Plant Inventory at 20 Timothy : Grasses

Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrina'

Panicum virgatum 'Northwind'

Miscanthus 'Zebrina' is big and floppy, but it works at the corner near the garage. It has horizontal bands of gold on its leaves, an interesting stripey effect. It looks good in summer and fall, with beautiful wispy flowers.

In winter it gets beaten down with snow, especially as snow from the driveway piles on it, so I cut it back in fall.

A small line of three 'Northwind' panicums are at the back of the garden under the maple tree. I leave those standing all winter, they hold up to snow pretty well.

'Northwind' in winter, January 2011

'Zebrina' 11/1/12

I have to admit I have a love hate feeling about the big grasses. They can be beautiful used in mixed plantings, but they are messy and hard to clean up in winter.

This is why I love grasses

There were two 'Zebrina' miscanthus plants side by side by the driveway but in 2014 one completely died, and the rootball came up easily. The other was half dead in May, but the plant did send up shoots all around the dead crown, and it looked decent all summer, but smaller than in previous years.

5/31/14 'Zebrina' dying out in the middle

Even at a smaller size, with half the plant gone, it is a big clump of grass. It looked fine all year, set lovely seedheads in fall and turned beautifully tawny.

11/23/14 'Zebrina' looking as full as ever

The Panicum 'Northwind' grasses make a nice neutral screen, not very big, all summer. It's such a tidy, upright, nice plant and looks good with red winterberries in fall.