How To Grow Violet Panic Grass

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Violet Panic Grass (Panicum Miliaceum Violaceum ) is an Ornamental Annual grass with large, purplish flowering panicles that drape and sway all summer long! A tall showy grass perfect for cutting and adding to homegrown floral arrangements. Here’s how I grow mine…

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Panic Grass Origins

Panic grass takes its name from the Latin word panus – meaning a swelling or the grain millet. It is mostly native to tropical regions with some of its 450 species preferring the cooler temperatures of the North.

Violet Panic Grass Characteristics

Violet Panic Grass can grow to heights of 1 m tall and is heavily branched. It’s rigid shoots produce 6 – 8″ wispy, drooping flower & seed clusters. At first, the elegant drapes start out green, later turning a beautiful reddish purple towards the end of summer.

Feed The Birds!

Birds absolutely love this grass! Growing Violet Panic grass is a sure way to bring our flying friends to the garden- Blue tits and Goldfinches are particularly partial! Don’t cut back the grass at the end of the summer, allow it to stand and feed the birds throughought the Autumn.

Flower Arrangements

Panic Grass is a wonderful Filler foliage for fresh and dried flower arrangements adding a flamboyant element to your creations! Check out My Quaking Grass and Bunny Tail Grass posts for more dried flower inspo.

How To Dry Violet Panic Grass:

Simply hang stems upside down in a dry, dark environment for upto 2 weeks until thorougly dried out. Once dry, arrange as desired for everlasting displays!

Violet Panic Grass Planting Ideas

Plant it as a backdrop in beds, grow them in containers or plant them in drifts for a showstopping display!

Plant alongside Calendula, Statice, Rudbeckia, Chamomile and Verbena bonariensis, as well as other ornamental grasses such as Cloud Grass

How to Grow Violet Panic Grass

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SOW INDOORS

Can be sown indoors February-April

Sow seeds thinly on the surface of moist fluffy compost (do not cover with more than 5mm of soil as they need light to germinate)
Place on a warm windowsill and cover with a propogator lid or polythene bag until germination occurs. Germination can be erratic transpiring between 10-90 days…be patient :0)
Plant out in clumps once all risk of frost has passed. * Be sure to harden off indoor raised seedlings first

What Does Hardening Off Mean?
Plants raised indoors or in a greenhouse environment, need to be acclimatised to cooler temperatures and increased air movement for about two to three weeks before they are planted outdoors permanently. This is a ‘toughening up’ practice to prepare the plants for their new environment.

How to Harden Off
Place your plants out for a couple of hours in a shady part of the garden. The next day, leave them out again for two hours, but this time allow the plants an hour of direct sunshine in the morning. Gradually continue to increase the length of time the plants are in direct sunshine over the course of roughly two weeks.

SOW DIRECT

Can Be sown Directly outdoors May-June

Sow seeds onto a prepared soil in a sunny spot which has been raked to a fine tilth
Rake the seeds gently into the soil, but do not cover with more than 5mm of soil, we need the light for a succesful germination