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Cobb County Extension Service
email: uge1067@.uga.edu
By Michele Browne
Horticulture Program Assistant
Miscanthus contrasted nicely
with the purple of barberry
One of the truly new trends in landscaping in the past five years has been the use of ornamental grasses. Once considered exotic and hard to obtain, ornamental grasses have now found wide use in commercial plantings and are more readily available to the home-owner. Don’t miss out on what landscape designers have all learned: ornamental grasses are beautiful, easy to grow, and carefree. One of the best and easiest to find is maiden grass. Sometimes called Japanese silver grass, eulalia, or just simply miscanthus, this grass by any name can make a major statement in your home landscape. If you have never planted ornamental grass, miscanthus is a great place to start. John Greenlee in his book The Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses calls maiden grass “the royalty of the grass kingdom.” When you come to know the variety and beauty of this genus you will easily see why.
Ornamental grasses are a year round landscape plant, offering their best display from late summer into winter. In late summer they attain their full growth and create a stunning display with early morning or evening light highlighting the foliage as it is stirred by the passing breezes. Depending on variety, from mid summer into fall they produce a crop of very eye-catching seed heads (sometimes referred to as flowers) in beautiful colors such as silver, cream, gold and copper. Even in winter, the dried seed heads add texture and interest to a sparse landscape. Sound is another added dimension not to be overlooked. The gentle rustling of a wind-stirred grass has often been likened to the sensual sound of a satin petticoat (for those of us who still remember petticoats!)
Culture: Maiden grasses are easy to grow and maintain and have few if any pests. Their one requirement is adequate sunlight. For most varieties that means full sun (minimum of 6-8 hours per day). Some will tolerate more shade, but can become leggy and flop. The best time to purchase and plant maiden grass is in early spring as the growth season starts and when the nurseries have the best selection. Most maiden grasses like a moist rich soil; some are even happy growing in water at a pond or stream edge. Given time to establish most are quite drought tolerant and will tolerate Zone 6 winter conditions with ease. (Metro Atlanta varies from Zone 7a to 7b. Zone 6 is north of us). The varieties narrower-leaved varieties appear to handle drought and heat the best.
Featured here are seven of the most common varieties of maiden grass and their various characteristics. There are many other beautiful cultivars with more being produced by the horticulture industry on a regular basis. Enjoy these and see what others you can find to experiment with:
|
Common Name |
Scientific Name |
Average Height |
Description* |
Bloom* |
|
Cabaret Maiden Grass |
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Cabaret’ |
6 feet |
Wide, ribbonlike foliage with milky white, linear-striped centers. |
Copper-colored flowers in mid-September fluff and fade to cream. |
|
Gracillimus Maiden Grass |
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’ |
5-6 feet |
Narrow, silver, midribbed leaves ¼ to ½ inch wide. Form stiffly erect clumps of foliage. Fall color varies depending on climate. |
Copper-colored flowers in late September rising 1 to 1 ½ ft. above the foliage. Mature to silver. |
|
Morning Light Maiden Grass |
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ |
4-5 feet |
Similar to Gracillimus except foliage arches and has narrow band of clear white on the leaf margins. Considered one of the finest cultivars of recent introductions. |
Emerge reddish bronze and dry to a fluffy cream. 1-2 feet above foliage. Emerge late, usually in October. |
|
Flame Grass; Purple Silver Grass |
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Purpurascens’ |
3-4 feet |
¼ to ½ inch wide leaves form tight upright clumps. Medium green foliage has reddish tint turning to dazzling red-orange in fall. |
Flowers emerge in July and August as showy silvery plumes 1-2 feet above foliage. |
|
Silver Feather Maiden Grass |
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberfeder’ |
5-6 feet |
Graceful, arching vase shape. Rich green foliage with attractive silver mid-rib. An older, European selection – still one of the finest. |
Silky, silvery foliage emerges in August. Flower born 2-3 feet above foliage providing distinct separation. |
|
Porcupine Grass/ Zebra Grass |
Miscanthus sinensis var. strictus/ Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’ |
Porcupine 4-6 feet/ Zebra 5-6 feet |
Both grasses have very distinctive yellow horizontal bands. Porcupine is upright vase-shaped; Zebra arches over. |
Copper to pinkish copper blooms 1-2 feet above foliage in September. |
|
Variegated Japanese Silver Grass |
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ |
4-6 feet tall |
Leaves ¼ to ¾ inch wide distinctively white striped. Available since 1900 and still popular today. Will tolerate a fair amount of shade. Loose flopping clumps may need staking. |
Flowers rise 2 feet above foliage in August. |
*Taken from The Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses by John Greenlee and Derek Fell, 2000.
The University of Georgia and Ft. Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and counties of the state cooperating. The Cooperative Extension Service offers educational programs, assistance and materials to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability.