Quaking grass

Quaking grass: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small, loose tuft 20–30 cm wide; the flower stems reach about 40 cm.

Leaves

Narrow, flat, fresh green to grey-green; in mild winters the tuft stays partly green.

Flowers

Airy panicles of heart-shaped spikelets on hair-fine stalks from May to July; green with purplish brown, later golden brown.

Seed

Ripens in summer; on open, poor soil it self-seeds lightly.

Roots

A fibrous tuft with short rhizomes; it is not invasive.

Flowering: May–July · Sowing: March–April · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: March and August

Why grow it?

• Native and now scarcer: a valuable plant for a wildflower meadow or wildlife garden.
• The trembling spikelets give a playful movement that fascinates children and adults alike.
• Flowers early, from May to July, when many other grasses have yet to begin.
• Excellent for dried arrangements: the spikelets keep their shape.
• Thrives on poor soil where few other plants do well, and needs no fertiliser.

Quaking grass: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: in shade it flops and fades away.
• Poor, well-drained soil: sand, loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Dry to normally moist; no wet feet.
• On fertile soil stronger grasses crowd it out: choose a lean spot, such as an impoverished meadow or a sunny bank.
• Plant 25–30 cm apart, in small groups among meadow flowers.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Ox-eye daisy: White flowers in May–June in the same lean meadow.
• Common knapweed: Purple summer flowers, popular with bees and butterflies.
• Wild marjoram: Fragrant pink flowers on dry, chalky soil, a magnet for bees.
• Harebell: Delicate blue bells among the trembling spikelets.
• Salad burnet: Fine leaves and round flower heads on the same poor, chalky soil.

Quaking grass: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or September–October, or sow outdoors where it is to grow in March–April.
2. Loosen the soil and weed thoroughly: young plants tolerate little competition.
3. Do not enrich the soil with compost or manure.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot, 25–30 cm apart, and firm the soil.
5. If sowing, scatter the seed thinly and rake it in lightly.
6. Water straight away and keep the soil moist in dry spells for the first few weeks.

Care

Watering

Not needed once established; in a long drought the leaves discolour a little, but the tuft recovers.

Feeding

Never: on rich soil it flops and is crowded out by other plants.

Picking

Pick stems for drying in June–July, when the spikelets are fully formed, and hang them to dry in a dry, dark place.

Spent stems

Cut them off in August, or leave them if you want it to self-seed.

Mowing

In a wildflower meadow, mow at the end of August with the rest of the meadow and remove the cuttings.

Tip: Plant or sow it in the poorest, sunniest spot in your garden and never feed it: there it stays sturdy and self-seeds a little of its own accord.

Quaking grass: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and August.

When: Cut off the spent stems in August and comb the dead leaves out of the tuft in March.

How:

• In August, cut the flower stems just above the foliage, or leave them until the seed has dropped.
• In March, comb out the old, dead leaves with your fingers or a small rake.
• In a wildflower meadow: mow at the end of August and remove the cuttings, so that the soil stays poor.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow in March–April where it is to grow or in pots; sow thinly, rake in lightly and keep moist. Seedlings usually flower from their second year.

Division

In March–April or September, lift a tuft and split it into pieces with roots; replant straight away and water.

Quaking grass: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection needed.
• The tuft stays partly green; leave it standing and comb out the dead leaves in spring.
• Wet soil in winter is its worst enemy: choose a well-drained spot.

Diseases and pests

• Crowded out: On rich soil stronger grasses grow over it. Make the soil poorer by mowing and removing the cuttings.
• Floppy stems: On over-rich soil or in shade the stems flop. Choose a sunny, poor spot.
• Brown leaves in summer: In a long drought the leaves discolour. This is normal: after rain the tuft grows again.
• Root rot: In waterlogged soil the tuft rots. Plant in a well-drained spot.

Through the year

• March: Comb out dead leaves. Sow and plant.
• April: Sow and plant. Weed around young plants.
• May: First trembling spikelets.
• June: Full flower. Pick stems for drying.
• July: Flowering. Last stems for picking; the seed ripens.
• August: Cut off spent stems or mow the meadow.
• September: Plant or divide.
• October: Plant.
• December: Dormant. Leave standing.

Did you know?

• The Dutch name bevertjes, little tremblers, and the English name quaking grass both refer to the trembling spikelets.
• Quaking grass is a characteristic plant of poor, flower-rich grassland; because of fertilisers it has become rare in many areas.
• The spikelets hang from hair-fine, curved stalks, which is why they move in the slightest breath of wind.