I believe this is Stipa gigantea. It is an evergreen grass from the Poaceae family. As the name suggests it is a ‘gigantic’ grass with its flower stems reaching up to 3m in height. With arching linear green leaves at the base with large erect panicles which ripen to gold. When mature, the panicles spread apart to make a wide fountain shape providing form, texture, and sound to the garden as the breeze flows through it. It is ideal for borders and beds, providing height and structure yet transparency to the garden beyond.

It comes into bloom in late May to early June. Tips of the inflorescence starts with a purple-green tinge, before fading to and oat-gold. By late July the seeds have fallen, however, the empty seed heads dry out providing interest and beauty all the way into early winter. Especially once the frost settles in.

Grow in moist but well-drained fertile soil in full sun to partial shade. Remove dead foliage and old flower stems in spring. To propagate, divide plants from late winter to early spring to create new plants or every few years to maintain vigour in your current plant and discard or give away the division. You may also propagate Stipa gigantea by seed, sowing collected seeds in pots and placing them into a cold frame in spring.

As you can see to the left, one of my images has been used as an autumn banner for Matt Bishop Gardens Ltd facebook account. I will be creating seasonal banners for them using the imagery I take while at work! I recently updated the company website,  here you can see some of the many services we offer: - General maintenance - Hedge & Topiary Care - Lawn Care - Pest and Herbicide application (PA1/PA6 Qualified) - Certified Waste disposal And many more.