Clay / Heavy / Moist / Well Drained / Light / Sandy
Silver reed, Thamnochortus cinereus, is an attractive, compact restio forming dense clumps of tufted, silvery foliage, from which tall inflorescences emerge in summer. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants: the female plant bears golden flowerheads on green-grey shoots, the male plant has taller, long-lasting silvery flowers.
Grow Thamnochortus cinereus in moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Frost hardy, you may need to offer protection in winter. There’s usually no need to prune, simply remove old stems as and when they look tatty. Divide in spring.
Plant calendar
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Plant
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
Flowers
yes
yes
yes
Divide
yes
yes
yes
Thamnochortus and wildlife
Thamnochortus has no particular known value to wildlife in the UK.
