Nassella tenuissimaMexican Feather Grass

Nassella tenuissima, the Mexican Feather Grass, is the finest-textured grass in general cultivation, forming tufts of thread-like bright green leaves at 0.4 to 0.6 metres that move in the slightest air and age to a pale straw blonde.

It is the standard grass of contemporary gravel and courtyard schemes, where the movement matters as much as the colour.

Specifications

• Height0.4 to 0.6 metres
• Width0.3 to 0.5 metres
• Native toNew Mexico, Texas and northern Mexico, with a separate population in Argentina
• FoliageExtremely fine thread-like bright green leaves ageing to straw blonde; evergreen to semi-evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilRequires sharply drained soil; poor and sandy ground suits it well
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in Mediterranean, temperate and arid regions

Additional Features

• FlowersSilky feathery plumes in late spring, ageing to straw and persisting for months
• UsesIdeal for mass planting, gravel gardens, courtyard beds and contemporary borders
• SpacingPlant 0.3 to 0.4 metres apart for a continuous drift
• Low MaintenanceComb dead foliage out by hand rather than cutting the clump back
• Pest ResistanceGenerally pest-free and resilient
• Drought ToleranceHolds texture and colour on minimal irrigation
• Seasonal AppealGreen in spring, blonde through summer and autumn, with constant movement

Mexican Feather Grass gives a scheme movement and light for almost no water, which is why it appears in so many contemporary planting palettes.