When to plant and prune Chinese Silver Grass
Chinese Silver Grass flowers from early August to mid October and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Chinese Silver Grass is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
| South Coast and Channel | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
| South East and Home Counties | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
| East Anglia | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
| Wales and West Coast | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
| Northern England | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
| Northern Ireland | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late April to late May | early August to mid October | mid March to mid April |
Growing notes
A warm-season grass: plant it in late spring rather than autumn, and do not panic when it is still bare in April. The dead stems and flowerheads are the winter structure, so enjoy them until March.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 100 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 200 cm
- Eventual spread
- 120 cm
- Hardiness
- H6
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 40 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
Pruning: what to avoid
This is a deciduous grass, so cut it hard to the base in mid-March or April before growth restarts. Leave it much later and you slice through the emerging shoots and the clump looks ragged all summer; leave it uncut altogether and last year's collapsed stems smother the crown.
Pruning group
Deciduous: cut every stem down to about 5cm from the ground in early spring
What usually goes wrong
- slow to start in cold springs
- rots in permanently wet soil
- flops if fed or grown in shade
- congested clumps need dividing in late spring
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for chinese silver grass.