Description
Tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa) is a clump-forming, cool-season grass with basal green leaves. The 3- to 5-foot-tall stems carry early-summer flowers that develop into a cloud of golden seedheads in mid- to late summer. They’re lovely mingling with bold blooms, such as coneflowers (Echinacea and Rudbeckia) and the heads of wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium). I collected these seeds from plants with a range of habits: some are distinctly upright and some are more open and arching.
Tufted hair grass is likely to self-sow, which is kind of nice the first few years (the seedlings are easy to pull out) but can eventually get to be a maintenance issue. I’ve gotten around that by shearing most of my plants back to about 6 inches around mid August, before the seeds start dropping. The clumps start producing new foliage right away and look tidy through the winter. This species is native to North America and parts of Eurasia; the ecotype of these seeds is unknown. Full sun to light shade. Perennial; Zones 4 to 9.
Collected in late August 2022. At least 50 seeds.
Please read the germination information as well before ordering.
Adam Snyder (verified owner) –
These seeds germinated quickly (about a week or so) and profusely under lights and a heat mat.