Giant Feather Grass

In the quest for evergreen ornamental grasses, Giant Feather Grass is a top notch choice. Its rounded clump of evergreen blades provides year round greenery and structure, but the real show is in the 6’+ tall inflorescences that rise dramatically above other perennials or shrubs, and shimmer in early morning or evening light.   The sturdy stems last much longer than those of most ornamental grasses too.

The 2-3′ tall and wide rich green foliage can be cut back selectively in late winter to remove any tawny brown sections, or you can refresh the clump every few years by cutting the entire mass back by 2/3rds.  Blooms start emerging in May and retain their good looks until winter weather leaves them a bit ragged, at which point you can cut out each stem as low as possible.  That is all the maintenance required for this tough Mediterranean grass.

‘Little Giant’ is a slightly more compact cultivar, remaining closer to a 2′ x 2′ size, with seed heads reaching about 4-5′ on average.

Stipa gigantea is both heat and drought tolerant, and naturally deer resistant.  It prefers full sun and lean, well drained soil, although it can handle some clay as long as it isn’t overwatered.  Giant Feather Grass is striking as a single accent in a mixed border or useful en masse for a naturalistic backdrop, lending year round interest to any garden. And by the way, it doesn’t seed around like its aggressive cousin- Stipa tenuissima or Mexican Feather Grass. It’s difficult to to capture the magical quality of this grass in in bloom, but come visit and we’ll show you!