Perennial
Quaking Grass

   

Briza media L.
Perennial Quaking Grass

Briza minor L.
Little Quaking Grass

 Little
 Quaking Grass

 

Flowers, and later seeds, are borne in spikes, racemes or panicles, on a central stem. They are tipped with pendent spikelets resembling puffy oats, which rattle and rustle in spring and summer breezes. Good for dry arrangements... if the birds leave you any. Grasses spread horizontally by stolons or rhizomes, and reproduce by seed as well. Fertilizing ornamental grasses can result in over-lush growth and unmanageability.

B. media is a cool-season grower, with diffusely branched inflorescences appearing in May.

 
Family Poaceae
Genus Briza L.
Species Briza media L.
Plant Category Perennial
Height 2 ft to 3 ft
Width 1 ft
Shape & Orientation Ornamental grass
Active Growth Period Winter and spring
Bloom Time Late spring to mid-summer
Growth Rate Rapid
Growth Form Clump forming
Flower Characteristics Nodding and Pendant
Flower Color Creams, greens, whites
Leaf Retention Deciduous, semi-evergreen
Foliage Color Green
Of Note Lightly shear foliage in late summer to encourage new growth.
Tolerances Drought, deer, pollution, slope, wind
 
USDA Hardiness Zone 4 to 10
AHS Heat Zone Not defined
pH Range 4.5 to 7
Frost-Free Days Not defined
Minimum Temperature Not defined
Water Range Dry to moist
Precipitation Needed Not defined
Drought Tolerance High
Light Tolerance Dappled to full sun
Shade Tolerance Partial
Salinity Tolerance Not defined
Soil Texture Some sand to some clay
Fertilization Needed Slight
Bloom Period Late spring to mid-summer
Fruit/Seed Begins  
Fruit/Seed Ends  
Propagated By Seed, rhizomes
 

 click map of USDA site for Perennial Quaking Grass  

click map of USDA site for Little Quaking Grass


 click map to use USDA database
 

 
 

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quaking grass