Eriophorum vaginatum - Tufted Cottongrass, Hare's Tail Cottongrass

Regular price £5.95

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  • Approximate height: Foliage: 25cm (10 inches) Flower: 45cm (18 inches)
  • Recommended water depth over crown of plant: 0 - 10cm (0 - 4 inches)
  • Flowering time: March to June
  • Flower colour: White
  • Supplied in the solid 9cm pot we grow them in - for best results we recommend potting on using a 1 litre pot

A native British species, but much less well-known than its relative the Common Cottongrass. Unlike the Common Cottongrass, this species forms compact clumps and never runs. The dark-green leaves are thin and spiky, it grows more slowly, and the flowerheads are taller, much neater, and more round. They look like little white pom-poms, produced in spring and lasting through until around midsummer.

Eriophorum vaginatum forms next year's cotton flowerheads while the current year's are still on the plant. For this reason it is important not to cut your plant back to the ground at the end of the year when the foliage goes brown - you will cut off the new flower buds at the base of the plant along with the old leaves. If you want to cut the plant back, either look for and avoid the buds, or simply leave three inches of foliage at the base, to preserve next year's flowers. 

If designing a planting scheme, we recommend approximately 4 Eriophorum vaginatum plants per square foot of ground, or 2 plants per linear foot of pond edge. Read more here on how to pot and care for your plant.