Interestingly, Javara ichu produces even fewer web links on a search than Stipa ichu. No visiting camelids here to take care of unwanted seedlings :-)

I'm not sure anyone should be overly concerned about the name change :-)) Taxonomists are forever going about reclassifying various genera - asters are no longer properly called "asters" any more and one type of conifer has gone through multiple name changes over the last 10 years and for the life of me I can't remember which version is which currently!! And it usually takes years for the nursery industry to get on board with these changes, if they ever do.

But it is helpful to know what the currently accepted botanical name is as often the online and/or 'official' sources will refer to it by the new, correct name.

Hello!!

PLEASE, please help me find stipa ichu - I've looked everywhere and would love the nursery name so I could have it shipped to California!!

Do you think it would survive in the shade or partial shade I know it won't love it but help it would survive as some that would be there

Thank you very much in advance form at help

I bought my Stipa ichu at our local nursery, Ladera Garden Center in Portola Valley, CA. I'm quite sure they don't do mail order, but I suppose you could try to persuade Juan, the owner, who is a very nice guy, but also very busy.

I did write to Jude at Santa Rosa Gardens suggesting they sell this grass, precisely because no one else seems to be selling it mail order. Maybe a request to them will prove more productive?

Thank you for replying. And trying ! I'll look up numbers and ask. Anyone else can let me know too. Thank you!

The honeymoon is over already with Stipa ichu. It is very floppy for me. I don't know whether to blame my culture or the plant. I've been using it as a specimen. Perhaps it is better suited to mass planting.

I will revive this thread in order to mention my disappointment in this Grass. I'm not sure if my disappointment is related to a culture problem, a maintenance problem or it is natural to the plant, but it is a messy affair for me with all plants leaning or flopping in different directions.

Theyve been evergreen for me so I haven't thought to cut them back. I wish I could find out whether they are classed as a warm season Grass or a cool season Grass. If cool season, this would be the perfect time to cut them back.

Here's what they look like now. I've just moved them. This is their last stop. If they don't imrove, they're gone. I will give them a good chance by cutting them back to see what happens.

Some close ups

Any suggestions? I'm thinking a haircut will definitely improve things.

It's a cool season grass. And the appearance of yours seems to match those I've seen in any references........most of what used to be classified as Stipa tend to be rather floppy in habit.

Thanks gardengal, that's very helpful to know. And I've just cut all five of them back and hope they will soon look better.

I have long since abandoned the floppy and unpleasantly invasive Stipa teniussima. This one somewhat reminds me of it, though I haven't found it unpleasantly invasive at all.

i also grow the renamed Stipa arundinacea and Stipa gigantea and don't find either of them unruly or floppy, in fact quite the opposite. But, now that I think of it, I also grow Stipa pulchra and it's a bit floppy if I don't cut it back.

How much sun dies its get in its spot. The Stipa tennuis needs a lot of sun not the lodge. I need to cut mine back.

In its new spot, it gets about a half day or more of full sun. In the site I've just moved it from, a raised bed, it got nearly all day sun, good soil and regular water. It'll have to contend with some tougher clay soil and much less water now.

The less water might be good.

I've thought about that too, and I agree, less water might be good. I'm willing to bet annual cutting will Improve its appearance. The grass stems/blades are very fine, but they are also surprisingly heavy and I think that is contributing to the floppiness.

And worse soil. Many of these northern mexican, arizona to texas grasses thrive in cr@p lean soil. The good stuff makes it go to sleep after too many nutrients

@ echolane. Thank you, I have germination from the seeds that you sent. They germinated easily. Now to keep them alive through a hot and they say dry summer. I have many in 2 4inch pots. Thank you again. .... I am repeating myself.

Did you send another grass seed also? I seem to have two different seed pods. I got germination of it too but I don't know what it is. I will grow them anyway. I always like new stuff.

Nope. I only sent you those intact fronds, at least that’s all I remember sending. If some other seeds crept in there, though really I don’t know how that’d be possible, they’d probably be Fescue rubra.

PS. What have “they” done to these garden forums?? It’s now a very tedious roundabout process to be able to respond to a notification of a response to a thread....grrrr.....

It seems the same as always on this end. I probably picked up those seeds from a swap. I am always forgetting to label when things come unlabeled.

mine remain upright by themselves quite nicely. i grow them in sandy gravelly soil, with minimal irrigation here in portland (which means they get little to no water for 1/3 of the year). they seem to like getting divided every 2 years or so. or you can do the trick where you pull out all the dead central mass and fill it with soil. i do cut out all strawed out material every spring, they seem to be semi evergreen here till they get older then they seem to go to straw in the late summer/early fall after flowering. i've grown them for about 5 years now, they are a tad finicky, i started with 12 4" pots and have about 8 still going, some better than others, ready to divide some.

How hot does it get where you are, and how do they take the heat. Is it a constant hot temperature. I have about 30 4" pots ready to plant in fall. I have enough to experiment with. The small pots seem to be taking the heat and dappled light al right , but they will probably flop grown like this. We are suffering another 104º day today. At least it isn't 110º. Either way, the ground evaporation rate is off the scale and our lows are around 78º so we miss out on the cool desert nights. Hummidity without the rain. LOL. God knows where that humidity is coming from. It sure isn't the ground since we haven't seen that in awhile.

i am in the urban heat island area of portland, so decently hot in summer. and not too cool at night. 80/90s with occasional 100 days, nights high 50's low 60's.

We won't see low 60's at night till October. Sounds absolutely frigid right now. LOL.. Texas is a heat island.

nice wildfire sunset tonite, so just snapped a photo:

and here is a great combo, with Eryngium giganteum (you can see them at the feet of the ichu in that pic above)

Nice photo! I am growing some Eryngium yuccifolia from seed also, Hmmmmm.

stipa ichu in the morning, assist from wildfire smoke.