Anemanthele lessoniana is also known as 'Pheasant's Tail Grass' with its long seed heads rising above the foliage in mid summer and sometimes refered to as Gossamer Grass. Spent day lily stems in a mass of anemanthele inflorescence. Thatchy strands blend in, as do spent flowering stems. C.rubra would look fabulous spilling down your slope! Botanical Name – Anemanthele lessoniana syn. Hi. Wordless Wednesday : Tulip ‘Orange Emperor’. Anemanthele lessoniana - Pheasant's Tail Grass (syn. The leaf colour varies from green to golden-yellow to reddish and the reddish fluf To 30″ tall and a little wider the army green arching foliage takes on dramatic orange and red tints if given just a little stress. Common Name – Pheasant’s Tail Grass or New Zealand Wind Grass and Gossamer Grass. I love Japanese Blood Grass, just gorgeous and good for a pot. Chionochloa looks very pretty and I’ve just noted it. Comb out dead or winter damaged leaves in early spring. Thank you, Dan, I’m glad you like it. I reduced them by 30%. Anemanthele lessoniana, Chionochloa 'Rubra', grooming evergreen grasses, stipa gigantea. It also does well in heavy clay soils, unlike many other ornamental grasses. This grass is comparatively short lived but older plants can be replaced by self sown seedlings. Thanks to a top-tip from him I’ve recently discovered an inspirational planting of this easy-going grass in Devon. Trimming Anemanthele lessoniana Hi, Could you tell me if and when I should trim Anemanthele lessoniana (pheasant tail grass)? ), and use your gas or electric hedging shears to cut … Anemanthele lessoniana (Pheasant's tail grass) A tuft forming clump of very fine leaves that are mid-green early in the year, but turn orange-bronze from autumn. This airy evergreen grass is spectacular when ruffled by the breeze, adding movement to borders and containers. Wordless Wednesday : Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Pink Glow’, Wordless Wednesday : Hedychium spicatum from Tibet, Wordless Wednesday : Self-seeded Nasturtiums, Wordless Wednesday : A Misted Spider’s Web, Wordless Wednesday : Sanguisorbia tenuifolia var. It got a bit stressed immmediately afterwards and no longer looks lush. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Easy in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in sun or light shade. Common Name – Pheasant’s Tail Grass or New Zealand Wind Grass and Gossamer Grass. This plant was formerly called Stipa arundinacea but has been reclassified recently. The Garden House images are worth checking out for an idea of the full size at maturity 4’x3′ (especially if thinking about pot growing). This plant has never fully recovered, and has never matched it's former brillance. I’ve been debating whether to cut back the pheasant grass that I moved a few weeks ago. Bloom Size: Unknown - Tell us. Good luck with yours. These days I’d say Stipa gigantea is a close second to being ultra-low maintenance. Noticeably, in mid-summer, tussocks look greener than in winter. Plant Habit : Mounded Spacing : 25 - 30" (64 - 76cm) Height : 12 - 14" (30 - 36cm) Width : 22 - 24" (56 - 61cm) Exposure : Sun Grower Information : Seed supplied as: Multi-Seed Pellets. It forms a large clump of slender, evergreen foliage, which emerges green, but becomes streaked with yellow, orange and red with age, resulting in a fiery, eye-catching display in … Since 2012 the original three at the front of the border did so well that I added a further five in 2013. With some evergreens like this Anemanthele lessoniana (also known as Stipa arundinacea), they can get relatively strawy on top after a few seasons and can be cut back, but this must be done when the plant is … Anemanthele lessoniana. 2010-02-15. So far, seed hasn’t germinated. This is a semi evergreen grass, close to freezing it will die back in winter and will need to be cut back to the ground in winter. Habit. Just comb it through with a rake to dethatch … Evergreen grasses such as Stipa gigantea , Cortaderia (pampas grass) and Anemanthele lessoniana need more gentle treatment, however. To my utter delight and amazement, the once miserable plants self-seed profusely now. Anemanthele is a stunning subject for mass planting but as a short-lived New Zealand native the key is a steady supply of new plants. The evergreen foliage slowly turns a rich bronze-brown shade for a stunning winter display. I was whooping in agreement when I read his authoritative cultivation notes : anemanthele should never be cut right back to ground level. Usually from seed or division of clumps. Just thought I’d share this. Given the right conditions none are hard to grow, I’ve rated the annual effort it takes to keep them looking good. So cut them back hard now, before the new green shoots show so there is no risk of cutting them back as well. I haven’t tried it, but I’m told mature clumps divide well. The garden is in w. Corke. alba, Wordless Wednesday : Clematis ‘Etoile Violette’, NGS Open Day June 2017 and Plans for 2018, Wordless Wednesday : A Bit of Light Relief, Wordless Wednesday : Fascinating Fasciation, ‘Lamprothyrsus hieronymi!’ A Grassy Magic Spell for NGS Day, Wordless Wednesday : Clematis ‘Pangbourne Pink’, Wordless Wednesday : Paeonia x lemoinei ‘Souvenir de Maxime Cornu’, Wordless Wednesday : Raindrops on a Favourite Rose, Wordless Wednesday : A Tiny Teatime Treat, Wordless Wednesday : Iris sibirica ‘Tropic Night’, Wordless Wednesday : Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Rustica Rubra’. Propagation. Now a question. I have also grown Hakonechloa macra “Aureola” successfully before so wouldn’t mind giving it a go again when we get all our building completed. This is a fast growing clump forming grass that grows well in full sun to part shade, preferring a well drained position. The longevity of grasses versus their seeding or growth habits fascinates me, I can see that some are much lower maintenance for being truly perennial than others. Details: Height: 150 cm: Width: 150 cm: Growth per Annum: Fast: Climate: Hardy: Sun: Full Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade: Soil: Well Drained: Native gossomer grass widely cultivated for use as an attractive ornamental garden plant. ... anemanthele should never be cut right back to ground level. Habit. Thank you Annette, I’m pleased you like the look of the less often seen C.rubra. Now I need to get the succession going and replace the oldest each year. This grass doesn’t flower fully until its third year, after which a steady supply of seedlings are available to keep the structured planting going. This evergreen ornamental grass is a good choice for shady areas. Propagate by seed in containers in a cold frame in spring or by division from mid-spring to early summer. SI All year. So cut them back hard now, before the new green shoots show so there is no risk of cutting them back as well. I think a really good mature specimen of this grass shows how it is an over-achiever in that it produces masses of them, my best specimen (Pagel’s fabulous Klein Fontaene)looks like a perfect globe of inflorescences. 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It has another two years to win me over but at this stage, I think I would prefer to replace it with our native Anemanthele lessoniana which fills a similar niche but with more foliar interest and lower maintenance requirements. Stipa gigantea is my favourite grass, with the sun shining through it, it is just like spun gold! A graceful tussock-type grass with feathery flowerheads and arching copper-tinged foliage. Great tips – thank you. Bloom Time: Mid Summer. Once the centre of the plant looks this thatchy it’s time to replace them with seedlings coming into their third year. Anemanthele Anemanthele. Unlike their deciduous cousins, which once established can be cut right down to the ground in late winter/early spring, evergreen grasses grow throughout the seasons so they won’t thank you for treating them in the same way. Stipa arundinacea ) Description In summer this ornamental evergreen grass is streaked orange-brown and it then turns to orange brown all over in winter, when there may be less to catch your eye in the garden. Plant Anemanthele lessoniana in large drifts for maximum impact. Flowers are good for drying and preserving. This year the younger and more vigorous row beside the more sheltered cedar path were cut back by 50%. Wordless Wednesday : Curiouser and Curiouser …. Check out our Shipping Information page for more info. Regards Nigel. When we do tidy it up we trim back about half. I like the sound of ‘Goldilocks’, I wonder if it might do well in a large planter? Nigel Grange. Imagine hundreds drifting down a sunny slope …. Shame about the stipa, shade and heavy soil does seem to put them off. ... For bulkier orders, we’ll be back in touch to confirm a freight price. Orientating them to catch the sun pays off, tall airy flowered grasses look amazing backlit, here by the mellow evening sun in high summer. Pheasant Tail Grass is a clumping large arching grass with colorful surprises throughout the year. Here are three of the several evergreens I grow, each is groomed in different ways according to the instructiions on their care labels. I hope … ( Log Out /  The leaf colour varies from green to golden-yellow to reddish and the reddish fluf Back to Plant List. Anemanthele lessoniana is not the only grass that presents a management puzzle. Chosen by Rosemary … Or, bundle up the grass with twine so it stays together in a column of foliage, enlist a friend to hold it up (for goodness’ sake don’t trim their ankles! Its arching flower heads and slightly arching foliage give movement to a border. Also known as Pheasant’s tail, it is a wonderful grass that provides year-round colour, movement and structure. A New Look for the National Garden Scheme! It will be exciting to see how they vary. Botanical Name – Anemanthele lessoniana syn. I am at once tempted to replace the three under-performing plants with seedlings of the best one – they all self-sow with abandon around my garden – and reluctant to replace mature plants that have taken years to reach that point with open-pollinated seedlings that are not guaranteed to perform like their better parent. Beautiful images! All of which suggests that sourcing good-sized plants from a specialist nursery is a sound investment. Five would look amazing! Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Change ). Need more … AGM. Evergreen grasses : to cut or not to cut? Subscribe to our Newsletter / Blog. I think it would work well on tough leaved carex too, I have some pot grown green leaved Frosted Curls that are looking very sorry for themselves right now. Height: 100cm (39"). It’s been quite dry recently, maybe keep it well watered? Anemanthele lessoniana, This perennial grass forms rounded tufted clumps with upright to arching long flat-linear pointed leaves. Anemanthele is a likeable chameleon, in a dry sunny spot the orange tints are sharpest, in damp shade foliage is more olive-green. Wind Grass / Gossamer Grass . Looking for your experience of hard pruning/care of established pheasants tail grass (anemanthele lessoniana). It may be cut back hard in spring. Anemanthele lessoniana 'Sirocco' RHS Plants for Pollinators plants This plant will provide nectar and pollen for bees and the many other types of pollinating insects. I’m so glad that it is doing well in the garden here, we now have two, but who knows, maybe I’ll have to add another! I have a lot bordering our pond and they're very brown - not dead - but not very attractive as there's only a little green. Pheasant's tail grass. In late spring I can see that only a few of them seem to stall at a certain point as you describe – probably in response to light/heat/seed production. Anemanthele lessoniana 'Sirocco' RHS Plants for Pollinators plants This plant will provide nectar and pollen for bees and the many other types of pollinating insects. 2010-02-15. Planted in three waves, they don’t need replacing all in one go. Chilly weather enhances the foxy-red tints in its foliage. This is a semi evergreen grass, close to freezing it will die back in winter and will need to be cut back to the ground in winter. Hello Nigel, In spring, you can tease out any dead foliage in your Anemanthele by gently running your fingers through it as if it were hair. Much earlier in the year, planted a metre apart on centre allows room for clumps of Iris sibirica ‘Tropic Nights’ to be squeezed in between them, both flower early in May so any tidying of the stipa has to be done sooner rather than later in the spring. Back to Plant List. HR RHS H4, USDA 7a-9b. I don’t cut it back, though you can prune as low as about 15cm (six inches) from the ground. Includes: A great range of rare and unusual plants.www.sequimrareplants.com. Don’t cut any lower, as this may kill it. Either cut the whole thing back to 6-10” tall using your handheld hedging shears, starting from the very outside and cutting thin sections of grass at a time until you are done. Bulkier orders, we’ll be back in touch to anemanthele lessoniana cut back a freight price April to July rubra... Maximum impact them in half shade last time for some dozy reason both... Is spectacular when ruffled by the breeze, adding movement to borders and containers I think I will it... Inspiring and helpful post should have a lovely trip to Beth Chatto ’ s garden and nursery both. April to July can also put off them off you Annette, I shall try a dog on... Orange tints are sharpest, in Scotland seedlings, they don ’ t cut back. 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