When to plant and prune Mexican Feather Grass
Mexican Feather Grass flowers from early June to late September and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Mexican Feather 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 | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
| South Coast and Channel | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
| South East and Home Counties | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
| East Anglia | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
| Wales and West Coast | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
| Northern England | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
| Northern Ireland | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early September to late October | early June to late September | late February to late March |
Growing notes
Short-lived and best replaced or divided every three or four years as the centre goes bare. It seeds itself around freely on gravel and paving, which is charming in a dry garden and a nuisance elsewhere.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 40 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 60 cm
- Eventual spread
- 40 cm
- Hardiness
- H4
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 10 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 4 out of 5
Pruning: what to avoid
Do not shear this to the ground like a miscanthus. The RHS classes it as deciduous but in most UK gardens it behaves as an evergreen, so comb the dead blades out with gloved fingers; only cut it right back in early spring if the clump is genuinely full of dead material, and never in autumn.
Pruning group
Treat as evergreen: comb dead leaves out by hand in late winter or early spring
What usually goes wrong
- short-lived, clumps decline after 3-4 years
- self-seeds prolifically
- crown rot in heavy winter-wet soil
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for mexican feather grass.