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Miscanthus not working!

KephigooKephigoo Posts: 11
in Problem solving
I planted a Miscanthus Ferner Osten about 2 years ago and expected a tall 6' grass but it's never reached more than about 18 inches! I read that Miscanthus' can be slow to establish but surely it should be doing better than this? It's in a position that gets sun for more than half the day in clay soil. I thought that Miscanthus are supposed to be easy but I've got other grasses (Panicum, Calamagrostis and Anemanthele) nearby that are doing much better. Should I give up with it?


Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    It looks a bit depressed. Have you watered it at all through the heat wave? I don't find they do that well in dry soil, esp when small and the silvery ones even less so.


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I agree.  They like moisture to be happy.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    If you've had the plant for 2 years then it should have got itself established now before this summer's heat.  I suspect you've been sent the wrong plant and have a dwarf variety, there are some out there, and these plants are often mistaken in commerce, as so many are very similar...  
    I won't tell you how often I've received incorrect plants, including Miscanthus and Pennisetums…  it takes a few years and some searching around to realise you've got the wrong ones...
    East Anglia, England
  • KephigooKephigoo Posts: 11
    Thanks for the advice. I haven't given it much water as I find that grasses normally seem to cope pretty well without. Are Miscanthus more thirsty than most? It did no better last year when we had a lot of rain.

    Marlorena, I've experienced that too (I once ended up with a bright pink Geranium in my white shady border!)  You could be right, although I remember buying it from a garden centre where they had a big display of identical plants that were all labelled as Ferner Osten.

    Think I might take it out in the Autumn, maybe put it in a pot and see what happens. Not sure whether to try another Miscanthus...
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