DESCRIPTION: Grown for it's grassy variegated foliage in green and cream, tinged with pink in cooler weather; beautiful accent in containers; smaller plant also good in borders and smaller spaces

BOTANICAL NAME: Deschampsia caespitosa 'Northern Lights'
AVERAGE MATURE HEIGHT: 90 cm
AVERAGE MATURE SPREAD: 30 cm
SUN EXPOSURE: Full sun to partial shade
FLOWER COLOUR: Tan
FLOWERING TIME: Summer and holds well into winter
FOLIAGE COLOUR: Grey and gold variegation
COLD HARDINESS: Zone 4 ( Should survive up to -34.4° Celsius ) Needs protected area
WATER NEEDS: Moist
OTHER FEATURES: Attractive Foliage, Border, Deer Resistant, Rabbit Resistant, Winter Interest

Ornamental Features

Northern Lights Tufted Hair Grass's attractive grassy leaves are green in colour with showy creamy white variegation and tinges of pink. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous pink in the fall. It features subtle spikes of tan flowers rising above the foliage in mid summer. 

Landscape Attributes

Northern Lights Tufted Hair Grass is an open herbaceous evergreen perennial grass with a mounded form. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Northern Lights Tufted Hair Grass is recommended for the following landscape applications:

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Northern Lights Tufted Hair Grass will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity extending to 15 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 15 inches. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider covering it with a thick layer of mulch in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. 

Northern Lights Tufted Hair Grass is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception.