Miscanthus in winter
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’
How can it have taken me so long to add this ornamental grass to my garden? I planted my first miscanthus just last winter (‘Yaku Jima’) and quickly added this ‘Adagio’ as well. I loved its bright green, fine-leaf texture in the summer; its unfurling, tawny inflorescense in the fall, and now…
…these wire-like leaves, bright copper with pink undertones, and the spiraling seedheads! I have to admit this Chinese native beats the native-Texas grasses hands down. Not that I don’t love them too, particularly Mexican feathergrass (Stipa tenuissima ) and Gulf muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris ). But they shine best in one or two seasons, not year-round like the miscanthus, at least not in my garden.
Here’s how it looked in the rain yesterday—so bright and just lovely. I know this exotic grass has been declared a noxious weed in some parts of the U.S.—though not in Texas—but, oh, how I love it. I hope it never outwears its welcome here.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Pam: Gorgeous! I am going to get some of those! More for the list! Will it ever end? Hope not! Great pictures and I still love those Mexican Beach stones around your jar. Such texture!
Thanks, Layanee. ‘Adagio’ really is a wonderful addition. I hope you find one for your garden. And thanks for your nice words about the beach stones. I have been feeling some guilt about them after reading Stuart’s latest. But as they’re here now, I’ll be keeping them. —Pam
‘Adagio’ is my hands-down favorite of all of my ornamental grasses. Recently I’ve tried to find another pot of it at Barton Springs Nursery and the Natural Gardener, but they’re both out. I snagged a dwarf version of ‘Adagio’ at BSN instead, so we’ll see how that compares.
How big does the dwarf variety get, Lori? Even the regular ‘Adagio’ is pretty compact, which is great for a small garden like mine. —Pam
Such a lovely color to enliven the winter garden. I have the old stand by M. Morning Light, but it is rather large. Yours look to be a smaller, more compatible size to have among other garden plants. I have been looking for Adagio around here, but no luck.
‘Adagio’ is a good size for a small garden, Frances. The foliage on mine is about 2 1/2 feet tall, and the inflorescences stand four feet tall. The whole plant is about 3 feet wide. —Pam
Pam, I do love seeing and hearing the grasses during winter. This one is spectacular.
I must say I drool every time I see your stone walkways. Sigh~~~ I need to purchase a lottery ticket
this weekend. 🙂
Thank you, Lisa. I love having the stone walk. It was a splurge when we first moved in and I began turning the front yard into a garden. Unfortunately, it wasn’t crafted as well as it should have been, and the mortar is crumbling, but it’s holding up. —Pam
Oh, these are so gorgeous…I have miscanthus, but they aren’t these cultivars, and they don’t look like this right now…(they’re covered in snow, and now, incredibly, being rained on–yes, only a few hours after we were in the fro-zone…) And you say that Miscanthus are invasive in some areas of the south? I’m with you–hopefully never in your area. They’re what winter interest is all about.
Here in Austin we enjoy lots of green winter interest. So the copper leaves of the miscanthus really stand out. —Pam
That really is a very pretty Miscanthus, Pam. I love the shade of color and how it flows right up and out of the ground.
So do I. Thanks for your comment, Kylee. —Pam
Your Miscanthus(es?) are so beautiful. That 1st photo is such a great composition! I’ve also tried to stick to the native grasses (here prairie grasses), but I am so tempted by Miscanthus, I think this may be the year I take the leap.
It seems to me that the prairie grasses work better en masse, while the miscanthus works great as a solo accent. Which means that native grasses may be trickier to use in a small, urban garden. Though I do still try, with varying degrees of success. —Pam
I really like your garden Pam, just in my taste.
I like Miscanthus to there are nice whole year.What a nice burdhouse you have,I love when you mix plants whith dekorations like pots and things in wood, I try to do so also, its more to look at and it makes a vareation in the garden that I like.
Ken
Why, thank you, Ken. I’m just discovering the delights of miscanthus. It’s wonderful that gardeners in such wildly various climates can grow one variety or another. Thanks for your nice words about my garden decor too! —Pam
I never learn that we have difrent times 😉
I wrote to you in the early morning and youansver at the evening.
Ken
I love Miscanthus, yours looks so much prettier than mine. It still has a beautiful color and the shape is still very pretty. Mine is looking washed out and has been beaten down by wind and snow. Maybe when they are more mature, they’ll be stronger and hold up better during the winter.
Well, your winters are much tougher on grasses than mine. We get the rare ice storm and a little snow only every 7 years or so. However, even bent under snow, ornamental grasses are beautiful, aren’t they? —Pam
Pam-
Thanks for those stunning photos. I can never get enough of ornamental grasses….in late fall and throughout most of the winter on the east coast, they are the stars of the garden (as far as I’m concerned). Seeing them in a southern garden this time of year offers a different perspective….and it is beautiful indeed! Fran
I remember how beautiful the grasses in your fall garden looked, Fran. I bet winter is just as good. Though my winter garden has many evergreens that keep it from looking bleak, the grasses add lovely color and texture, and I wouldn’t do without them. —Pam
I went looking for the tag from the dwarf Adagio, and I can’t find it in the jumbled mess inside my garden shed. I’ll keep an eye out for it the next time I’m at BSN. The grass is about a foot high, not counting the inflorescense, while my year-old Adagio is over twice that size.
Cute! I’m trying another small grass this year—Ruby Crystals. I forget the botanical name, but it’s very compact also. —Pam