Happy Urban Dirt

If you want your garden to be more attractive during the colder months, Have you ever thought about Sesleria autumnale? Do you know what plant we are talking about?

Learn more about this winter plant to make your garden sparkle with the silvery blooms it produces. Will we discover it?

What does autumn sesleria look like?

Source: Pinterest

Sesleria autumnalis is a grass also known as autumn heather grass. It is a grass that grows in groups in bushes, about 30 centimeters high. Depending on the climate, we can say that it is perennial or semi-perennial. Its leaves are stiff, green or blue-green, and can measure about 25 centimeters.. They form tufts that can produce different shades.

It comes from Italy and Albania, but is now distributed almost all over the world. In its natural habitat, it occurs in mountain forests.

Flowering usually occurs in tardy summer and early fall. For this purpose, it produces thorns that reach a height of 45 centimeters. (more than a plant), gray-white with heads that are pollinated over time. These golden heads (full of elongated seeds) are stored over the winter to be harvested at the end.

Sesleria autumna care

Source: Planting enthusiast

As you can see, this Sesleria autumnalis can be a good alternative for your garden during the colder months (or if you live in a mostly cool climate). But, Do you know how to take care of them? We start with the fact that it is very basic to maintain and care for. It does not cause problems with other plants and is not demanding in terms of needs.

But so that you have a guide to Sesleria autumnalis care, we leave it here:

location and temperature

The first thing you should know about Sesleria autumna is that it can be kept both in a pot and in the ground.. It is usually planted directly in the ground because it can make a handsome garden as a ground cover. But just know that you may have more control in a pot.

That said, Sesleria autumnalis is a plant that likes sultry weather (at least in its natural habitat), but adapts to everything. Of course it has to be abroad, because requires good lighting, even direct sunlightso that it is nourished. This does not mean that you cannot place it in partial shade or full shade, you can, but its growth and even flowering will be much smaller.

If you place the plant in full sun, you need to make sure it gets direct sunlight for at least six hours. On the other hand, if you place the plant in partial shade, you need to provide it with at least four hours of direct sunlight. If you live in an area with sturdy summer sun (temperatures above 40ºC), we recommend placing the plant in partial shade and exposing it to lightweight in the early morning or tardy afternoon.

When it comes to temperature, cool is probably its “sturdy side”, as it can withstand temperatures of -25ºC. On the other hand, it has some problems with heat, as the environment is too balmy, droughty, etc. If we do not take care of the rest of the care that the plant needs, it can prove fatal to it.

Subsoil

Sesleria autumnalis is not a very demanding plant in this respect. The truth is that it adapts to everything. But if you want to give it a substrate that really brings out the best in the plant, then We recommend looking for limestone soil.

In a pot, you can mix it with perlite or other drainage material to better oxygenate the soil. But in a garden, this may not be necessary.

This plant grows relatively slowly, so it may need to be replanted every four years or so. In fact, division is usually done in such a way as to remove recent plants.

Irrigation

We will not tell you that Sesleria autumnalis is a plant that requires a lot of watering. Because it is not. But we also cannot say that it tolerates droughts well when they last long. And the soil must be somewhat soggy.

It is drought tolerant, but you have to take into account that during the droughty season (spring and summer) it needs enough water to stay green. Otherwise, if you lack watering, the most normal thing is that you see its green color change to brown.

No, it won’t die, but you will lose its distinctive green color.

This is why, we recommend watering them 2-3 times a week in spring and summer. In winter, you won’t need to water as much, especially if it rains, and watering will be possible once a week.

Once it is established (after a few years) it is normal for it to be able to withstand more periods of drought. However, this is not the case with adolescent specimens.

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pruning

In spring, it is recommended to lightly trim the shoot, possibly just below the ground, to stimulate its growth and allow for stronger regrowth. It will also support you comb and rake dead leaves and flowers. or that they are dead and you remove any dirt that may have been on the plant.

In spring and summer the plant will grow again and become lush, only to bloom again in winter.

Multiplication

Autumn sesleria is a plant that can reproduce by seeds, which can be collected at the end of winter (and plant them in spring so that they grow well at that time and bloom for you in winter), or by dividing the bush.

The latter is usually done, especially when kept in a pot. If you have it in your garden, it is normal to let nature take its course. That is, it grows on its own.

As you see, Autumnal sesleria can be a good choice for your winter garden which will make it still look green with a very striking accent together with other plants. Do you dare to have it and take care of it?