horticulture

Form

* medium- to large-sized perennial ornamental grass
* dwarf cultivars are 3' tall, most cultivars range from 4' - 8' tall, and giant cultivars range from 9'-15' tall, while widths slowly expand with age, generally from 2' to 3' wide at the base and 3' to 6' wide at the apex
* upright broad-columnar to upright arching growth habit

Culture

* full sun to partial sun
* most Maiden Grass cultivars prefer full sun in occasionally moist to mostly dry, well-drained soils, but are very adaptable to harsh conditions once established, including poor soils, compacted soils, soils of various pH, and especially to heat and drought
* propagated primarily by crown division
* Grass Family, with virtually no disease or pest problems
* abundantly available in container form, featuring about 10 cultivars in common circulation from about 40 total
* allow the frost-killed portions to remain throughout the dormant season, as the buff-colored foliage, stalks, and fruiting heads have great Winter interest
* shear the dead portions back to 3" above the ground by mid- April (use gloves when handling the subtlely serrated foliage), to allow the new growth to emerge unhindered
* about every three to four years, propagate by division of the clump into several pieces in early Spring, after shearing the dead foliage away, and discard the center of the clump which has died
* when used as a privacy screen, remember that this function will disappear from the months of April through June, due to early Spring shearing of the dead foliage, and the height of the new foliage will not reach "screening proportions" until about July
* when sited near bodies of water, Miscanthus sinensis should not have its roots in the water table, as it does not tolerate wet or permanently moist soils; however, Miscanthus sacchariflorus, along with some other perennial grasses, do well at the water's edge or in the water

Foliage

* linear blades of foliage initially arise directly from the crowns, in an upright then arching habit, and later arise from the vertical stems in an alternate fashion, becoming shorter as they progress up the shaft
* depending upon the specific cultivar, the arching blades may range from 0.25" to 2" wide, and 3' to 5' long, sometimes with variegation on the medium-green foliage that is silver, white, cream, or yellow

Flowers

* inflorescences unfurl atop the central vertical stalks, and differ among the numerous cultivars in terms of their time of emergence (late July until frost), color (silver, gold, pinkish, purplish, reddish, or a mixture thereof), separation from the upper foliage (well-separated or immersed within it), and Winter persistence (usually persistent, but sometimes slowly shattering)
* inflorescences somewhat resemble corn tassels in their appearance, but are usually much more dense and arch to one side of the stalk

Fruits

* small grains are hidden within the fruiting structure (which is usually thought of as the spent inforescence), and usually do not self-so