GRASSES > STIPA > TENUISSIMA
IN THIS GUIDE
STIPA GUIDES
Mexican Feathergrass
Ornamental grasses can be great additions to prairie planting , flower borders , or container .
And Mexican Feathergrass is one of many great option to consider .
“ I care Grass in a garden because there is a lot of movement in them , ” deal Garden Designer Peter Reader .
“ They also bestow a lot of texture as you could see through them , so I like to dally around with them as an ornamental in a garden . ”
Mexican feathergrass : Stipa tenuissima , orNassella tenuissimaas it is now officially known , is a grass native to the SW of the United States , northern Mexico and Argentina.1Plant Database . ( n.d . ) . Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – the University of Texas at Austin . Retrieved March 24 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=nate3
“ This grass is well proportion for use as an edge to a border when move over elbow room to mildly shed over the side , ” partake in Master Horticulturist Peter Lickorish .
“ It is surely one of the softest and most tactual plants you could ever grow . ”
Overview
PreferredFull Sun
ExposureExposed or shelter
Height0.5 – 1 M
Spread0.1 – 0.5 M
Bloom TimeSummer
PreferredMost fertile soils
MoistureMoist but well - drained
pHAny
In the UK , it isone of the most popular ornamental smoke .
It is not really considered to be an invading job here like it is in other parts of the world , but it can still self - germ and belt down up in other area of your garden .
This is a semi - evergreen perennial grass , which take its name from the feather - like frond of seminal fluid head which form above the leaf in summer .
Starting as upright clod of silverish green grass , the plant turns a beautiful brownish beige in later summertime .
How To Grow Mexican Feather Grass
Plant out either self - sown plant , stop up plant or larger potful - grown specimens into their terminal growing positions any time from March to the ending of summer .
space plant in a spot with full sun , in a well - drained dirt or potting sensitive .
Simply create a planting fix prominent enough to accommodate the roots , pop the flora into the hole , tauten it in and then irrigate it well .
If you have heavy soil , it can be useful to ameliorate it by adding a handful of sand or horticultural grit to the base of your planting hole .
If you design to keep your Mexican feather grass in a container , make indisputable that the stack you take has effective drain , and that body of water can drain away freely from the bag .
satisfy it with a peat - free potting commixture , with summate moxie to ameliorate drain .
While many gardener will choose to purchase and plant out plug or larger clump of potbelly - grown Mexican plume grass , which can be purchase from garden centre and industrial plant nurseries in spring and summer , it is also potential to grow this plant from seed .
Seeds are sow in in March or Aprilin a frigid form .
Seeds can be sown together in pots and imbed out as lump , or goad out into individual pots and turn out to create more plants .
Either strategy can work well , and even individual leaf blade should quickly plant and grow into clump in the right setting .
Ongoing Plant Care
care for this ornamental grass is very easy and straightforward , making it a heavy choice for a small - maintenance place as long as the environmental conditions are correct .
This plant life is unfussy about soil case or pH , as long as waterlogging does not occur .
Once established , it is drought broad and eating is not required .
This plant does dependable in poor grease , as soil that is too fertile can encourage floppiness .
Stipa tenuissimais hardy throughout much of the UK , coping with wintertime temperatures between -5 and -10 ° C .
This grass can be placed in many unlike positions around a garden and will thrive in any aspect as long as it receives plenty of sun .
Unlike deciduous cosmetic grasses , this grass is semi - evergreen , so it does not take to be disregard back lately in the winter as you would do with deciduous types .
Instead , in spring , comb through with gloved hand or use a rake to get free of sometime leafage and seed heads .
You should discover that this is just like combing hair , and the all in development should come aside freely .
If the flora is looking mussy or the grass has become drenched in a deluge , you’re able to also cut it back severely towards the end of spring or former summertime .
novel leaf will before long issue .
As mentioned above , this is a industrial plant which can lightly self - seed .
This is not usually an issue , however , and plant that pop up in unwanted positions are jolly easy to bump off , replant or give away .
Another choice is simply to divide existing clumps .
The full clock time for naval division is between the heart of leap and early summertime .
“ Dividing or rise off - sets on a regular basis can keep it as a slender hedging and this way I find plants generally strain a maximal height of around 50 cm , ” sum Peter .
S. tenuissimaworks very well withherbaceous perennials and other ornamental sess in a borderline , bed or container .
Some anthesis plant to turn over institute alongside this grass are :
Common Problems
This is a works that is usually pest and disease free .
Issues only happen due to waterlogged soil or damage due to hard rain .
As long as the drain is secure and the flora gets plenty of Lord’s Day , there should not be many issues .
Though it can self - seed , and come out up elsewhere in your garden , it is not considered to be a job in UK gardens .
Clumps spread pretty pronto when in the right location and can be great for spreading to fill gaps in a bottom or border .
