code: 626
A perfect plant for mass plantings in stately homes
Family: Gramineae
Common name: Angel’s Hair, Pony Tails, Mexican Feathergrass (Syn: Nassella/Stipa tenuissima)
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 45 cm
Maximum Height: 60 cm
One of the most graceful and delicate of all grasses with delicate, feathery, fog-like plumes which move with the slightest breath of air upon them. A perfect plant for mass plantings in stately homes and parks, and in planting schemes in up-market towns, but equally good as a single specimen.
Sowing advice:
Sow at any time, in a well-lit position, into a good, soil-based compost. Cover seeds thinly and keep moist at around 15 degrees C or 60 degrees F. Some New Zealand species can be very slow indeed and may need cooler temperatures before they will come up. Grass seedlings should be potted on and grown on singly, or in clumps for more rapid establishment of a large specimen.
Cultivation:
Stipa are happy in well-drained soil in a sunny position. In the border, Stipa do not like to be crowded, mimicking how they grow on open sites in their native habitat. They will roll up their leaves in drought conditions while they do not cope well at all with having their roots wet in winter.
Feed in spring like ordinary perennials, with a single dressing of a general fertiliser. Even without an annual feed, most grasses will put on a first-rate show. The more nitrogen grasses receive the greener and further they’ll grow. This spreading habit is fine in a field, but in a garden they may become too lush and the flower quality may suffer.
Once the plant is established, divide in March to April. It is relatively easy to propagate by division. Do this in spring, not autumn, as some newly divided plants may rot before they’ve developed a good root system.
Drying:
The awns can be dried and make interesting focal or secondary flowers in dried arrangements. Cut the flower at the height of bloom and hang upside down in a cool, dark place to dry.
Plant Uses:
Architectural, Cottage/Informal Garden, Drought Resistant, Flower Arranging, Flowers Borders and Beds, Matrix Planting, Low Maintenance or Mediterranean.
Origin:
Stipa tenuissima is native to South-West and North America. Stipa is a perennial grass species in the family Poaceae. It is a huge genus of around 300 species.
They originate from temperate and warm-temperate regions in Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and the Americas. They can be deciduous or evergreen grasses and their natural habitat is open woodlands, stony slopes, and steppes.
The genus has become more difficult to pin down after being reclassified. Many species have been renamed but continue to be referred to as Stipa in the trade.
