Toetoe
A large, robust native tussock grass with tall, feathery cream-golden plumes rising above the foliage from late summer into autumn - reaching up to 3-4m at flowering, so it needs space away from paths. Often confused with the weedy exotic pampas grass, but toetoe plumes droop more softly and it's a genuinely low-maintenance, hardy nationwide choice for a native border or bank planting.
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- moderate
- Spacing
- 200cm
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
- Mature height
- 3m
- Flowering season
- Jan, Feb, Mar
- Attracts wildlife
- Silvereye/tauhou
- Evergreen
- Yes
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: March-April and September-November. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: September-November.
Growing stages
Planting & establishmentFirst few months
- Allow plenty of space away from paths - flowering stems can reach 3-4m
- Full sun brings out the best plume display
Early growthFirst 1-2 years
- Tussock foliage builds up steadily before flowering stems appear
- Hardy nationwide and low-maintenance from early on
FloweringJanuary-March (February-March further south)
- Tall, feathery cream-golden plumes rise above the foliage from late summer into autumn
- Plumes droop more softly than the weedy exotic pampas grass it's often confused with - a useful way to tell them apart
- Silvereye/tauhou feed on the seed within the plumes and will pull at the fluffy seed heads for nesting material
Maturity
- Established clumps are genuinely low-maintenance and hardy nationwide
- Check that any self-seeded nearby plants are toetoe and not the weedy pampas grass it's often confused with