Peruvian Feather Grass (Stipa Ichu) – 1 Gallon Pot

Other Names:  Peruvian Feathergrass, Peruvian Needlegrass, Ichu, Ichhu, Paja ichu, Paja brava, Stipa eriostachya, Stipa gynerioides, Stipa liebmannii, Jarava usitata, Ponytails Grass

Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society, Stipa ichu, commonly know as Peruvian Feather Grass, is an impressive evergreen perennial grass from the rocky plains and grasslands of Peru. It forms upright arching clumps of ultrathin bright green blades topped by soft green flowers that open in early summer to lovely silvery-white plumes aging to golden yellow by fall and finally honey brown during winter. The flowers shimmer in the morning and early evenings and sway with the breeze and are perfect for cutting and use in fresh or dried arrangements. Though the foliage is evergreen in hot climates, it changes to amber hues in the fall in cooler climates where temperatures drop below freezing. Deer resistant and tolerant of heat, dry conditions and even coastal sites, Peruvian Feather Grass is ideal for use as an accent in smaller garden spaces and container gardens, or in dramatic groupings or stunning mass plantings in landscape borders and on sunny slopes for erosion control. Just give it a well-drained fertile soil and plenty of sun and it’ll do the rest.

Growing 30 to 36 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide, Peruvian Feather Grass is ideal for use as a grassy accent in smaller garden spaces and container gardens or is especially dramatic in groupings or mass plantings in larger landscape borders or sunny slopes where it serves as an excellent erosion controller. A fine addition to rock gardens, ornamental grass gardens, coastal gardens, and combined with other drought tolerant plants in the sunny Xeriscape (low water needs).

Suggested Spacing: 18 inches apart for mass planting; 36 inches or more apart for space between plants

Peruvian feather Grass is very easy to grow in a moist but well-drained soil of average fertility and full sun to light shade. Has good drought tolerance when established. Maintenance is minimal. We shear off the spent flowers in late winter to tidy the plants. If the foliage dies back during winter the foliage can be cut back to several inches above the ground before new growth emerges in spring.