Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’ (Porcupine Grass or Japanese Silver Grass)

All the Miscanthus grasses grow tall and narrow and ‘Strictus’ is no exception, reaching a lofty and wafty 4 metres in height. This grass is beautiful with new growth developing golden horizontal bands in summer. Tall and clump-forming with softly arching stems, they are properly hardy and perennial.

Come the autumn pink plumes of feathery flowers will be propelled into the sky to froth and flutter over the green and gold tufts and these last well into winter. Good near water, nodding around a pond to meet their reflections and soften edges.

Tall grasses are a dream for our designers here, and should feature in all gardens frankly. As part of our designer’s palette, they offer one of the trickiest things: impactful structure that also moves. Sometimes screening, sometimes revealing, grasses of this height offer you glimpses through and beyond their wafty curtains inviting your gaze to either soften and unfocus or sharpen and penetrate. Stands of Miscanthus which undulate across a sightline, or softly divide one space from another, bring with them an ethereal dimension to a garden design which is sort of mysterious and quite dreamy.

Essential, without a doubt.

Best grown in a south facing position in full sun. Happy in any type of well-drained soil.

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.