Miscanthus sinensis 'Huron Star' PP#22,468

'Huron Star' is an improvement in so many ways over older varieties! It is decidedly more colorful, both in flowering stems and in fall foliage. It has a sturdier, more upright habit, with no flopping. And the foliage, very subtly striped up the center of each long, slender leaf, is compact and neat.

The foliage has a vase-like form, very handsome in the spring and early summer garden. My mid- to late summer, the blooms are beginning to arise on tall, dark purple stalks. Held well above the foliage, they turn from coppery amber to fluffy, creamy white by autumn, and remain attractive into winter in most climates. Of course birds feast on their seeds, posing nicely on the purple stems while you look at them through the binoculars or snap their picture!

Autumn also brings dramatic color changes to the foliage. Formerly bright green with a slender central white stripe, when the cooler weather of fall arrives, it turns all shades of red, orange, and gold, remaining that way for many weeks. Between the purple flowerstems and all this colorful foliage, 'Huron Star' is attention-getting in any setting!

Expect this lovely ornamental grass to reach 7 to 8 feet high when in bloom, and to form a tight, dense mound of foliage 3 feet wide. It is superb in a mass planting, as a specimen, in the foundation, or as a border accent. And it doesn't mind the wetter soil of the waterside. Enjoy this gorgeous new perennial! Zones 4-9.