Quaking Grass (Briza media) - Native Meadow Grass with Dancing Seed-Hearts (Peat-Free, Pesticide-Free) Super Plugs & 9cm Pots

One of Britain’s most charming native grasses, Quaking Grass (or Briza media) earns its name from the way its heart-shaped seedheads tremble and shimmer in the lightest wind - as though the meadow itself were quietly breathing.

Through late spring and summer, fine stems rise above low tufts of green, each carrying a cluster of delicate, papery seed “hearts” that catch the sun by day and glint silver in the evening light. Beloved by gardeners and meadow-makers alike, it adds texture, sound, and movement wherever it’s planted.

Where it thrives

• Light: Full sun or very light shade

• Soil: Free-draining, moderately fertile; tolerates poor, chalky or sandy soils

• Setting: Wildflower meadows, wildlife lawns, gravel gardens, borders, and naturalised plantings

Planting & Care
Plant super-plugs 20-30 cm apart in open soil, ideally among wildflowers like oxeye daisy, red clover, or knapweed. Water well to establish, then let nature take the lead. Cut or scythe once in late summer after the seedheads have ripened — they’ll often self-sow gently for next year’s display.

Wildlife Value
The airy heads provide food for seed-eating birds such as finches, while the base offers shelter for ground insects. It’s a quiet cornerstone in the meadow ecosystem - understated but essential.

A note of history & folklore
In old meadow folklore, Quaking Grass was sometimes called “Trembling Jockies” or “Wigwams”, and children would gather the rattling seedheads to play with or weave into straw chains. Its trembling was said to reveal the presence of fairies moving unseen through the grass - proof, perhaps, that the smallest movements hold the most magic.

Joel says…
“Every garden needs a bit of movement, and Quaking Grass does it better than any ornamental you can buy. Let it sway between the wildflowers and you’ll see why stillness isn’t always the goal.”