Miscanthus 'Purpurascens'
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HEADS UP. THIS ONE CAN SELF-SEED.
Maiden grass is on Ontario's invasive plant list because its seed can blow into natural areas. In the garden it stays a tidy clump. If you live near woodland, meadow or water, cut the plumes off in fall before they drop seed.
Miscanthus 'Purpurascens': Fall Fire in a Suburban-Sized Clump
Flame Grass is the guest who arrives in grey-green and leaves the party in head-to-toe orange, red and purple. The silvery plumes stick around for the winter after-party. FASHION CHANGES. ATTITUDE DOESN'T.
Plant Characteristics:
- Botanical Name: Miscanthus 'Purpurascens'
- Common Name: Flame Grass
- Height: 120â180 cm (4â6 ft) in flower
- Spread: 60â90 cm (2â3 ft)
- Flowers: Magenta-tinged plumes that mature to silvery white and persist into winter
- Bloom Time: Late summer to fall (August to October)
- Foliage: Upright grey-green blades that turn orange, red and purple-red in fall
- Features: Salt tolerant, excellent fall colour, winter interest
Where to Plant: Use it in mid-border, in groups on a slope or as a medium-height screen. It's smaller than many maiden grasses, so it fits regular suburban beds, and its salt tolerance helps near roads.
Companion Plants: Plant 'Purpurascens' for early red-orange fall colour behind a sunny or part-shade bed of peonies and summer flowers. Geranium macrorrhizum 'Ingwersen's Variety' carpets the front at 30 to 45 cm with soft pink flowers from May to July. Paeonia 'Honey Gold' opens white and gold Japanese peonies at 75 to 90 cm in June. Hemerocallis 'Arctic Snow' adds ivory-white daylilies at 60 cm in July and August. Monarda 'Purple Rooster' brings purple bee balm at 90 to 100 cm from July to September.
Plant Care: Plant it in full sun for the strongest fall colour. It handles nearly any soil, from sand to clay, and it tolerates road salt. It isn't a drought plant, though, so water it regularly the first season and during hot, dry stretches after that. Leave the clump standing for winter interest. Cut it back to about 10â15 cm (4â6 in) in early spring, before new growth starts. Divide in spring every few years if the centre opens up.
History: 'Purpurascens' has been grown in gardens for many years, and its exact parentage is debated, so it's often listed simply as Miscanthus 'Purpurascens'. Its name is Latin for "becoming purple," a nod to the fall foliage.
Final Thoughts: It shrugs off road salt and deer, so plant it right by the driveway. THE DRIVEWAY JUST GOT HOT.