Quaking grass
Briza media ·
Heart-shaped seed heads like tiny rattlesnake rattles dangle on hair-thin stems and tremble in the slightest breeze. They open green and purple and dry to straw.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 12 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late May to mid July
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around quaking grass
The planner designed this bed around quaking grass when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why quaking grass stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Quaking grass × 8, tan
- 2 Sedum 'Lidakense' × 29, pink
- 3 Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' × 8, pink
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Wild quinine × 3, white
- 6 Globe arborvitae 'Danica' × 1, green leaves
- 7 Spring starflower × 10, blue
- 8 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 3, purple
Why this plant
- Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
- The only airy sprays. The others are dense clusters, open bowls, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only tan. Tan sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- At the back, and only just seen. At 24 in it is about the height of globe arborvitae 'Danica' (24 in) in front of it.
- A step in the back row. Next to wild quinine (3½ ft) and brown-eyed Susan (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 8 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 8 weeks. From late May to mid July.
- Part of the bed's peak. With Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' and ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' in late May: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
- Stands through winter. Left uncut, it holds its shape until March, when the perennials have gone.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 55% of the planted ground. The flowering is at its height from late May, with 3 kinds out together. Sedum 'Lidakense' is planted in six places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where quaking grass goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in). It is airy enough to see through, so it can also come forward and veil what is behind it.
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Grown for movement: plant it where the low sun shines through the seed heads and a breeze reaches them. It flowers early, in May and June.
- Movement and sound
- Cut and dried flowers
- Meadow-style planting
What to plant with quaking grass
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lady's mantle: in flower together for six weeks, from late May.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': in flower together for six weeks, from early June.
- Salvia 'May Night': in flower together for seven weeks, from late May; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about quaking grass
Does quaking grass need sun or shade?
Quaking grass grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does quaking grass grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does quaking grass flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to mid July. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Late May to mid July |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late May to mid July |
| Zone 6 | Mid May to mid July |
| Zone 7 | Early May to early July |
| Zone 8 | Early May to early July |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should quaking grass be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many quaking grass plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in one group.
Is there a native plant like quaking grass?
Quaking grass is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Iceland poppy: the same job in a bed; belongs at the front, not in the middle, 8 in shorter.
- Wild lupine: the same job in a bed; 4 in shorter, flowers mid May to late June.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after quaking grass?
Quaking grass is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Ornamental onion 'Millenium': from mid July to late August, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does quaking grass look like in winter?
Quaking grass holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 12 in (30 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle, or further forward: it is airy enough to see through
- Flowers
- Late May to mid July; airy sprays; tan
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.