Anyone grow Miscanthus giganteus?

[bamboothew]

Just wondering if anyone else grows this. It gets to about 14ft tall, supposedly, and is very cold-hardy. Around here most of the ornamental grasses are either pampas grass or fountain grass, so when I started planting my "yarden" I sought to find grasses that no one else around seems to have. I have the green giganteus as well as the 'Gilded Tower' cultivar, which is by far my favorite of any ornamental grasses I have seen, besides bamboo, which is technically an ornamental grass Also love the variegated forms of Arundo donax as well as Saccharum arundinaceum, which has pretty violet inflorescences. Sadly, though, the saccharum is only hardy to zone 7.

[needmore]

I have too much of it, in a couple of places it has started to crowd some bamboo out so I've been culling it out in some areas. A nice plant that I initially used as a privacy screen on the property line, currently that patch has rubromarginata coming up directly in the center of the clumps. It tends to get sloppy and bent over during the course of the growing year so I would not put it anyplace it can not sprawl & flop some. Quite a beast to divide, it takes some real umph to pierce the rhizome mass plus the cut stumps are sharp and have provided me with some blood letting opportunities a few times.

[Alan_L]

Brad, does it get 14' tall for you? I don't remember seeing a grass of that size.

[bamboothew]

Thanks, Brad, that is good info. Is yours planted in rich soil/been fertilized and watered generously? I read that these things can cause overlush growth and floppiness, but I got the giganteus specifically for its supposedly upright habit which is unusual for ornamental grasses, compared to what I generally see here anyway. I planted both of mine in poor soil but don't have enough experience with it yet to say what it will do here, as they have only been in the ground for 2 years. Luckily, they both have room to flop/sprawl if that does occur, though I wish they wouldn't. Also, to your knowledge does the giganteus continually get larger in diameter? I see lots of info on the web that gives a max diameter of 8 feet but it seems to me that it would probably keep increasing indefinately? I am dubious of max diamters given like that because I have seen max grove diameters given for running bamboos on some sites

[needmore]

Any feeding or watering mine has received would be a result of being a bamboo neighbor, and not direct attention. BTW - I am surmising that this is my plant, it came to me unidentified but I believe that is what I have.

Mine has not exceeded 9' or so but seems to expand without limit in clump diameter, initially I thought that deer might be bedding down in it as that is how floppy it gets but now I think that wind/rain etc is the cause.

[bamboothew]

Brad, you are probably correct in your id, since it is doubtful that any other Miscanthus would get that large in your zone. There is some M. sinensis 'Cosmopolitan' in the botanical gardens here that seems to have the same form as the giganteus but is not nearly as tall. I am hoping my green giganteus will reach close to 12-14 feet here. The 'Gilded Tower' cultivar is rated at a 10ft max, though. Btw, I have been wondering if bamboo could actually shoot through a clump of grass like that, it probably looks pretty neat as long as a culm is centered in the clump

[Paul Ont]

Here is mine growing in USDA zone 4b/5a, near Kingston, Ontario. It is a very tough plant. The tallest mine has grown is just shy of 12'. This photo is from Sept. of this year:


Paul

[bamboothew]

That's a beautiful grass, I love it for sheer size I'm amazed that it gets so large in your zone, seems like it would stay a bit shorter. Yours is very upright like other pictures I have seen. Does yours ever get bent over in the rain or any other time?

[needmore]

I'm not certain but I think mine looks different than Paul's so perhaps I do have something else?

[bamboothew]

I'm not certain but I think mine looks different than Paul's so perhaps I do have something else?

Possibly, since most pictures I have seen of giganteus look just like Paul's, including the tan/brown legs, from what I hear they are almost always inevitable with this plant. However, being suggested for poor and dry soils perhaps the form could be a bit different due to fert runoff since your plants are being grown near bamboos that get taken such good care of. I don't know, just a guess. Also, though, since some Miscanthi can obviously get basically full height even in colder zones which I didn't know until now, perhaps there are a couple of others it could be. Anyway, giant ornamental grasses are just nice

[canadianplant]

Miscanthus giganteus is under scientific research in regards to its use in biodiesel. It can apparently grow on horrible soil, and still have extreme levels of nitrogen. It is a very good "chop and drop' plant - which is a plant you cut down for mulch and fertilizer. ITs a heavy dose of nitrogen for your soil and plants when used as mulch!!

Also, I believe this plant is growing in Regina Saskatchewan. That place is pretty cold !

[bamboothew]

Miscanthus giganteus is under scientific research in regards to its use in biodiesel. It can apparently grow on horrible soil, and still have extreme levels of nitrogen. It is a very good "chop and drop' plant - which is a plant you cut down for mulch and fertilizer. ITs a heavy dose of nitrogen for your soil and plants when used as mulch!!

Also, I believe this plant is growing in Regina Saskatchewan. That place is pretty cold !

Yes, using the clippings for mulch/compost is one of the reasons I grow ornamental grasses in general but the giganteus is particularly well suited. Also, since it has relatively thick culms (as opposed to many OG's that are mostly blade material) they can be useful for other purposes as well. I believe the chinese call this plant "Bamboo Grass" for a reason!

[canadianplant]

Miscanthus giganteus is under scientific research in regards to its use in biodiesel. It can apparently grow on horrible soil, and still have extreme levels of nitrogen. It is a very good "chop and drop' plant - which is a plant you cut down for mulch and fertilizer. ITs a heavy dose of nitrogen for your soil and plants when used as mulch!!

Also, I believe this plant is growing in Regina Saskatchewan. That place is pretty cold !

Yes, using the clippings for mulch/compost is one of the reasons I grow ornamental grasses in general but the giganteus is particularly well suited. Also, since it has relatively thick culms (as opposed to many OG's that are mostly blade material) they can be useful for other purposes as well. I believe the chinese call this plant "Bamboo Grass" for a reason!

I think the best thing is that it is non invasive, and supposedly gets to a large size very quickly, even on poor soil. Im going to be ordering one of these in the spring. It fits in to my yard planning perfectly.

[bamboothew]

Miscanthus giganteus is under scientific research in regards to its use in biodiesel. It can apparently grow on horrible soil, and still have extreme levels of nitrogen. It is a very good "chop and drop' plant - which is a plant you cut down for mulch and fertilizer. ITs a heavy dose of nitrogen for your soil and plants when used as mulch!!

Also, I believe this plant is growing in Regina Saskatchewan. That place is pretty cold !

Yes, using the clippings for mulch/compost is one of the reasons I grow ornamental grasses in general but the giganteus is particularly well suited. Also, since it has relatively thick culms (as opposed to many OG's that are mostly blade material) they can be useful for other purposes as well. I believe the chinese call this plant "Bamboo Grass" for a reason!

I think the best thing is that it is non invasive, and supposedly gets to a large size very quickly, even on poor soil. Im going to be ordering one of these in the spring. It fits in to my yard planning perfectly.

Also noteworthy is that giganteus supposedly has a bit of shade tolerance, something pretty uncommon among large grasses. Mine gets shade until about noon and then direct sun the rest of the day, and so far it is still very upright and seems to be upsizing well enough. Pretty sure its ultimate mature height will probably be affected by this but hopefully not too much.