Tufted hair grass 'Goldtau'
Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldtau' · Poaceae
A compact tussock of dark green leaves under a cloud of fine, golden-yellow flower heads that catch the low sun. The name means golden dew.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid June to late August
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around tufted hair grass 'Goldtau'
The planner designed this bed around tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' × 4, yellow
- 2 Bugleweed 'Burgundy Glow' × 10, blue
- 3 Leadwort × 5, blue
- 4 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 3, pink
- 5 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 6 Arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball' × 1, grey-green leaves
- 7 Red spider lily × 3, red
- 8 Spring snowflake × 12, white
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 spires, dense clusters, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only yellow.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball' (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 4 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
- Fine leaf against bold. Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for 11 weeks. From mid June to late August.
- Fills a gap. For three of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- 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 53% of the planted ground. The back corners are held by foxglove beardtongue and Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe', the tallest plants on the plan. Low plants run along 95% of the front edge: bugleweed 'Burgundy Glow' and leadwort.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. 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 tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' 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.
Shorter, later and more uniform than the species, and so better for massing. One of few grasses that flowers well in part shade.
- A golden haze in part shade
- Massing
- Backlit by evening sun
What to plant with tufted hair grass 'Goldtau'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Astilbe 'Purple Candles': purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for six weeks; tall enough (3½ ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese anemone: in flower together for two weeks, from mid August; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta 'Halcyon': its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about tufted hair grass 'Goldtau'
Does tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' need sun or shade?
Tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid June to late August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Late June to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Mid June to late August |
| Zone 6 | Mid June to late August |
| Zone 7 | Early June to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Early June to mid August |
| Zone 9 | Late May to early August |
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 tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' be planted?
20 in (50 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
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 tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' plants do I need?
At 20 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 4 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 14 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 four in one group.
Is tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat tufted hair grass 'Goldtau'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after tufted hair grass 'Goldtau'?
Tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' is over by late August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall (a recorded partner).
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall.
What does tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' look like in winter?
Tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' 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.
Is tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' good for bees and butterflies?
Tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' is visited by songbirds.
It is native to the United States (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Deschampsia
- Tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa
- Wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native plants for shade
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Ornamental grasses under 3 feet
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 20 in (50 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
- Mid June to late August; airy sprays; yellow, tan
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Poaceae
- Comes from
- Northern Hemisphere
- Attracts
- Songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought, salt, black walnut, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). 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.