Silvergrasses
Botanical name: Miscanthus
Silvergrasses
Botanical name: Miscanthus
Description
Silvergrasses are a group of tall-growing, mostly temperate-climate grasses with silvery-green foliage and dramatic plumes. Their beauty and hardiness make them quite distinctive from other grasses and make for popular garden plants and houseplants. However, these species are also practical, being used for roof thatching, crafts, paper products, and biofuels. In Japan, silvergrasses is often symbolic of the early harvest season (roughly late summer through early fall).
Species of Silvergrasses
Chinese silver grass 'Flamingo'
Chinese silver grass 'Flamingo' is a stunning ornamental grass with variegated pink and white foliage. This grass is a popular choice for landscaping and is known for its ability to adapt well to different soil types and growing conditions. In addition to its visual appeal, chinese silver grass 'Flamingo' is also drought tolerant and attracts birds with its seed heads.
Chinese silver grass 'Gold Bar'
Overall, the chinese silver grass 'Gold Bar' has densely banded foliage, is upright, and a short cultivar that sets it apart from its parent plant. It was presumably named 'Gold Bar' due to the yellow bands on its leaf blade. Gardeners keep the chinese silver grass 'Gold Bar' for hedging and its prominent gold banding.
Chinese silver grass 'Ferner Osten'
Chinese silver grass 'Ferner Osten' are a group of tall-growing, mostly temperate-climate grasses with silvery-green foliage and dramatic plumes. Their beauty and hardiness make them quite distinctive from other grasses and make for popular garden plants and houseplants. However, these species are also practical, being used for roof thatching, crafts, paper products, and biofuels. In Japan, chinese silver grass 'Ferner Osten' is often symbolic of the early harvest season (roughly late summer through early fall).
Chinese silver grass 'Morning Light'
Chinese silver grass 'Morning Light' is a popular ornamental grass cultivar of Chinese silver grass. Bred to grow in a tighter, vase-shaped, club pattern, it stands out well in gardens. It also has small purplish flowers in summer. This cultivar was named for its characteristic silvery color, reminiscent of hazy morning light.
Amur silver grass
Amur silver grass (Miscanthus sacchariflorus) is a tall grass that grows via rhizomes into large clumps. Its growth is dense enough to use as a windbreak, or for shading in ornamental gardens. This plant isn't considered invasive but its dense growth can crowd out other species in its favored wet disturbed habitats.
Chinese silver grass 'Gracillimus'
Chinese silver grass 'Gracillimus' is a cultivar of Chinese silver grass that has a distinctive white stripe on each blade, and purple-tinged flowers. The parent species is a plain green color and doesn’t have the same purple flowers. This cultivar is called Gracillimus after the Italian phrase "Grazie Mille," or "thank you."
Chinese silver grass 'Zebrinus'
Chinese silver grass 'Zebrinus' is a Chinese silver grass hybrid also know as zebra-grass because of its unique striped yellow and dark green stems which have been carefully cultivated to differ from the plain green color of the parent plant. This is a versatile ornamental grass originating in East Asia. It’s popular with farmers because of its striking appearance and its resistance to disease and pests.
Chinese silver grass 'Malepartus'
Chinese silver grass 'Malepartus' is a cultivar of Chinese silver grass with a characteristic white line down the central stalk. This grass produces dark red- and brown-colored blooms, for which the cultivar is named. These differ from the light-colored blooms of its parent plant. These attractive flowers are particularly prized at sunset, when the diffuse light creates a spectacular glowing effect.
Chinese silver grass 'Cosmopolitan'
Chinese silver grass 'Cosmopolitan' is a cultivar of Chinese silver grass. Its arching green and white variegated leaves make this cultivar easy to differentiate from the original species. Compared to other varieties, chinese silver grass 'Cosmopolitan' has thicker leaves giving the plant a fuller appearance. It is specifically bred to be an ornamental garden plant.
Chinese silver grass 'Silberfeder'
Chinese silver grass 'Silberfeder' is a cultivar of Chinese silver grass whose name translates from German as ‘silver pen’ because Its stalks take on a distinctive, silvery hue, more marked than that of the parent plant. This tall, hardy ornamental grass grows to a height of 2.5 m.
Pacific island silvergrass
Pacific island silvergrass is a perennial whose stems are often used to make fences around houses. It can grow as high as 2.5 m to 3.5 m and is often used as an accent in larger landscapes. It attracts songbirds and is used as a drying rack for tobacco in the Philippines. It is also used as the outer walls on houses in Papua New Guinea.
Japanese silver grass
An award-winning plant commonly grown as an ornamental grass, it’s easy to spot japanese silver grass in the garden. Its upright growth habit and uniquely colored foliage set it apart from other plants in the genus.
Chinese silver grass
Chinese silver grass is a perennial grass that can grow 91 to 213 cm. It forms dense clumps from an underground rhizome. The chinese silver grass is grown mainly as an ornamental grass, with silvery leaves and flowers that vary in color based on the cultivar. Be careful where you plant this type of grass; in some zones it can become invasive.
Himalayan fairy grass
Himalayan fairy grass are a group of tall-growing, mostly temperate-climate grasses with silvery-green foliage and dramatic plumes. Their beauty and hardiness make them quite distinctive from other grasses and make for popular garden plants and houseplants. However, these species are also practical, being used for roof thatching, crafts, paper products, and biofuels. In Japan, himalayan fairy grass is often symbolic of the early harvest season (roughly late summer through early fall).
Scientific Classification
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