Elliott's lovegrass

Year-round

Elliott's lovegrass is a low-maintenance clumping grass with fine blue green foliage that sends up airy, tan seed plumes from late summer into fall. It stays neat in a front bed with almost no watering once it is established.

• Give it full sun and well-drained soil, it will not perform well in shade or soggy spots that stay wet
• Expect a rounded clump 18 to 30 inches tall and about as wide at maturity
• Water regularly the first growing season to help roots establish, then cut back to occasional deep watering
• Leave the seed heads up through fall and winter for a soft, deliberate look rather than shearing the clump square

A tidy, rounded bunchgrass reads as an intentional ornamental grass planting rather than an overgrown weed patch, especially when kept in a defined bed edge.

Summer

Once established, this grass handles the 100 degree stretches of a North Texas summer with little help, and it starts sending up its first flower stalks late in the season.

• A clump in its second summer or later needs supplemental water only during extended dry spells, roughly every 10 to 14 days with no rain
• A first-summer clump still needs regular water through the hottest weeks (July and August) since its roots are not deep yet
• Fine, airy flower stalks begin appearing in August above the foliage, ahead of the main fall bloom
• Skip fertilizer, this grass is bred for lean soil and heavy feeding makes the clump floppy instead of upright

Fall

Fall is the plant's showiest season, the seed heads open into a soft tan haze that catches afternoon light and holds through the first cool weeks.

• Peak bloom and seed head display runs September through October
• No cutting or deadheading needed, the tan seed heads are the display, not a sign of dying back
• Fall rains are usually enough on their own, cut back supplemental watering as temperatures drop
• This is also a good window to divide an overgrown clump if it has outgrown its space, dig and split the crown into sections and replant

The tan, feathery seed heads can look like dried-out weeds to an untrained eye, keeping the surrounding bed edge crisp and mulched helps the display read as intentional.

Winter

The clump goes dormant and turns tan to brown after the first hard freezes, this is normal and it will green back up in spring.

• Cut the whole clump back to about 4 to 6 inches sometime in late February, before new spring growth starts
• Do not cut it back in fall or early winter, the standing dead foliage protects the crown through the season's hard freezes
• A mild North Texas winter with only short cold snaps will not kill an established clump, occasional severe Arctic outbreaks can burn the foliage further but rarely kill the roots
• No watering needed during dormancy unless the season is unusually dry

A dormant, tan clump can look neglected if it is left uncut into March, cutting it back to a low mound by late February keeps the bed looking tended through the gap before spring growth returns.

Spring

Spring is the best time to get this grass in the ground in North Texas, while the soil is warming and rain is more frequent.

• Plant after the last frost (mid March) once nighttime lows are reliably above the mid 40s
• In heavy black clay, plant a little high on a slight mound or work in coarse compost so the crown does not sit in standing water; in the sandier soils west of the metro it drains fast enough on its own but will need more frequent watering through establishment
• Water two to three times a week for the first several weeks after planting, then taper off as new growth appears
• New spring foliage will be a fine blue green, low and grassy, before it starts to send up flower stalks in summer

A freshly planted clump looks sparse for the first few weeks, mulch the bed around it so the space still reads as a maintained planting while it fills in.

Year-round

Elliott's lovegrass is a low-maintenance clumping grass with fine blue green foliage that sends up airy, tan seed plumes from late summer into fall. It stays neat in a front bed with almost no watering once it is established.

• Give it full sun and well-drained soil, it will not perform well in shade or soggy spots that stay wet
• Expect a rounded clump 18 to 30 inches tall and about as wide at maturity
• Water regularly the first growing season to help roots establish, then cut back to occasional deep watering
• Leave the seed heads up through fall and winter for a soft, deliberate look rather than shearing the clump square

A tidy, rounded bunchgrass reads as an intentional ornamental grass planting rather than an overgrown weed patch, especially when kept in a defined bed edge.

Summer

Once established, this grass handles the 100 degree stretches of a North Texas summer with little help, and it starts sending up its first flower stalks late in the season.

• A clump in its second summer or later needs supplemental water only during extended dry spells, roughly every 10 to 14 days with no rain
• A first-summer clump still needs regular water through the hottest weeks (July and August) since its roots are not deep yet
• Fine, airy flower stalks begin appearing in August above the foliage, ahead of the main fall bloom
• Skip fertilizer, this grass is bred for lean soil and heavy feeding makes the clump floppy instead of upright

Fall

Fall is the plant's showiest season, the seed heads open into a soft tan haze that catches afternoon light and holds through the first cool weeks.

• Peak bloom and seed head display runs September through October
• No cutting or deadheading needed, the tan seed heads are the display, not a sign of dying back
• Fall rains are usually enough on their own, cut back supplemental watering as temperatures drop
• This is also a good window to divide an overgrown clump if it has outgrown its space, dig and split the crown into sections and replant

The tan, feathery seed heads can look like dried-out weeds to an untrained eye, keeping the surrounding bed edge crisp and mulched helps the display read as intentional.

Winter

The clump goes dormant and turns tan to brown after the first hard freezes, this is normal and it will green back up in spring.

• Cut the whole clump back to about 4 to 6 inches sometime in late February, before new spring growth starts
• Do not cut it back in fall or early winter, the standing dead foliage protects the crown through the season's hard freezes
• A mild North Texas winter with only short cold snaps will not kill an established clump, occasional severe Arctic outbreaks can burn the foliage further but rarely kill the roots
• No watering needed during dormancy unless the season is unusually dry

A dormant, tan clump can look neglected if it is left uncut into March, cutting it back to a low mound by late February keeps the bed looking tended through the gap before spring growth returns.

Spring

Spring is the best time to get this grass in the ground in North Texas, while the soil is warming and rain is more frequent.

• Plant after the last frost (mid March) once nighttime lows are reliably above the mid 40s
• In heavy black clay, plant a little high on a slight mound or work in coarse compost so the crown does not sit in standing water; in the sandier soils west of the metro it drains fast enough on its own but will need more frequent watering through establishment
• Water two to three times a week for the first several weeks after planting, then taper off as new growth appears
• New spring foliage will be a fine blue green, low and grassy, before it starts to send up flower stalks in summer

A freshly planted clump looks sparse for the first few weeks, mulch the bed around it so the space still reads as a maintained planting while it fills in.