Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Purple Three Awn
Purple Three Awn is a native bunchgrass with fine green to blue-green leaves and purple-tinted stems and seed heads. In fall the long, three-part awns on each seed glow in low sun. It grows about 1 to 3 feet tall on little water and fills banks, slopes and natural desert plantings.
Best for: natural desert plantings, banks and slopes, low-water beds, and fall color from glowing seed heads.
It is a native grass that fits natural and desert-style plantings. It grows fast and needs little care.
It is used on banks, slopes and as a ground cover in dry, rocky soil. Plant clumps 18 to 24 inches apart.
Purple-tinted flowers and seed heads show through the warm season, and the long awns glow in fall sunlight.
It reseeds heavily where it gets water. The seeds have long awns, so keep it back from walks and paths.
- Mass planting18-24 in apart
- From walks and paths2 ft from walks
Water a new plant every 2 to 4 days for the first few weeks, then stretch the time between waterings. Once rooted it needs little water.
It reseeds where it gets water. Pull the seedlings you do not want while they are small.
The seeds have long awns that catch on clothes and fur. Keep it back from walks and paths.
Turns tan in winter and greens up again in spring.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does purple three awn get?
It grows about 1 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide.
How far apart should I plant it?
Plant clumps about 18 to 24 inches apart for a mass planting.
Does purple three awn reseed?
Yes, it reseeds prolifically where water is available. Pull seedlings you do not want while they are small.
How much water does it need?
It needs little water once rooted. It handles dry, rocky soil well.
Is purple three awn native to Arizona?
Yes. It is a native grass of Arizona and much of western North America.
When does it look best?
The purple-tinted flowers show in the warm season, and the long awns glow in fall sun.
Is it cold hardy?
Yes. It is rated to about -10°F, far colder than the Valley gets.
Does it help on slopes?
Yes. It is planted on banks and slopes and as a ground cover in dry areas.
Purple Three Awn for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Purple Three Awn is a native bunchgrass with purple-tinted stems and seed heads that glow in fall. Below: size, water, reseeding, spacing and care.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Purple three awn in Arizona landscapes
A native bunchgrass with purple-tinted seed heads for natural plantings, banks and slopes.
How far apart to plant purple three awn
Plant it 18 to 24 inches apart for a mass planting.
Does purple three awn spread?
It reseeds prolifically where water is available, so pull extra seedlings.
Watering purple three awn
Little once rooted; it tolerates dry, rocky soil.
Purple three awn fall color
The long awns on the seeds glow in fall sunlight.
Purple three awn cold hardiness
It is rated to about -10°F.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.