Eastern North American native woodland-edge grass with broad bamboo-like leaves and flat oat-like green seed heads that hang on slender stems, ageing through bronze to tan and persisting through winter.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 3–8 | −40 °C to −6.7 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H7 | down to −20 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 4–8 | −29 °C to −1 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 2–5 | −10 °C to 10 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
Growing notes
- Plant in dappled shade or partial sun — one of the few ornamental grasses that tolerates real shade and looks good in it
- Distinctive flat dangling seed heads — the principal ornamental feature, persistent into winter for cut and dried arrangements
- Self-seeds where conditions suit — can colonise wider than intended, monitor in well-watered borders
- Cut down to ground level in late winter
Categories
Related plants
Cross-check Northern sea oats against your zones