About
Cortaderia selloana 'Pumila' is a perennial grass that maintains its foliage year-round, developing a dense clump of slender, arching leaves that can reach up to 45 cm in length. In late summer, it produces abundant silky plumes, which emerge on stems that can grow up to 1.2 m tall.
About the genus
Cortaderia consists of sturdy evergreen grasses that develop sizable, compact clumps of narrow, rough-textured leaves. These grasses produce upright stems topped with dense flower panicles that range from silvery to pink hues, making them ideal for drying purposes.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Grass Like
- Habit
- Tufted
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- Architectural, City and courtyard gardens, Prairie planting, Coastal, Cottage and informal garden, Gravel garden
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun, with ample space to develop into a specimen. Protect crowns of young plants in their first winter
- Pruning
- Cut and comb out the previous year's stems and dead foliage annually in late winter or early spring, taking care to avoid the sharp leaf margins
- Propagation
- Propagate by division in spring
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free