Eriophorum – Cotton Grass
| There are many different species of Cotton Grass or Eriophorum, but only two that are routinely cultivated. These are vigorous, frost-hardy, grass-like plants that grow in, from wet soil, up to about 15cm of water. The only constraint upon their growth is brought about by alkaline conditions. The soil that it is proposed to grow Cotton Grass in must be guaranteed to be acid or neutral. They must have acid conditions in order to prosper. Even when using a proprietary aquatic planting compost it is prudent to incorporate a percentage of finely milled peat.
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 Eriophorum angustifolium
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Plant during spring and summer, the earlier in the season the better, so that the young plants become established quickly. Natural inhabitants of peat bogs and swamps throughout much of the northern hemisphere, Eriophorum species are plants for cool conditions, struggling with hot summer sun, even when there is plenty of water. The most widely cultivated species is Eriophorum angustifolium, a distinctive plant with dark green, wiry foliage amongst which cotton-wool-like flower heads are produced during early summer. If they are picked just as they open and then dried, they provide almost permanent indoor decoration for the floral artist. Eriophorum latifolium is a very similar plant, but with much broader grassy foliage. This produces flowers in a strong flush during early summer, and continues with a few scattered blossoms for much of the rest of the season. It is generally only available from an aquatic plant specialist.
While it is possible to raise Cotton Grass from seed, it is division that is the most usual means of propagation. Division is ideally undertaken during early spring, or immediately after the main flowering period if blossoming is to be uninterrupted. Do not make the divisions too small. Cotton Grass re-establishes much more quickly if up to a dozen grassy stems are grouped together. When dividing, replant two or three divisions to a container in a compost mix with some peat added to it.
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