Briza media
Quaking grass
Common names: Common quaking grass, Greater quaking grass
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 5 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- May–Jul
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −30 °C
- Water need
- Low
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Carl Axel Magnus Lindman · Public Domain · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Common quaking grass, botanically Briza media, is a native meadow grass with a distinctive feature that is easy to recognize: its heart-shaped, hanging spikelets sit on hair-fine stalks and tremble at the slightest breeze. The leaves form small, loose tufts, and the flowering stems grow 30 to 50 cm tall. In May and June the spikelets shimmer green to violet, later turning straw-yellow. In lean meadows and on sunny roadsides the grass has become rare in many places, because fertilized fields are too nutrient-rich for it. In the garden it suits a rock garden, the edge of a perennial bed, a flower meadow, or a container on a balcony. When dried it lasts a long time and is a classic for dried flower arrangements.
Care instructions
Plant common quaking grass in a full-sun spot with lean, well-drained soil. In the first year, water during prolonged dry spells; afterwards it manages with rainfall and survives dry summers as well. You do not need fertilizer, as it makes the stems soft. Cut back spent stems in late summer when they become unsightly, or leave them standing so the grass can self-seed. In early spring, comb old, dried leaves out of the tuft with your fingers. For dried arrangements, cut the stems in June while the spikelets still shimmer green, and hang them upside down in an airy, shaded place.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–May, Sep
FloweringMay–Jul
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 8 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 14 to 28 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
lean, well-drained, sandy, loamy
Quaking grass grows best on lean, well-drained soil, as offered by meadows on poor soils and rock gardens. Sandy loam or loamy sand is ideal; whether the soil is calcareous or slightly acidic hardly matters. In rich, freshly fed garden soil it becomes soft, flops open and disappears after a few years. It tolerates winter wet poorly, so on heavy soils mix in plenty of sand or grit.
Feeding
Light feeder
Quaking grass needs no fertiliser. It is adapted to nutrient-poor soils; any extra dose makes the stems soft and makes the clumps age faster. Even in a tub, it is enough to swap the compost every few years in spring for fresh, sandy compost.
Overwintering
Quaking grass is fully hardy and survives even severe frosts without protection. In the bed you need not do anything. In a tub, place the pot against a sheltered house wall and make sure that excess water can drain away, because wet in the root ball harms it more than cold.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
The easiest way to propagate quaking grass is by division. In April or September, dig up a strong clump, divide it with a spade into fist-sized pieces and replant them straight away. Sowing works as well: from April, sow directly in the bed or in pots, cover the seeds only thinly with soil and keep them evenly moist until they germinate after a few weeks. A second sowing is possible in September. On lean, open ground the grass also self-seeds over time, without becoming a nuisance. For wildflower meadows, use regional seed from your area; at natural sites, do not dig anything up.
For your garden
Grow Quaking grass yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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