Stipa tenuissima

Stipa’s fine, needle-like foliage and soft, feathery inflorescences that appear in summer make stipa an excellent choice for adding texture and movement to a garden. It pairs beautifully with Salvia yangii in meadows

Stipa tenuissima produces fine hair-like green leaves that fade to wheat-blonde from midsummer through winter, and slender silky flowering plumes that emerge bright green in late spring and gradually turn pale gold from June onwards — providing a flowing soft texture for over half the year. The plumes move with the slightest breeze, adding constant motion to the planting. Hardy to -15°C, exceptionally drought-tolerant, the grass thrives in poor sandy or stony soils and full sun; it resents heavy clay, deep shade and overwatering. The plant self-seeds gently in suitable conditions and is short-lived (3–5 years) but easily replaced.

Mexican feather grass forms tidy clumps 50–70 cm tall and 30–40 cm wide. Use in mass plantings for a flowing meadow effect along paths and driveways, as fillers between larger structural plants in dry borders, drifting between Lavandula, Salvia rosmarinus and Verbena bonariensis for a soft contemporary Mediterranean look. The blonde colour palette combines beautifully with the silver of Stachys byzantina, the magenta of Echinacea, the deep blue of Salvia 'Caradonna' and the pink of Echinacea pallida. Excellent in large rectangular contemporary containers. Comb the plant by hand each spring to remove dead foliage, or shear lightly to refresh; never cut hard back like other grasses, which can kill it.