Stipa calamagrostis (Spear Grass)

Grown for its early blooming feathery flowers, Stipa calamagrostis is a lovely and graceful free-flowering ornamental grass

Grown for its early blooming feathery flowers, Stipa calamagrostis is a lovely and graceful free-flowering ornamental grass. Deciduous, with an open growth habit, it exhibits arching, blue-green thread-like leaves topped in summer with a haze of silvery white flower plumes, that sway gracefully in the slightest breeze. As they mature, both flowers and foliage turn to a beautiful buff color that persist into winter.

  • The beautiful arching lines and cascading halo of silvery plumes help create magnificent and elegantly mobile combinations in the landscape. Perfect for borders where this grass will easily combine with other plants, along the edge of a path or as a graceful accent plant.
  • Growing easily in a dense fountain-like clump about 2.5 – 3.5 ft. tall (75 – 105 cm) and 3 – 4 ft. across (90 – 120 cm), it enjoys full sun or light shade and moderately fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soils.
  • Drought and deer tolerant, it requires very little care and provides weeks of interest from summer to frost
  • Native to Central and Southern Europe.

Requirements

Hardiness 5
– 9

Heat Zones 1
– 10

Plant Type Ornamental Grasses
Plant Family Calamagrostis – Reed Grass, Stipa – Feather Grasses
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Summer (Early,Mid,Late)FallWinter
Height 2'
– 4'
(60cm
– 120cm)
Spread 3'
– 4'
(90cm
– 120cm)
Spacing 36″
– 48″
(90cm
– 120cm)
Water Needs Average
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Showy
Tolerance Deer, Drought
Attracts Birds
Garden Uses Beds and Borders
Garden Styles City and Courtyard, Coastal Garden, Informal and Cottage, Modern Garden, Prairie and Meadow