Pocket BotanistPlant guide
Quaking grass.
Briza media
Pronounced BRY-zuh MEE-dee-uh
Also known as Big Quaking Grass, Perennial quakinggrass, Quaking-Grass
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Quaking grass is a charming perennial ornamental grass known for its delicate, heart shaped flower heads that tremble in the slightest breeze. It thrives in open, sunny meadows and brings a lovely, airy texture to any garden space. You will find it is quite hardy and adds a whimsical touch to borders or rock gardens.
At a glance
- Care level
- Easy
- Plant type
- Perennial grass
- Light
- Full sun
- Indoor light
- Direct sun
- Water
- Every 7 to 14 days
- Mature size
- 1 to 2 feet
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Hardiness
- USDA 4 to 9
- Bloom time
- Late spring to midsummer
Care
Plant this grass in a spot with plenty of sun and well draining soil to keep it happy. Watch for yellowing leaves, which might mean the soil is staying too wet for its liking. It is a low maintenance plant that mostly just needs a good trim once a year.
- Watering
- Keep the soil consistently moist but never soggy during the growing season.
- Feeding
- A light application of balanced fertilizer in early spring is plenty.
- Pruning
- Cut the foliage back to the ground in late winter or early spring before new growth appears.
- Repotting
- Divide the clumps every few years to keep the plant vigorous and healthy.
- Soil
- Well draining, chalky or sandy soil
- Soil pH
- Neutral to alkaline
- Temperature
- -34 to 30°C
- Humidity
- 40 to 70%
- Drought tolerance
- Moderate
- Lifespan
- Perennial, typically 3 to 5 years.
- Deer and rabbits
- Moderate
Signs it needs repotting
- roots growing out of the drainage holes
- water sitting on the surface for too long
- the plant looks crowded and stops flowering
Safety
- People
- There are no known toxic effects to humans from handling or contact.
- Children
- The dried seed heads are sharp enough to be uncomfortable if handled roughly, but they pose no significant danger.
- Contact allergens
- The foliage can cause minor skin irritation due to the fine texture of the leaf blades.
- Airborne allergens
- The pollen can trigger seasonal allergies in sensitive individuals during the flowering period.
- Edibility
- This grass is not considered edible for humans.
How to identify it
- Heart shaped, drooping spikelets
- Slender, blue green leaf blades
- Flower heads tremble in wind
- Clump forming growth habit
- Height
- 0.3 to 0.6m
- Spread
- 0.2 to 0.4m
- Leaves
- green, blue-green, deciduous
- Flowers
- green, purple, straw, 0.5 to 1.5cm
Problems to watch for
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Growing it
- Propagation
- division, seed
- When to plant
- spring, autumn
- Overwintering
- Leave the dried foliage standing through winter to protect the crown from frost, then cut back in early spring.
- In containers
- It grows well in pots, but ensure the soil is gritty and free draining to prevent root rot.
Division
- 1. Dig up a mature clump in early spring.
- 2. Use a sharp spade or knife to divide the clump into smaller sections.
- 3. Replant the divisions immediately into prepared soil.
- 4. Water thoroughly until established.
Plant in groups of three or five to create a naturalistic, swaying effect in the breeze.
Grows well with
- Common Knapweed · It provides a lovely color contrast and thrives in similar meadow conditions.
- Oxeye Daisy · The white flowers pair beautifully with the nodding green spikelets of the grass.
Similar species
- Greater Quaking Grass · It is a larger, annual version with much bigger, more dramatic spikelets.
Science
- Family
- Poaceae
- Genus
- Briza
- Order
- Poales
- Class
- Liliopsida
- Native range
- Temperate Europe and parts of Asia.
- Conservation
- It is widespread and common throughout its native range and is not considered threatened.
It thrives in open, sunny grasslands and chalky soils where it competes well with other low growing herbs.
- Value to wildlife
- larval host plant, provides nesting material
- Pollinators
- butterflies
- Uses
- ornamental grass, dried flower arrangements, meadow gardens, rock gardens
Through the year
Ecological indicators
- Salinity
- 1/9
- Soil reaction
- 7/9
- Light
- 7/9
- Temperature
- 5/9
- Moisture
- 4/9
- Nutrients
- 3/9
Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.
Questions people ask
- Does it need to be cut back?
- Yes, trim the foliage back to the ground in late winter or early spring before new growth appears.
- Can I grow it in a pot?
- It grows well in containers, provided the pot has excellent drainage and is at least 25 centimeters deep.
Where the name comes from
The genus name Briza comes from the Greek word brizein, meaning to nod or tremble. The specific epithet media refers to its intermediate size compared to other species in the genus.
Good to know
- The spikelets are often used in dried floral displays because they retain their shape well.
- It is a classic component of traditional British wildflower meadows.
- The plant is highly resilient and can thrive in poor, chalky soils.
Keep your quaking grass growing
This page is a general guide. Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked.
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This guide was generated with AI on and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.