Sorghastrum nutans
Indian grass, Wood grass, Gold stem
Also known as Chrysopogon nutans
- Height × spread
- 2m × 1m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Flowers
- Summer, Autumn
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This is a hearty grass of the American prairies that can stand 2 metres high. The leaves are long and quite slender, coloured soft green. In late summer it sends up stout, tall flowering stems. The flowers form a long slender spike spangled with small flowers. The flowers are bronzed and the whole turns golden brown in autumn. This adaptable plant can serve as a specimen or used in drifts. It can be naturalized. This has drought tolerance when established.
- Flower colour
- Brown, Yellow
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Autumn foliage
- Gold-brown
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Cube
- Height
- 2m
- Spread
- 1m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn, Winter
- Flowers in
- Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Prairie garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Structural, Architectural
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring - early-mid · Planting
Divide when too large
The plant can be divided if it becomes too large or another plant is required. This may involve physically dividing the clump in two, removing offsets or small bulbs or dividing rhizomes. The new plants can be grown in pots or planted in the ground.