Feathertop

Feathertop: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Fountain-shaped clump 60 cm tall and 50 cm wide.

Leaves

Narrow, arching, green to light green.

Plumes

Thick, soft, creamy-white to pale pink plumes with long bristles, from July to October.

Seed

Small grains in the plumes, which fall naturally.

Roots

Fibrous and shallow; in a pot the plant is easy to overwinter.

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

Why grow it?

• Soft, fluffy plumes from July to October, beautiful against the light in late summer.
• An airy grass that moves in the wind and softens any border.
• Drought-tolerant and good for sunny, dry spots and pots.
• The plumes suit fresh bouquets and dried arrangements.
• Easy to grow from seed and quickly large.

Feathertop: where does it grow best?

• Full sun for the most plumes; in part shade it flowers less well.
• Well-drained soil: sand or loam, neutral to chalky; in a pot, a light potting compost.
• Dry to moderately moist; it tolerates drought but not standing in wet soil.
• Allow 30–40 cm between plants; in a pot, one plant per pot of 5 litres or more.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.6 m tall, 0.5 m wide

Hardiness

Half hardy (to -5 °C): protect it in harsh winters

Goes well with

• Coneflower: Big purple and pink flowers above the soft grass.
• Hollyhock: Tall summer flowers behind the low, fluffy grass.
• Stonecrop: Fleshy leaves and pink flower heads in late summer.
• Verbena bonariensis: Tall, airy stems with purple flowers that rise through the grass.

Feathertop: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May.

1. Sow indoors in March–April at 18–22 °C: scatter the seed on seed compost and press in or cover it very lightly.
2. Keep the compost moist and in the light; the seed comes up in 1–3 weeks.
3. Prick the seedlings out into small pots as soon as they are big enough to handle.
4. Put them outside for a few days to harden off and plant them out at the end of May, after the Ice Saints, 30–40 cm apart.
5. Water in at once. For a pot, use a free-draining potting compost with drainage at the bottom.

Care

Water

Keep the soil moist in the first year after planting. After that only in long dry spells; in a pot, regularly.

Feeding

Little: a little organic feed at planting is enough. Too much feed gives floppy foliage and fewer plumes.

Mulching

In a sunny spot, a thin layer of compost keeps the soil moist.

Plumes

Cut plumes for a bouquet just as they reach full size; fresh or dried they keep their soft look.

Overwintering

To keep the plant, bring the pot into a bright, frost-free place before the first night frosts and water sparingly.

Tip: Plant it in full sun, so the afternoon light shines through the plumes. Grow it in a pot and overwinter it frost-free if you want to keep it.

Feathertop: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April.

When: Grown as an annual it is not pruned. An overwintered plant is cut back in April.

How:

• Cut an overwintered clump back to about 10 cm in April before it regrows.
• Remove dead leaves.
• Cut plumes for a bouquet just as they reach full size.

Caution: In warm regions such as parts of Australia and California it has become naturalised. In our climate it is killed by frost, but do not dispose of ripe seed in the wild.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In March–April indoors at 18–22 °C, surface-sown. The seed comes up in 1–3 weeks.

Division

Divide an overwintered clump in spring into pieces, each with roots and leaves, and pot them up.

Feathertop: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −5 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy here: it tolerates only light frost, down to about −5 °C.
• Bring potted plants into a bright, frost-free place at about 5–10 °C before the first night frosts and water sparingly.
• In a very sheltered, dry spot with mulch it sometimes survives a mild winter, but do not count on it; sow again every year.

Diseases and pests

• Frost damage: The leaves turn brown and the plant dies in frost. Bring pots in on time and only plant out after the Ice Saints.
• Damping off: Seedlings collapse and rot in soil that is too wet. Use clean seed compost, water less and ventilate well.
• Few plumes: Because of shade, a cool summer or too much feed. Choose a sunny spot and feed little.
• Rot when overwintering: In a wet pot or a room that is too cold the plant rots. Keep the compost almost dry and stand the pot in a bright, frost-free place.

Through the year

• March: Sow indoors at 18–22 °C.
• April: Sow and prick out. Cut an overwintered clump back to 10 cm.
• May: Harden off and plant out after the Ice Saints.
• June: Water in dry spells.
• July: Flowering starts: soft plumes.
• August: Flowering. Cut plumes for a bouquet.
• September: Flowering. Dry the plumes.
• October: Flowering. Bring pots in before the first frosts.

Did you know?

• Botanists have placed the genus Pennisetum within Cenchrus, so you may meet the same plant under both names.
• In English it is called feathertop, after its soft, feather-like plumes.
• In warm regions such as parts of Australia and California it has become naturalised and is regarded as a weed.