Eragrostis curvula

Eragrostis curvula is a medium-sized grass that is also known as Love Grass. Its dense vegetation is composed of thread-like foliage. Green in summer, taking on shades of bronze or yellow in autumn, it displays a misty flowering in summer with very fine, dark green and gracefully curved spikelets. It is a perennial that is easy to grow, undemanding about the nature of the soil and resistant to drought once well established. It is ideal for stabilizing slopes or forming elegant groundcover. Seductive and wild, it fits in with gardens of all styles, integrating into hedgerows or standing proudly on patios in large pots. Just plant it in the sun, in ordinary soil.

Eragrostis curvula is a perennial plant in the Poaceae family, native to southern Africa, where it can be found on grassy slopes and open habitats. It can be found in forests, meadows and on very acidic or very poor soils. Most often a perennial, it can sometimes behave as an annual in cold climates, and its appearance varies greatly in nature depending on its habitat. It can reach impressive dimensions, up to 1.90 m (6ft) in height. In our climates, it is a hardy perennial that can withstand temperatures down to -12/-15°C (10.4/5°F), forming thick and deep roots from which a tuft of deciduous foliage emerges, reaching 60 cm (24in) in height, 80 cm (32in) in flower, and spreading 80 cm (32in) to 1 m (3ft). The leaves are very thin and very long (up to 60 cm (24in)), with sometimes curled edges. They are arching and often laid down on the ground like long green hair. The plant takes on beautiful autumnal bronze and golden hues. The inflorescences appear in July-August, in the form of branched panicles bearing 1 cm (0.5in) long spikelets arranged in a heart shape. Each spikelet can contain up to 15 flowers. The plant is capable of reproducing by producing seeds without fertilization.

Love Grass has great vigour and is of true ornamental value; it deserves a bit of space to express its full potential. It can be used to create mass planting at the edge of a garden or to stabilize the soil on a slope or embankment. In windy regions, it can be planted en masse to admire the large waves formed by its constantly changing undulations. Take advantage of its laid-back habit by displaying it on a slightly raised area, like a large rock garden, combined with the autumn blooms of asters (Aster laevis Calliope, Aster turbinellus, Aster cordifolius) or sunflowers (Helianthus maximiliani, Helianthus salicifolius, Helianthus atrorubens...). It pairs well with perovskias and Stipa arundinacea, autumn daisies, Japanese anemones, and perennial chrysanthemums. In winter, the sight of its foliage covered in frost is enchanting.

This grass is valuable as a forage for livestock in Africa. Its massive root system allows for effective erosion control. This species readily hybridises with other Eragrostis species.