Stipa gigantea

The Stipa gigantea, or Giant Feather Grass, is a perennial grass that is robust, spectacular and highly ornamental. Its very fine foliage, with a shiny green colour, gathered in a dense tuft, forms a compact mass adorned in May-June with gracefully arching panicles of inflorescences, carried at human height by solid and slender stems. Purple-silver in early summer, they take on a golden hue in winter and remain decorative for a long time on a more or less evergreen plant. This vigorous stipa retains its elegance for a long time and is not invasive. While it represents a charming asset for all gardens, it is a boon for dry and poor soils!

The Stipa gigantea is part of the large family of grasses. This perennial grass, native to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, is a plant perfectly adapted to summer drought, even to arid situations. Its hardiness is around -12/15 °C (10.4/5°F). The giant feather grass is anchored on short rhizomes that spread slowly and, in 3 or 4 years, form a bristling tuft slightly arched, 55-60 cm (22-24in) high and 50 cm (20in) wide for the foliage. This, evergreen in mild climates, is composed of long, very narrow, leathery leaves covered with a shiny cuticle. The flowering resembles that of oats. It begins in late spring, usually in May, and continues until July. Numerous solid stems, 1.80 m (6ft) to 2 m (7ft) tall, emerge from the foliage, bearing at their ends pendulous, 20 cm (8in) long, fluffy, silver spikes that move at the slightest breath of air. They turn golden in winter and persist on the plant until December. This grass does not self-sow as easily as some of its cousins.

The giant feather grass prefers calcareous, dry to moist, but light and even rocky soils. It can be used in mass plantings or even as a standalone in a minimalist garden, planted in groups of 3 specimens in front of the dark background of a conifer (Thuja occidentalis Emerald, Taxus baccata, Juniperus communis Hibernica) or an evergreen shrub (Eleagnus ebbingeii, Myrtus communis, Myrsine africana, boxwood, Cotoneaster lacteus, Lonicera nitida). Like all ornamental grasses, it lightens the flowering of heavier perennials such as peonies, daylilies or dry-soil irises. In a wildflower meadow, it can be paired with asters, rudbeckias or tall sedums. Grasses bring movement and naturalness to the garden. They are interesting for their striking display in the garden at the end of summer and autumn when their dried flower heads remain major focal points. Its flowers, picked in the heart of summer, can be used in dried flower arrangements.