Melica altissima 'Atropurpurea'
Purple melic grass, Purple Siberian melic
- Height × spread
- 1m × 0.5m
- Position
- Tolerates full sun, likes part shade, likes light shade
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Flowers
- Summer, Autumn
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This plant has an erect growth habit, although it isn't particularly sturdy. Upright stems carry slim arching leaves, coloured a fresh smooth looking green. The flowers, coming in June and July make a slender, fluffy looking inflorescence, coloured, in this cultivar, a light, mauvey purple. They fade to pinkish buff shades. It is visually a soft looking, rather gentle plant and is a pleasing foil for more assertive grasses. It is found growing naturally at the edges of woods and likes a sunny or partially shaded position in a light soil, enjoying lime. The seed heads should be taken before they are fully open when cut for decoration.
- Flower colour
- Purple
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Autumn foliage
- Yellow-bronze
- Fruit colour
- Brown, Pink
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Fan
- Height
- 1m
- Spread
- 0.5m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Wild flower meadow, Seaside garden, Gravel garden
- Sun or shade
- Tolerates full sun, likes part shade, likes light shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Bird attraction
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring - early-mid · Planting
Divide when too large
The plant can be divided if it becomes too large or another plant is required. This may involve physically dividing the clump in two, removing offsets or small bulbs or dividing rhizomes. The new plants can be grown in pots or planted in the ground.