Briza media
quaking-grass
Overview
Briza media is a tufted perennial grass in the Poaceae, forming low clumps of flat, blue-green leaf blades 2-6 inches (5-15 cm) long. From late spring, slender flowering stems rise to 8-24 inches (20-60 cm), carrying open, branching panicles of pendant spikelets. Each spikelet is broadly ovate to heart-shaped, 0.15-0.3 inches (4-7 mm) long, flattened, and held on a hair-thin stalk so the slightest breeze sets it trembling. Spikelets are purplish-brown to green when young, fading to straw-yellow as the seed ripens, and remain on the plant into late summer. The grass spreads slowly by short rhizomes to form a dense, low sward rather than running widely. It grows in unimproved calcareous and neutral grassland, meadows, and downland, indicating low-fertility, undisturbed ground. The plant declines under heavy fertilising or competition from vigorous grasses, and is slow to establish from seed.
Native Range
Native to Europe and temperate Asia, from the British Isles and Scandinavia south to the Mediterranean and east to Siberia. Widespread but localised in Britain on lime-rich grassland.Suggested Uses
Grown in wildflower meadows, chalk-grassland restoration, and naturalistic or gravel plantings. The trembling spikelets are cut for fresh and dried arrangements. Its low, slow-spreading habit suits the front of borders and meadow edges.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height8" - 2'
Width/Spread8" - 1'
Bloom Information
Flowering panicles appear from May to July, with pollen shed on dry, breezy days. As a wind-pollinated grass it produces no nectar and bears inconspicuous florets within the spikelets. Ripe spikelets persist and continue to quake into August and September.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
purplish-green to strawFoliage Description
blue-greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 4-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Briza media grows in full sun to light shade on free-draining neutral to alkaline soil of low fertility. It tolerates drought and thin, stony ground and needs no feeding, while rich soil reduces its vigour relative to coarser grasses. Plants are raised from seed sown in autumn or spring, or by dividing established clumps in spring. Establishment is slow, and seedlings compete poorly with fast grasses and weeds in the first year. An annual cut or graze in late summer, after seed drop, maintains the open sward it occupies. Waterlogged or heavily fertilised ground leads to its loss.Pruning
Plants are cut or mown once a year in late summer or early autumn after seed has shed. Old flowering stems and foliage are removed to ground level before spring growth resumes. No other trimming is needed.Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 2 gallons