Purple Lovegrass is a cover crop — grown to build and protect the soil rather than for a harvest of its own. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9 and shrugs off dry spells.
Purple Lovegrass — the short answer
Purple Lovegrass: grown in zones 5–9, full sun, pH 5.5–8.
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH
- 5.5–8
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Purple Lovegrass on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether purple lovegrass actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score purple lovegrass against your land's real conditions.
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See Purple Lovegrass
What Purple Lovegrass is
Purple Lovegrass grows as a perennial and reaches around two feet at maturity. It blooms green in spring.
How to grow Purple Lovegrass
Purple Lovegrass grows in USDA zones 5 through 9. Purple Lovegrass does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 8, on well-drained ground.
USDA Zones
5-9
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
5.5 - 8
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Minimum Growing Temperature
42.8°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Mature Height
2 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant purple lovegrass in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Purple Lovegrass prefers pH 5.5 to 8 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water while it roots in
Water deeply while purple lovegrass establishes, letting the soil dry between soakings; once its roots are in, it rides out dry spells on its own.
Turn it in before it seeds
Cut purple lovegrass down or turn it into the soil before it sets seed, while the growth is still green — that's when it returns the most to the ground.
Where Purple Lovegrass thrives
Purple Lovegrass is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 5–9 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–9·Where Purple Lovegrass growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Purple Lovegrass stands, state by state
Purple Lovegrass is rated for zones 5–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–9
25 states
3 of 25 shown
The line runs through
25 states
3 of 25 shown
Purple Lovegrass’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 5–9
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Purple Lovegrass
Growing guides for purple lovegrass
In rotation planning, purple lovegrass counts as a Grass — beds recover best when grass crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Purple Lovegrass isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data — pair it with high-value bloomers nearby to feed bees.
Your land is one point inside Purple Lovegrass's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Purple Lovegrass will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether purple lovegrass actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Purple Lovegrass
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Purple Lovegrass in my zone?
Purple Lovegrass grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9 (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Purple Lovegrass?
Most growers plant purple lovegrass after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Purple Lovegrass need?
Purple Lovegrass needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Purple Lovegrass need?
Purple Lovegrass prefers soil pH 5.5 to 8, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Purple Lovegrass attract pollinators?
Purple Lovegrass isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data. Pairing it with high-value bloomers nearby keeps bees and butterflies fed.
Keep exploring Purple Lovegrass
Purple Lovegrass state by state
Every state purple lovegrass's zone reaches — 23 link straight to that state's purple lovegrass growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.