Miscanthus, Miscanthus...everywhere Miscanthus

Some people have been talking about my grasses, so I thought I would post all the miscanthus I have.

I don't know the botanical names of all of them and I won't attempt to list them here...but I'll give you brief descriptions if I know the common name.

This is a large miscanthus, possibly 'silverfeather'? It gets about 8 - 9 feet tall when in bloom, with wide blades.

And I added these and more pictures to a new gallery here: http://www.pbase.com/kygarden/grass
The photos will be larger and look better if you visit that gallery. Photos taken today.

This message was edited Jul 28, 2004 6:13 PM

I believe this one is gracillimus. About 8 feet tall with very thin blades.

Another gracillimus, smaller than the other. Variegated, but hard to see in this picture.

Porcupine. One of my favorites. About 7 feet tall in bloom. Variegated.

Same as above, but dwarf. Gets about 3 to 4 feet tall in bloom.

This one is sort of like silverfeather...but it's variegated. Wide blades. About 6 to 7 feet in bloom.

This is similar to the one above, but the variagation is different. I haven't had this one but maybe a year or so. It's still getting established.

And of course we have the miscanthus giganteus. A true monster. I use the bamboo-like stalks for plant supports (whack the stalks down in winter and save them). Gets about 12 to 13 feet tall in bloom. You don't wanna try to dig this baby up after it's established :) Way too big.

And finally, this is very dwarf. Looks like a gracillimus. Gets only about 2 feet tall, but 3 or so with blooms. If you didn't know any better, you'd think there was something wrong with it because it's so small :)

Wonderful grasses! I hope to have some in my next home.

Oh this is great! Picture id's! That last dwarf - looks like a gracillimus is at the entrance way of my dentist's office. VERY pretty.

Thanks Darius :)

And yes, that's a nice dwarf. I'm a little shocked at how dwarf it really is. It's just like it's big brother, but on a MUCH smaller scale. It's almost like a fountain grass than a maiden grass.

Beautiful Do you ever trade seeds from them?? If so I would be interested.

I don't think I've ever collected seeds from the grasses other than the black fountain grass, which is easy to tell when the seeds are ready. I've never collected the miscanthus seed. It's hard for me to tell where the seeds are.

This is always a fun picture...I can't believe how tall this stuff gets in zone 6. That's a couple clumps of giant miscanthus behind me (photo taken Oct 2003). The old-timers here have probably already seen this picture.

http://www.pbase.com/image/31936829/large

Wow those are very large clumps. I like the seperation between the two. I'm assuming there are two plants there?

Two clumps, yes. I've resorted to mowing over these two clumps because they were way too massive to try to move. The roots are extremely tough...I mean, I have a VERY hard time cutting through them with a shovel.
I have 2 more clumps in the 'grass garden' and I can let them grow where they are. There was no moving the two in that link I gave...way too much work.

So they are permanent fixtures....GOOD! :-)

Yes...and I'm serious. Don't make the mistake I did. This is one of the toughest plants I've ever had to move (small trees and shrubs included)! I'll never move it again if I can get away with it.

This is a picture of a very small clump. Hard to see, but the shoots underground are like bamboo...and it's as tough as bamboo to cut though.

I am jealous!!! Very jealous!! If I could, I would plant 1/2 acre of just grasses. Right now I have many Karl Foester in my garden areas just because they do so well. I paid big bucks for some miscanthus (don't recall the variety) and they died after three years.

I am retired now and on a fixed (almost) income and can't afford too many bad choices to buy.

Can you give me some ideas of grasses willing to grow in my zone? I would rather hear from people who grow them than the nurseries, if possible.

Edited for correction.

This message was edited Jul 31, 2004 8:44 AM

Fantastic picture there HC... We love the grasses... And the way the rustle with the slightest breeze...

BlngsBell - Most of what I have 'should' grow fine in your area. Most miscanthus are rated to zone 5. You should be ok with most panicum as well.

I thank you for your input, HC....I tried a Pampas grass rated for Zone 5 with good mulching for winter. It was beautiful for three years and then it died too. As everything breathing becomes my 'baby", when I loose a plant as beautiful as the grasses are, I just mourn for them.

Could you give me some advice on keeping them longer than 3 years? Any info is very welcome.

You should be able to keep miscanthus and panicum forever! Once established they don't need a ton of water. Pampas grass...run for your life! lol I tried that here even though I knew it wasn't officially hardy and it barely survived one winter and died the next. I don't have any sympathy for weak plants my garden...lol Either they grow and thrive or they get the business end of my shovel :)

LOL Business end of the shovel! The horror! :-O

OK HC, I know I need to get a tougher attitude. I just can't seem to help myself...especially when I spend good money for something....as Fonzi use to say, "Do you get my drift?" LOL

I went to the plant data base I find that there are lots of things I can have including that gargantuan grass you have.

I will have to find a nursery around here that will order them in for me. I have a friend that orders for a nursery and said if I want something she will order it as long as I put money down. Maybe this is the year I do that.

Most of what I have is very common. Rarely do I order anything. Most of it comes from Lowes, Home Depot, Frank's Nursery & Crafts and Natorps. A couple of those are somewhat local businesses. If you visit garden centers often enough, you'll see they get unusual plants in occasionally. A lot of the less common plants I have also came from local stores. I guess they don't order a lot of it because most of their shoppers are weekend gardeners...the occasional types. Get their hands dirty long enough to impress their neighbors with their digging skills and so on and that's it for another 2 or 3 months...lol

Hczone6 - great pics! I am a fellow grass lover and have several varieties in my yard as well. One of favorites is Miscanthus 'Sara bande' which is a smaller one. It is SO easy to divide and move. I bought one plant last year and now have it in 4 places in my garden. It doesn't get too tall and is already blooming here in NC! I also grew some Prarie Switchgrass from seed that has turned our gorgeous and looks great in arrangements! I agree with your attitude on plants, I don't hesitate to remove anything weak! I don't have time to coddle plants that need extra attention just to live in my area. Blngsbell I would be glad to send you a couple of Miscanthus once it cools off down here! Eventually I will get my seeds/plants listed here but I just joined a couple of weeks ago and I have a 2 yr old - nuff said!!!

hczone6...You live in an area that is largely populated....I live near the largest city in Montana which is only maybe 90,000 counting the outlying areas. Our local Lowes and Home Depot are limiting what they bring in, especially in grasses. You can find all the petunias you want but grasses, not much.

Our locally home-owned nurseries do a wonderful job of bringing in what people want if you ask them before ordering. Special orders outside of their normal ordering times get a litte pricey. I am lucky to have this friend...and I better get my choices picked soon as she will be doing next spring's ordering very soon now.

NCGA..Thank you for your offer. I have only been around a couple of weeks myself and don't know much about trading and some of the abbreviations they use around here. I signed on here a couple of years ago but didn't get in here much. Now I am addicted to this place.

We are still capable of some 100F weather here ourselves so the heat will be around for a while. I will anxiously be looking at your lists when you can capture up that 2 yr old long enough to put them here. Ahhhh I remember that 2 yr old stage well....LOL

BTW.....I really got tough and took out some plants I didn't really like and some that were getting old and ugly for more room....I am trying to be a 'tough' gardener.LOL

lol...I DO coddle some plants...it just has to be something special something I know will make it on it's own eventually. I was hesitent to remove any plants from my beds, so eventually the stronger plants won over and began crowding the others. So I've taken a much tougher stance on who stays and who goes lately. It gets to be a mess if I don't.