About
Cortaderia selloana 'Silver Fountain' is a robust, clump-forming perennial grass that typically reaches a height of around 2 meters. It features evergreen foliage with arching, serrated leaves in a blue-green hue, accented by distinct white stripes. In late summer, this variety produces plume-like clusters of lustrous silver-white spikelets.
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
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing, North-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Grass Like
- Habit
- Tufted
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 1.5-2.5 metres
- Spread
- 1-1.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Coastal, Gravel garden, Prairie planting, Architectural, Cottage and informal garden
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in fertile, deep, well-drained soil in full sun, and cover with a deep dry mulch to protect plants from frost in their first winter; choose planting positions carefully, because they need plenty of space, because of the sharp leaf edges, and because seedlings can be invasive; for more advice, see ornamental grasses cultivation
- Pruning
- Cut and comb out the last year's flower stems and dead leaves in late winter or early spring; wear gloves as protection from the sharp leaf edges
- Propagation
- Propagate by division in late spring
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free