Moor Grass

Molinia caerulea

(L.) Moench Species

Botanical name: Molinia caerulea
Also known as: Moor Grass, Purple Moor Grass, Purple Moor-Grass, Purple Moorgrass
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Molinia
Flowering period: July to September
Height: 60–150 cm
Spread: 40–60 cm
Hardiness: Fully hardy (RHS H7)
Reference: World Flora Online

How to grow Moor Grass

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team Last reviewed 21 July 2026 Written for UK gardens How we research our guidance

Sunlight

Full sun to partial shade

Watering

Prefers reliably moist soil; dislikes dry chalk

Soil

Moist, acid to neutral, humus-rich; tolerates poor damp ground

Soil pH

Acid to neutral

Planting

Plant in spring in a position with reliable moisture. Site it where low autumn sun can come through the flowering stems from behind — the fine transparent panicles are the point of the plant, and backlighting is what shows them.

Pruning

Unusually among ornamental grasses, it drops its stems and foliage cleanly of its own accord in late autumn, leaving a bare tuft. There is very little to cut back; simply clear the fallen material.

Propagation

Divide in spring, not autumn — divisions made late in the year establish poorly.

Pests and diseases

No significant problems.

Value to wildlife

A native grass of damp heath and moorland; it supports a range of invertebrates and gives good cover in a naturalistic damp planting.

Notes

The taller cultivars usually sold as subsp. arundinacea reach well above the figures given here, sometimes over 2 m in flower, so check the specific plant's expected height before placing it. It is slow to start in spring and looks like nothing much until midsummer.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Molinia caerulea but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Aira atrovirens Aira caerulea Aira caerulea unranked variegata Amblytes caerulea Arundo agrostis Cynodon caeruleus Enodium atrovirens Enodium caeruleum Enodium caeruleum subsp. atrovirens Enodium caeruleum var. alpinum Enodium caeruleum var. angustifolium Enodium caeruleum var. brevifolium Enodium caeruleum var. congestum Enodium caeruleum var. contractum Enodium caeruleum var. depauperatum Enodium caeruleum var. divaricatum Enodium caeruleum var. interruptum Enodium caeruleum var. latifolium Enodium caeruleum var. laxum Enodium caeruleum var. longifolium Enodium caeruleum var. multiflorum Enodium caeruleum var. pallescens Enodium caeruleum var. parviflorum Enodium caeruleum var. pauciflorum Enodium caeruleum var. secundum Enodium caeruleum var. sylvaticum Enodium caeruleum var. uniflorum Enodium litorale Enodium sylvaticum Festuca caerulea Hydrochloa caerulea Hydrochloa coerulea Melica alpina Melica arundinacea Melica atrovirens Melica caerulea Melica caerulea var. atrovirens Melica caerulea var. major Melica caerulea var. minor Melica caerulea var. viridiflora Melica divaricata Melica sylvatica Melica variabilis Molinia bertini Molinia caerulea f. gigantea Molinia caerulea f. pallescens Molinia caerulea f. variegata Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea Molinia caerulea subsp. caerulea Molinia caerulea subsp. hispanica Molinia caerulea subsp. litoralis Molinia caerulea subsp. varia Molinia caerulea var. africana Molinia caerulea var. albiflora Molinia caerulea var. altissima Molinia caerulea var. altissima Molinia caerulea var. arundinacea Molinia caerulea var. atrovirens Molinia caerulea var. breviramea Molinia caerulea var. breviramosa and 40 more

Others in Molinia

Molinia arundinacea

Molinia caerulea var. depauperata

Molinia caerulea var. obtusa

GardenDecoded is an educational gardening reference. Botanical data comes from World Flora Online and GBIF; growing guidance is our own. Always check a plant's toxicity and local invasiveness status before planting, and never eat or apply a plant based on this site alone.