Miscanthus sinensis ‘Graziella’ (Chinese Silver Grass or Maiden Grass)

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Graziella’ is an elegant deciduous grass from China and Japan. It has tall arching foliage, green with a white mid-rib, produced in explosive, vigorous puffs. Golden-pink flowers from late summer will bleach to silver in the winter. This grass can get to 150cm tall, and with a similar breadth.

As part of a designer’s palette, this one is essential for adding flurries of subtle movement and vertical drama. We use it in a variety of ways en-masse to create rolling expanses of soft architecture. It can also be planted as a feature and makes for an elegant stand-alone large specimen. Because of its height and spread, it’s a good choice for veiling parts of your garden rather than completely screening them or for defining areas of intrigue and focus. It’s particularly nice around a parterre or water feature where the swaying leaf blades will arch tremblingly to meet their reflection. Held clear above the plumes of swaying leaves, the abundant wisps of flowers last a long time, too. Emerging in August, rocketing skyward and producing a cloud-like corona of silver-white that hovers over the leaves, which in turn become coppery and mellow in autumn. A great combination as winter begins to creep into your garden, and other plants begin to fade.

Best grown in full sun out of the cold winds, in any moist but well drained soil. Cut back in late winter before the new growth emerges.

N.B. When clipping several plants with the same tool, have a bucket containing a 5% bleach solution and swish your blades around for 30 seconds between plants to sterilise them. This will help avoid the chance of cross contamination of disease.

As with all woody plants, plant high, exposing as much of the taper at the base of the trunk as possible. Allowing soil to accumulate round the base of a tree can be fatal. Keep very well watered when first planted.