Wavy hair grass
Deschampsia flexuosa · Poaceae
Tufts of wiry, dark green, hair-like leaves, with shimmering, purplish-bronze flower heads on wavy stalks in early summer.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 12 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Early June to late July
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around wavy hair grass
The planner designed this bed around wavy hair grass when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 159 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why wavy hair grass stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Wavy hair grass × 14, tan
- 2 Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' × 14, lavender
- 3 Leadwort × 20, blue
- 4 Blue wood aster × 3, lavender
- 5 Dwarf English boxwood × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Glory-of-the-snow × 12, pink
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 daisies and dense clusters. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only tan. Tan sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- At the back. At 16 in it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and blue wood aster (3 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to blue wood aster (3 ft) and dwarf English boxwood (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 14 plants in 2 groups (11 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for 8 weeks. From early June to late July.
- Fills a gap. For 8 of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 83% of the planted ground. Heights step up from about 8 in at the front to 20 in at the back. Lavender, blue, pink and tan make a cool, restful scheme.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 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 wavy hair grass goes in a border
At 16 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 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.
A native grass for dry, acid shade under oaks and pines, where almost no grass will grow. It makes a fine, soft meadow under trees.
- Dry, acid shade
- A woodland meadow under trees
- Fine texture with ferns
What to plant with wavy hair grass
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
- White wood aster: takes over when it finishes, flowering from late August.
- Lowbush blueberry: flowers first, early May to late May, so the spot is never empty.
Questions about wavy hair grass
Does wavy hair grass need sun or shade?
Wavy hair grass grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled.
What zones does wavy hair grass grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °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 wavy hair grass flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early June to late July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Mid June to early August |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid June to early August |
| Zone 5 | Early June to late July |
| Zone 6 | Early June to late July |
| Zone 7 | Late May to mid July |
| Zone 8 | Late May to mid 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 wavy hair grass be planted?
10 in (25 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 12 in (30 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many wavy hair grass plants do I need?
At 10 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 17 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 13 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 55 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 14 in two groups.
What flowers after wavy hair grass?
Wavy hair grass is over by late July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- White wood aster: from late August to early October, 24 in tall (a recorded partner).
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall.
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall.
What does wavy hair grass look like in winter?
Wavy hair grass keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Deschampsia
- Tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa
- Tufted hair grass 'Goldtau' Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldtau'
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Native plants for shade
- Evergreen perennials, ferns and grasses
- Ornamental grasses under 3 feet
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 16 in (40 cm) tall, 12 in (30 cm) wide
- Plant
- 10 in (25 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front, or further forward: it is airy enough to see through
- Flowers
- Early June to late July; airy sprays; tan, purple
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Poaceae
Checked against 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.