Little bunny foo-foo, hopping through the garden!

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Lagurus ovatus key facts

Botanical name – Lagurus ovatus
Common name – bunny tail grass
Family – Poaceae
Type – annual grass

Bearing – upright mound
Height – 8 inches (20 cm), reaches 2 feet when blooming (60cm)
Planting density – 6 to 8 plants per sq. yard (m²)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – light and well-draining

Flowering : end of summer

Lagurus ovatus (or bunny tail grass in English) is an annual grass with gray-green blade-like leaves. It stands out from its peers thanks to its surprising original blooms.

At the end of the summer, they are covered in fluffy panicles that sway in the wind and bring a charming touch to your flower beds.

Planting Lagurus ovatus

To grow in the proper environment, bunny tail grass needs sunlight and average-to-light soil. Sandy soil is ideal. It also copes satisfactorily with poor soil (not very fertile). In a nutshell, if you’re near the ocean, it’s the perfect choice.

No preliminary preparations are necessary for the planting.

• At the beginning of spring, simply dig out a hole about 6 to 8 inches deep (15 to 20 cm), settle the plant inside, and backfill, pressing the soil down around the roots.

Smart tip:

If your soil is very heavy but you still want to admire the fluffy flowers of bunny tail grass, then all river sand to the soil and work it deep into the ground, about 1 foot or 30 cm deep. After that’s done, transfer the plants from their nursery pots.

Caring for bunny tail grass

Lagurus ovatus is certainly the best grass for a garden with no maintenance. Once planted, nothing more to do! Even pruning at the beginning of spring is optional.

Propagating bunny tail grass:

This will come as a surprise for those used to all types of grasses: Lagurus ovatus can’t be divided from the clump. Indeed, since it’s an annual grass, it only propagates thanks to sowing:

• either naturally, self-sowing;
• or thanks to the gardener’s work, who sows it in nursery pots under a cold frame at the beginning of spring (end of February, beginning of March);
• and when they’ve sprouted, simply transplant your seedlings.

Note: a cold frame is a small shelter with a glass/clear roof, which, among others, protects what’s inside from late frosts by keeping warmth over the night.

Diseases and pests:

Lagurus ovatus isn’t known to suffer from diseases. Pests also seem to pass it by without showing signs of interest.

Landscaping and pairing

Favor planting in large clusters in the forefront or center of a parterre. You’ll be well-placed to admire the picturesque show of its blooming flowers.

To highlight them even more, increase contrast in your landscaping by including plants with dark-colored foliage (here with a dark Phormium). Lagurus ovatus doesn’t like having to fight for space, so don’t grow fast-spreading plants nearby.

Good choices would be perennials: Eryngium alpinum (alpine thistle), Penstemon pinifolius (pine-needle beardtongue), Helianthemum (rock rose) or even other grasses such as Briza media (quaking grass), Festuca glauca (blue fescue), etc.