Create Your Garden

Stipa gigantea (Golden Oats)

Golden Oats, Giant Feather Grass, Giant Needle Grass

AGM Award
Stipa Gigantea, Golden Oats, Giant Feather Grass, Giant Needle Grass
Stipa Gigantea, Golden Oats, Giant Feather Grass, Giant Needle Grass

Statuesque with tufts of foliage bursting with emerging seed heads in early summer, Stipa gigantea (Golden Oats) is an impressive ornamental grass. Evergreen or semi-evergreen, it forms a dense mound of slender, arching gray-green leaves, up to 18 in. tall (45 cm), from which emerge erect flower spikes rising 4 ft. (120 cm) above the foliage. They bear elegant panicles of silvery spikelets with long awns and dangling golden anthers which sway gracefully in the slightest breeze and persist well into winter. Spectacular when backlit by the rising or setting sun!

  • Excellent choice for adding height and structure to the garden, this architectural grass is perfect for borders where it will easily combine with other plants, along the edge of a path, in prairie plantings, or as a striking accent plant. Great for dried floral arrangements too!
  • Growing easily in a dense clump about 6 ft. tall (180 cm) and 2-3 ft. across (60-90 cm), it enjoys full sun and moderately fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soils.
  • Drought tolerant, it requires very little care, is deer resistant, and provides weeks of interest from summer to frost.
  • Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society (1993)
  • Cut back in winter for a neat appearance.

Requirements

Hardiness 5 - 10
Heat Zones 1 - 12
Climate Zones 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Ornamental Grasses
Plant Family Poaceae
Genus Stipa
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Summer (Early, Mid, Late)
Fall
Winter
Height 5' - 6'
(150cm - 180cm)
Spread 2' - 3'
(60cm - 90cm)
Spacing 48" - 72"
(120cm - 180cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Dried Arrangements, Plant of Merit, Showy, Evergreen, Semi-Evergreen
Tolerance Drought, Deer
Attracts Birds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Stipa (Feather Grass)
Not sure which Stipa (Feather Grass) to pick?
Compare Now

Alternative Plants to Consider

Nassella pulchra (Purple Needle Grass)
Stipa ichu (Peruvian Feather Grass)
Stipa barbata (Silver Feather Grass)
Stipa tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass)
Stipa calamagrostis (Spear Grass)
Anemanthele lessoniana (New Zealand Wind Grass)

Recommended Companion Plants

Helenium (Sneezeweed)
Anthemis tinctoria (Golden Marguerite)
Echinacea (Coneflower)
Monarda (Bee Balm)
Persicaria amplexicaulis (Mountain Fleece)
Rudbeckia fulgida (Black-Eyed Susan)

Find In One of Our Guides or Gardens

A Low Maintenance Summer Idea for your Borders with Alliums and Grasses
A Colorful Summer Border Idea with Easy-to-Grow Plants
A Mediterranean Garden Idea with Lavandula, Helichrysum and Kniphofia
A Charming Late Summer Garden Idea with Japanese Anemones, Sedum and Grasses
A Refreshing Summer Border Idea with Irises, Alliums, Catmint and Grasses
A Cheerful Border Idea with Monarda, Achillea and Digitalis
A Distinguished Border Idea
A Pretty Late Season Border Idea with Perennials and Architectural Grasses
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
Buy Plants

Requirements

Hardiness 5 - 10
Heat Zones 1 - 12
Climate Zones 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Ornamental Grasses
Plant Family Poaceae
Genus Stipa
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Summer (Early, Mid, Late)
Fall
Winter
Height 5' - 6'
(150cm - 180cm)
Spread 2' - 3'
(60cm - 90cm)
Spacing 48" - 72"
(120cm - 180cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Dried Arrangements, Plant of Merit, Showy, Evergreen, Semi-Evergreen
Tolerance Drought, Deer
Attracts Birds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Stipa (Feather Grass)
Not sure which Stipa (Feather Grass) to pick?
Compare Now

Gardening Ideas

Plant Calculator

How many Stipa gigantea (Golden Oats) do I need for my garden?

Input your garden space dimensions

Your Shopping List

Plant Quantity
Stipa gigantea (Golden Oats) N/A Buy Plants

Please Login to Proceed

You Have Reached The Free Limit, Please Subscribe to Proceed

Subscribe to Gardenia

To create additional collections, you must be a paid member of Gardenia
  • Add as many plants as you wish
  • Create and save up to 25 garden collections
Become a Member

Plant Added Successfully

You have Reached Your Limit

To add more plants, you must be a paid member of our site Become a Member

Update Your Credit
Card Information

Cancel

Create a New Collection

Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    You have been subscribed successfully

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Find your Hardiness Zone

    Find your Heat Zone

    Find your Climate Zone