Guide to growing Needlegrass - Stipa

Plants belonging to the Stipa genus are hardy perennial grasses that have stems ranging from 30cm to 1.8m in height.

They bloom in the summer carrying feathery flowers.

Some common names for Stipa include Needlegrass, Feather Grass and Spear grass.

How to grow Needlegrass

You can start growing needlegrass from seed indoors or out. If sowing outdoors then sow at a depth of 3mm in the first half of spring. Needlegrass and other Stipa like to grow in a fertile soil in a sunny area of the garden that has good drainage.

If starting off indoors then the Needlegrass seeds should take from 3 to 4 weeks to germinate at a temperature of around 20 to 22 degrees centigrade. Start the growing process about 7 or 8 weeks in advance of when they are due to be transplanted into the garden; put out Stipa a couple of weeks after the last frost. The spacing depends on the Stipa species; bigger species should be planted at about 1M apart, medium about 50cm, and smaller Stipa varieties at 30 to 40cm apart.

Caring for Needlegrass - Stipa

It is quite easy to care for Stipa plants such as Needlegrass. Juvenile plants should be well watered until they become deep-rooted. Every spring cut the Stipa plant back to ground level. Remove side growth to prevent Stipa from spreading throughout the garden. If you require more Stipa plants then they can be propagated by division in the spring.