Miscanthus ‘Starlight’: New from Knoll Gardens
- 15 May 2012
Some miscanthus are monsters, but not this one. We’ve seen some excellent dwarf miscanthus in recent years, and they’re so much more useful than the tall and vigorous varieties that were previously more common and which tended to take over the garden.
Neil Lucas at Knoll Gardens has been responsible for introducing three of these dwarf types and now there’s a fourth – and it’s the shortest of all. He selected and introduced ‘Abundance’ and ‘Elfin’ and also named ‘Little Kitten’, which until now has been the most dwarf. ‘Starlight’ is shorter still.
The waist high ‘Starlight’ (32-39in/80cm-1m) features mounds of slender green foliage and in summer is topped by biscuit brown plumes which turn silvery as they age. Very prolific and free flowering, ‘Starlight’ is happy in any reasonable soil in full sun. Once established it’s helpfully drought tolerant.
“Miscanthus can make wonderful garden plants,” said Neil Lucas of Knoll Gardens. “They are drought tolerant and bear tons of flowers but many are simply too large for a smaller garden setting. Miscanthus ‘Starlight’ is the perfect answer, a well-behaved dwarf miscanthus, that can bring the wow factor to containers and small spaces right through to planting in drifts.
“Grasses are currently in huge demand and it is always satisfying to be able to introduce a new grass that is particularly garden worthy,” said Neil.
You can order Miscanthus ‘Starlight’ from Knoll Gardens.
Source: RHS - Miscanthus ‘Starlight’: New from Knoll Gardens