How to Grow Bunny Tails Grass
(Lagurus ovatus) from Seed
The most tactile plant in the cutting garden — impossibly soft, fluffy oval seedheads on slender wiry stems that genuinely do resemble rabbit tails, outstanding fresh or dried, and thriving on neglect and poor soil
If the test of a truly great garden plant is that it offers something no other plant quite replicates, Bunny Tails passes with flying colours. Lagurus ovatus is the most tactile plant you can grow from seed — the fluffy, oval seedheads are irresistibly soft, covered in thousands of minute silky hairs that give them a velvet quality quite unlike anything else in the border. They are small enough to be held in the palm of a hand, light enough to move in the very gentlest breeze, and endearing enough in their rabbit-tail resemblance that they consistently delight anyone who encounters them — children and adults alike. They are also one of the finest dried grasses available: once cut and hung upside down, the heads retain their softness, their shape and their pale sandy-caramel colour for years.
The plant asks almost nothing in return. As a Mediterranean coastal grass, it is native to sandy, nutrient-poor, sunny conditions — and it performs best in exactly the conditions most garden plants struggle with. Starvation is the key to good Bunny Tails: over-fed plants with access to rich soil produce lush green foliage at the expense of the fluffy heads. The RHS Award of Garden Merit confirms what experienced growers already know — this is a genuinely outstanding plant that earns its place in any cottage garden or cutting patch.
Quick Facts at a Glance
Plant Type
Hardy Annual (H4)
Sowing Time
Sep direct (best) · Mar–May direct/indoors
Season of Interest
May – September
Position
Full sun; poor, dry soil
Height & Spread
30–50cm · 20cm
Difficulty Rating
1 out of 5 — Very Easy
Understanding the Plant
Lagurus ovatus is native to the sandy shores and dry coastal grasslands of the Mediterranean — a specialist of extreme conditions, perfectly evolved to thrive in the nutrient-poor, freely-draining soils of the shore. This ecological origin explains its most important growing characteristic: it genuinely performs better in poor soil than in rich soil. The fine silky hairs on the seedheads serve a practical purpose in their native habitat — capturing moisture from sea mists and early morning dew to help the plant regulate water in arid conditions. In the garden, these hairs are simply beautiful, creating the characteristic velvet quality that makes Bunny Tails so popular in both fresh and dried arrangements.
The seedheads emerge green and are decorative from the moment they appear — typically May or June from an autumn sowing — before gradually warming to a pale caramel-sand colour as the season progresses. Both the green and the warm stages are attractive; both are worth cutting. The heads hold their shape and softness through the drying process in a way that few other ornamental grasses manage, which is why they are so widely used in the professional dried floral trade.
The Critical Starvation Tip
This is the most important thing to understand about growing Bunny Tails well: do not feed them, do not plant them in rich or manured soil, and do not improve the ground before planting. Rich soil produces lush, dark-green leafy plants with few or no fluffy seedheads. Poor, dry, sandy or gravelly soil produces compact plants covered in abundant seedheads. If your garden soil is fertile, grow Bunny Tails in containers with gritty, low-nutrient growing medium (cactus or alpine compost mixed with horticultural grit) rather than standard multipurpose compost. Neglect produces the best results.
Two Harvesting Windows
Like Briza maxima, Bunny Tails offers two distinct harvesting moments for different dried effects. The green stage — when heads are newly formed, soft and pale cream-green — produces the freshest, most natural-looking dried stems. The caramel stage — when heads have warmed to sandy-buff — produces warmer, more autumnal dried stems. For longest-lasting results, harvest at the green-to-caramel transition before heads are fully ripened, as over-mature heads shed seeds easily when handled. In both cases, cut on a dry day and hang upside down in small bunches in a dark, ventilated space.
When & How to Sow
Bunny Tails is a cool-season annual grass — it actively grows in spring and early summer before the heat of high summer arrives. This is why autumn sowing produces the finest plants: seedlings established over winter are stronger and more productive than spring-sown ones. Direct sowing is preferred; the seeds germinate quickly and reliably in suitable conditions.
Autumn Sowing — The Superior Route
Sow directly into a prepared, lean seedbed in September for seedlings that overwinter as small rosettes, develop a robust root system through the cool months, and produce a significantly more abundant crop of seedheads from May onwards than spring-sown plants. The naturalness of the outdoor cold period suits this Mediterranean coastal plant perfectly. If only spring sowing is possible, sow from March to May and expect heads from June or July.
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Prepare a lean, well-drained seedbed in full sun. Do not add compost, fertiliser or manure. If the soil is very heavy, work in sharp sand or fine grit. The poorer and freer-draining the soil, the better the results. Rake to a fine tilth.
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Scatter seed thinly and cover with 2–5mm of fine soil or grit. Unlike surface-sown annuals, grass seeds benefit from a light covering. Water gently with a fine rose. Germination takes 10–21 days.
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Thin to 20cm spacing once seedlings are established. Bunny Tails grown in drifts of twenty or more plants produces the most charming visual effect — a gentle sea of nodding fuzzy heads. Thin promptly; overcrowded plants produce fewer heads.
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For indoor sowing (February to April), use modules. Surface sow with a fine 2–3mm covering of grit or vermiculite. Keep at 15–20°C. Pot on when roots emerge from the module base — use gritty, low-nutrient compost. Transplant carefully in late April or May, spacing 20cm apart in a lean, sunny position.
Growing On Tips
Starve for Best Heads
The single most important care tip: do not feed, do not improve soil, do not mulch with compost. Rich growing conditions produce leafy, green plants with sparse or absent seedheads. Poor, dry, gritty soil produces the compact plants with abundant fluffy heads that are the whole point of growing this grass. Neglect is actively beneficial.
Full Sun
Full sun is required — not just for performance but for the characteristic pale, warm colouration of the seedheads. In shade, plants become drawn and produce fewer, smaller heads. A south or west-facing position in the most sun-drenched part of the garden produces the finest display.
Drought Tolerant
Once established from their coastal Mediterranean origins, Bunny Tails tolerate considerable drought without stress. Water young seedlings for the first two to three weeks; thereafter established plants rarely need supplementary irrigation in a normal UK summer. In containers, allow the compost to dry almost completely between waterings.
Children Love Them
Bunny Tails are possibly the most child-friendly plant in the cutting garden — the fluffy, soft, undeniably rabbit-tail-shaped heads are irresistible to small hands. Grow them along a path edge or border front where they can be easily touched and enjoyed. They are non-toxic and entirely safe. Making a "bouquet" from Bunny Tails heads is an excellent project for young gardeners.
Drying for Winter
Cut stems on a dry day when heads are fully formed but still predominantly pale green to cream. Handle gently — rough handling dislodges the fine silky hairs. Hang in small bunches upside down in a dark, dry, well-ventilated space for two to three weeks. The dried heads retain their softness indefinitely and can be stored in a dry container or used directly in arrangements.
Self-Seeding
In suitable conditions — sunny, well-drained, relatively undisturbed — Bunny Tails self-seeds freely and can return year after year with minimal re-sowing. Allow some heads to ripen and shed seed in late summer. Seedlings appear in autumn and provide the strongest, earliest-flowering plants the following year, essentially replicating the benefits of a deliberate autumn sowing.
Common Problems & How to Fix Them
| Problem | Likely Cause | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Few or no fluffy heads | Soil too rich, too fertile, or too wet | This is the most common Bunny Tails problem and has a single cause: too much nutrition. Move to a leaner position, grow in containers with gritty compost, and eliminate all feeding. The contrast in results between plants in rich and poor soil is dramatic — rich soil plants may produce almost no seedheads at all. |
| Plants sprawling or floppy | Rich soil producing excessive leafy growth | Again, too much nutrition. Lean soil produces compact, self-supporting plants. Rich soil produces tall, lush plants that cannot support themselves. No amount of support fixes this — only moving to leaner conditions. |
| Heads shattering when dried | Cut too late, when fully ripe | Harvest for drying when heads are newly formed and still green-white to cream, before they ripen to caramel. Over-mature heads shed seeds easily when handled. Cut at the green-to-cream stage for the most structurally sound dried heads. |
| Poor germination | Seed covered too deeply, or too cold | Cover with only 2–5mm of soil or grit — deeper burial significantly reduces germination rates. Ensure adequate warmth (15–20°C for indoor sowing; wait for soil to warm to 10°C for outdoor sowing). Fresh seed germinates reliably; old seed is unreliable. |
When to Expect Flowers
Bunny Tails is a cool-season annual — from an autumn sowing, the fluffy heads appear from May and are at their most abundant in June and July, before the heat of summer triggers the plant to set seed and decline. Spring-sown plants produce heads from June or July. The green fresh stage is from May to July; the warm caramel dried stage from July to August. After the heads ripen fully, the plants complete their cycle — which is when the self-seeded seedlings, if allowed, begin establishing for the following year's crop.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
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| 🍂 Autumn Sow |
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| 🌿 Spring Sow |
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| 🐇 Green Heads |
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| 🍪 Caramel Stage |
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Plant Specifications
The softest, most irresistible plant in the cutting garden
Bunny Tails is one of those plants that people encounter and immediately want to grow themselves — the fluffy, impossibly soft heads are captivating in a way that photographs barely capture and that handling confirms completely. Grow them in the poorest, driest, sunniest spot you can find (the key), sow in autumn for the finest plants, and harvest while still green for drying that lasts indefinitely. One of the easiest, most rewarding, and most joyful plants in this entire range — and the first plant in the garden that children understand completely.
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