Wavy Hairgrass

 - Deschampsia flexuosa

An elegant native grass with a fine-textured delicate appearance, Wavy Hairgrass is a cool-season grass and greens-up early in the spring. Graceful feathery clouds of subtle color hover above the stems when the grass is in flower. The panicled flowers turn gold as the seeds ripen and remain attractive, providing an airy backdrop or matrix for other flowering perennials. The tussocks of this clump-forming grass are close to 12” high with arching blades that extend up to 24”,  bearing florets.

Indigenous to cool dry habitats and poorer soils including ledges, dry rocky slopes, dry open woodlands, forest clearings and edges, this is a good choice for dry woodland settings. Excellent massed or in a naturalized area, but also effective as a specimen or in groups. A fine ornamental grass for rock gardens in partial shade.

While it flourishes in tougher dry environments, Deschampsia flexuosa is sensitive to over-watering and will languish in hot, humid consistently moist settings. Partial shade is best for this ornamental grass, as it will not flower as well in deep shade.