Plant Finder

Other Names:  Pheasant's Tail Grass, New Zealand Wind Grass

Group/Class:  ColorGrass Collection

Brand:  Ball

Description:

A clumping selection, forming a dense mound of arching green leaves that take on harvest tones through the season; rising brownish-crimson flower spikes sway in the breeze and persist into winter; perfect for borders, as a striking accent, or groundcover

Ornamental Features

ColorGrass® Sirocco Stipa Grass features airy plumes of brick red flowers held atop the stems from mid to late summer. Its attractive grassy leaves emerge olive green in spring, turning grayish green in colour with showy coppery-bronze variegation and tinges of orange. As an added bonus, the foliage turns gorgeous shades of red, orange and harvest gold in the fall. The yellow seed heads are carried on showy plumes with gold overtones and which fade to tan over time, which are displayed in abundance from late summer to late winter.

Landscape Attributes

ColorGrass® Sirocco Stipa Grass is a dense herbaceous perennial grass with a shapely form and gracefully arching stems. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

ColorGrass® Sirocco Stipa Grass is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

ColorGrass® Sirocco Stipa Grass will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 3 feet. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

ColorGrass® Sirocco Stipa Grass is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.