Grasses, Sedges & Rushes
Showing 21–24 of 28 results
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Luzula nivea Snowy woodrush 5-8
Dense white flower clusters in June-July
Dense white flower clusters in June-July. Leaves are evergreen with fuzzy margins. The best grass for shade.
Size: 24” x 24”
Care: part shade in moist well-drained soil. Deer resistant.
Native: Central and southern Europe, AlpsSpecies named by Linnaeus in 1750’s. Luzula in Latin means “light.” Nivea means “snow white.” According to Liberty Hyde Bailey the flowers are “useful in dried bouquets.”(1933)
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Melica ciliata Silky spike melic grass Z 5-9
Arching white flower spikes
Ornamental arching white spikes from June through mid-summer. Especially nice for its early bloom, long before most grasses.
Size: 2' x 12"
Care: full sun in moist well-drained to moist soil. Deer resistant
Native: Eurasia to North AfricaMelica is Greek for “sweet grass.” Collected before late 1700’s.
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Miscanthus “Purpurascens” Flame grass Z 4-9
leaves turn brilliant orange red, darkening to burgundy
Flame grass starts in spring with a tinge of red in the leaves, increasing as summer passes. By fall the leaves turn orange-red, darkening to burgundy by winter and retaining the color for months. Tassel-like inflorescences appear in late summer, opening into creamy plumes by fall. It is compact, upright, clump-forming.
Size: 3-4’ x 3-4’
Care: sun to part shade in sandy to clay soils. Cut back in late winter to spring. Deer resistant and tolerant of Walnut trees.
Native: JapanMiscanthus is Greek meaning “stem and flower.” Miscanthus was mentioned in Man’yoshu, a Japanese anthology of poems written in the 8th century, where it symbolized the melancholy of autumn. This specific plant 1st described by botanist Nils Johan Andersson in 1855.
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Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ Striped Maiden grass Z 4-9
Vertical white srtipes on 4' arching green grass blades, inflorescenses coppery russet in fall,
Vertical white srtipes on 4′ arching green grass blades, inflorescenses coppery russet in fall
Size: 6' x 4' clump forming
Care: Sun moist well-drained soil. Cut back in spring.
Native: S.E. AsiaMiscanthus is Greek meaning stem and flower. Mentioned in Man’yoshu, a Japanese anthology of poems written in the 8th century, where it symbolized the melancholy of autumn. This variegated form frequently used in Victorian bedding designs. American garden cultivation since late 1800’s. Recommended by Gertrude Jekyll, mother of mixed perennial borders, in 1908, for its “great white striped” foliage.
