Hare's-tail grass

Lagurus ovatus

In other languages: Hazenstaartgras (Nederlands) · Queue-de-lièvre (Français)

Hare’s-tail grass is an annual grass from the Mediterranean region, where it grows in sunny, sandy places, often in coastal dunes. It forms small tufts of soft, hairy, grey-green leaves, topped from June to August by egg-shaped, woolly little plumes on thin stems. The plumes are pale green at first and then turn creamy white; they are so soft that everyone wants to touch them. Gardeners grow it mainly for dried arrangements and as a playful filler between summer flowers and in pots. It grows quickly from seed and is easy, even on dry, poor soil.

Caution: Do not dump spent plants with ripe seed in the countryside or in dunes: outside its native range it can establish itself in sandy places.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Full sun
warm and bright
Moisture
Dry
tolerates drought
Legal basis
Sand or loam
neutral to chalky
Hardiness
down to -5 °C
protect in harsh winters
Size
0.4 m
tall, 0.2 m wide
Flowering
June–August

Key facts
Height	0.4 m
Native to Belgium	No, planted
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous
Flowering	June–August

Identify

Hare's-tail grass: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Small, loose tuft 30–40 cm tall and about 20 cm across.
Leaves: Flat, soft and finely hairy, grey-green.
Flowers: From June to August, egg-shaped, woolly plumes a few centimetres long on thin stems; pale green at first, later creamy white.
Lifespan: Annual: the plant dies after setting seed.
Seed: In a warm, sandy spot it sometimes self-seeds.

Flowering: June–August · Sowing: March–May · Plants: May

In your garden

Why grow it?

Soft, woolly little plumes that children and adults love to touch.
One of the best-known grasses for dried arrangements: the plumes stay attractive for a long time.
Quick and easy from seed, and it flowers in its first year.
Drought-tolerant: ideal for sunny, sandy soil, edges and pots.
A playful filler between annual summer flowers and in a cutting garden.

Hare's-tail grass: where does it grow best?

Full sun: in shade the stems become floppy and there are few plumes.
Light, free-draining sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky.
Dry soil: it copes badly with wet, heavy soil.
Plant or thin to 15–20 cm apart, in small groups for the best effect.

Light: Sun
Soil type: Sand or loam
Acidity: Neutral or chalky
Moisture: Dry
Size: 0.4 m tall, 0.2 m wide
Hardiness: Half hardy (to -5 °C): protect it in harsh winters

Goes well with

Cornflower: Blue summer flowers for the same sunny spot and for posies.
Strawflower: A brightly coloured annual everlasting, ideal alongside it in dried arrangements.
Love-in-a-mist: Blue flowers and decorative seed pods that you can dry as well.
Statice: Papery flowers in many colours, a classic everlasting.

Maintenance

Hare's-tail grass: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May.

Sow indoors in March–April in small pots or trays of seed compost; only just cover the seed.
Or sow outdoors where it is to grow in April–May, in rows or small patches on raked soil.
Plant out indoor-sown seedlings in May, after the last hard night frost.
Space plants 15–20 cm apart; thin seedlings sown in place to that distance.
Water in well and keep the soil slightly moist until the young plants are established.

Care

Water: Only during germination and until the young plants are established; hardly needed after that.
Feeding: Not needed: on poor soil the stems stay sturdier.
Harvesting: Pick the plumes before they are fully ripe, when they have just turned soft and white, with a long stem.
Drying: Tie them in small bunches and hang them upside down in a dry, airy, dark place.
Seed: Leave a few plumes to ripen if you want to collect your own seed.

Tip: Pick the plumes as soon as they are soft and white, before they are fully ripe, and hang them in bunches upside down in a dry, dark place: that way they stay attractive longest.

Hare's-tail grass: when to prune it?

When: Not needed: it is an annual. You only cut plumes for drying.

How:

Cut plumes for dried arrangements in June–July, before they are fully ripe.
Leave a few plumes standing to collect seed in August.
Pull up the spent plants in September and put them on the compost heap.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed: Indoors in March–April or outdoors in April–May. The seed germinates fairly quickly in a light spot that is not too wet.
Saving seed: In August, let a few plumes ripen, shake out the seed and store it dry and cool until spring.

Hare's-tail grass: how does it get through the winter?

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

Annual: the plant dies after flowering and setting seed and does not overwinter.
Young seedlings tolerate light frost to about −5 °C, but not hard Belgian frosts.
The dried plumes stay attractive for a long time in a vase indoors.

Diseases and pests

Damping off: Young seedlings collapse and rot at the base, especially when sown too wet. Use clean seed compost, water sparingly and give light and air.
Slugs: They eat young seedlings. Sow indoors and plant out sturdy young plants, or protect them for the first few weeks.
Floppy stems: Too little sun or soil that is too rich. Sow in a sunny, lean spot.
Yellowed or shedding dried plumes: Picked too late or dried in the light. Pick the plumes younger and dry them in a dark place.

Through the year

March: Sow indoors in small pots.
April: Sow indoors or outdoors.
May: Sow outdoors. Plant out indoor-sown seedlings.
June: First plumes. Pick for drying.
July: Full flowering. Pick plumes and hang them upside down to dry.
August: Last plumes. Let a few ripen for seed.
September: Collect seed. Clear away spent plants.

You and this species

Did you know?

Lagurus comes from the Greek lagos (hare) and oura (tail); ovatus means ‘egg-shaped’, after the shape of the plumes.
In the wild it often grows in coastal dunes around the Mediterranean.
Hare’s-tail grass is one of the best-known grasses in dried arrangements; dyed plumes in all sorts of colours are also sold.

Garden plants · All species