7 Hardy gladiolus × 5, pink
- 8 Spring starflower × 7, blue
Why this plant
- Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
- The only airy sprays. The others are trumpets, daisies, dense clusters and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does globe arborvitae 'Danica'.
Why here
- At the back, and only just seen. At 24 in it is about the height of globe arborvitae 'Danica' (24 in) in front of it.
- A step in the back row. Next to purple milkweed (3 ft), hardy gladiolus (2½ ft) and garden phlox 'David' (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 11 weeks. From mid July to mid September.
- Closes the season. For its last two weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- Stands through winter. Left uncut, it holds its shape until March, when the perennials have gone.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 52% of the planted ground. The flowering is at its height in early June, with 4 kinds out together. Stemless gentian repeats along the bed to tie it together.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where purple moor grass 'Variegata' goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in). It is airy enough to see through, so it can also come forward and veil what is behind it.
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The yellow flower stems are as decorative as the leaves, and they are transparent, so it can be planted at the front. It needs moist, acid soil and dislikes heat.
- A bright, low grass for moist soil
- Edging and massing
- Cool-summer gardens
What to plant with purple moor grass 'Variegata'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese anemone: in flower together for six weeks, from mid August; happy in the same moist soil.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': in flower together for 11 weeks, from mid July.
- Lady's mantle: flowers first, late May to early July, so the spot is never empty; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about purple moor grass 'Variegata'
Does purple moor grass 'Variegata' need sun or shade?
Purple moor grass 'Variegata' 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, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells. It copes with soil that stays wet.
What zones does purple moor grass 'Variegata' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °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 'Variegata' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid July to mid September. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Mid July to mid September |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid July to mid September |
| Zone 7 | Early July to mid September |
| Zone 8 | Early July to mid September |
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 'Variegata' be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many purple moor grass 'Variegata' plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is purple moor grass 'Variegata' 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 'Variegata'?
Purple moor grass 'Variegata' comes from Europe to West Siberia and Kazakhstan, Mediterranean, Ethiopia. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Tufted hair grass 'Goldtau': the same job in a bed; 4 in wider, flowers mid June to late August.
- Switchgrass 'Cheyenne Sky': the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 12 in taller, wants average soil.
- Coneflower 'PowWow Wild Berry': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; pink, not purple, medium leaves, not fine.
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 'Variegata'?
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 'Variegata'?
Purple moor grass 'Variegata' is over by mid 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.
- October daphne: from mid September to late October, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Meadow saffron: from mid September to mid October, 6 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does purple moor grass 'Variegata' look like in winter?
Purple moor grass 'Variegata' 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 'Variegata' good for bees and butterflies?
Purple moor grass 'Variegata' is visited by songbirds.
More Molinia
- Purple moor grass 'Moorhexe' Molinia caerulea 'Moorhexe'
- Tall moor grass 'Skyracer' Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea 'Skyracer'
In these guides
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Ornamental grasses under 3 feet
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle, or further forward: it is airy enough to see through
- Flowers
- Mid July to mid September; airy sprays; purple
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; variegated
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Poaceae
- Comes from
- Europe to West Siberia and Kazakhstan, Mediterranean, Ethiopia
- Attracts
- Songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, wet soil, poor soil, black walnut, pollution, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.