Miscanthus grasses

These are undoubtedly the monarchs of the ornamental grass world, not just because of their size, magnificence and long season, but also because the great variety they show, in size, colour and performance.

Miscanthus form majestic and graceful clumps of leaves, typically quite broad, with a very light stripe down the middle.  Their flowers, followed of course by very similar-looking seed heads, are in panicles, stems all bent in the same direction, and somewhat reminiscent of reeds.  When the wind blows, they all line up, and bend in unison to the same degree.  Their elegance has earned them a frequent place in traditional Japanese wood-block prints.

First – size.  It matters.  You do not want to overwhelm a small garden.  'Gold and Silver' and 'Kleine Fontäne' are around 1.5m tall, 'Silberfeder' and 'Septemberrot' are 2.4m.  There is a wide range between, with about 15 cultivars having been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.  The last two mentioned illustrate the two main colour tendencies amongst them, towards a silvery-grey on the one hand and dark brown-red on the other.  The silvery ones look particularly good in low autumn sunlight, as they capture the light, glowing against a darker background.

Miscanthus are plants from the Far East, where they flourish in wet summer climates.  They seem to flourish without that however, so long as there is always some moisture in the soil.  They appreciate reasonable fertility and sun, although they are slightly more tolerant of a little bit of shade than many grasses, and I once grew several well enough on a north facing slope.

Pictured:  'Gracillimus' is largely grown for its incredibly neat fountain of particularly fine leaves.  Flowering later than most, it is one of the most formal in appearance.