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Grass Like

Deschampsia flexuosa

bent grass

Tufted evergreen grass about 60cm in height, with thread-like, smooth blue-green leaves to 20cm long. Silver-tinted purple or brown spikelets, in open flower panicles are produced on wavy stems, in early and midsummer

Other common names

common hair grass
crinkled hair grass
see morewavy hair grass

Synonyms

Aira flexuosa
Aira alpestris

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Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Neutral, Acid

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing or East–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Poaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Tufted
Genus: Deschampsia can be deciduous or evergreen, tufted grasses with linear or thread-like leaves and open flowering panicles in summer
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Temp. N. Hemisphere

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in any moist or well-drained neutral to acid garden soil in sun or part shade, incorporating plenty of well-rotted garden compost before planting to help retain moisture in dry soils. See Ornamental grasses cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed in situ in spring or autumn, or by division in mid spring or early summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Gravel garden
Patio and container plants
Prairie planting
Wildlife gardens
Low Maintenance
Cut flowers
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Remove flower heads before growth begins in early spring

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

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