Stipa gigantea

Stipa gigantea, Golden Oat Grass is one of the most spectacular of the large grasses. Its foliage is thin, blue-ish-green and clumps to about 60cm but it is for the enormous feathery flower-stems and golden seed capsules that this grass is grown. Often reaching as high as 2.5m, Stipa gigantea bursts into growth in Spring and its dramatic plume-like flower-stems are a summer delight as they sway gently in the wind. Dramatic on its own or in combination with tall growing perennials like Vernena bonariensis, Macleaya cordata or Eryngium agavifolium although some care is needed to space such large plants far enough apart to avoid over-crowding. It also works well with smaller perennials and it works particularly well with large specimen Agaves or Yuccas, simulating the large desert grasses that are often found growing with these plants in the wild. The shimmering veiled softness that this magnificent grass gives to more architectural plants is a real joy.

Stipa gigantea needs a well drained soil and an aspect that catches full sun. The giant stems and seed heads look fantastic back-lit against low sunlight.