Plant Library

Other Names:  Hare's Tails Grass

Description:

A neat and compact, bright green grass suitable for smaller areas; blooms are bunny tail shaped white plumes that mature to tan, and persist until winter; beautiful as an accent or massed in borders or rock garden

Ornamental Features

Bunny Tails Grass has masses of beautiful plumes of creamy white flowers rising above the foliage in mid summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. The tan seed heads are carried on showy plumes displayed in abundance from late summer to early winter. Its grassy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Bunny Tails Grass is an herbaceous annual with a shapely form and gracefully arching foliage. 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.

Bunny Tails Grass is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Bunny Tails Grass will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity extending to 18 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Bunny Tails Grass is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.