Maiden Grass: 4 Tips for Growing Healthy Maiden Grass

Maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis) is a clumping, flowering ornamental grass that goes by many names, including Chinese silver grass. The plant is native to China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

Two characteristics of maiden grass are its silvery-green blades, which turn a bronze color after the first frost of the season, and its flowers, which present as lush plumes in a variety of colors. The timing of the first frost will depend on your location, but maiden grass is easiest to grow in USDA Hardiness Zones 5–9; some cultivars can also survive in planting zone 4.

Easy to care for, maiden grass is drought-resistant and deer-resistant and can tolerate almost any soil type, even clay soil. The flowers—also referred to as seed heads or flower heads—appear in late summer and early fall.

Here are common ways home growers use maiden grass in yards or gardens:

• As a border: Maiden grass can anchor the back border of a garden when you mix it with other plants, like aster, or you can plant it in bulk so you have a border solely of maiden grass. Maiden grass is a common border in cottage gardens because it creates a wall of wispy, almost ethereal flowers that complement such a garden’s aesthetic.
• For privacy: In landscaping, maiden grass can serve as a privacy screen because it achieves significant height and density during the growing season. Once the flowers bloom, you will enjoy even more coverage.
• Near water features: While maiden grass can tolerate any soil, the plant does like moist soil. Plant it near a water feature or a bird bath to enhance the landscaping as well as ensure its soil remains moist.

Maiden grass includes naturally occurring varieties as well as cultivars (plants purposely bred for certain characteristics), each with its own unique identifiers. Here are five common cultivars of M. sinensis:

1. 1. ‘Adagio’: This maiden grass thrives in planters in groups or as a single-specimen plant. If you decide you want more, you can divide and replant the different parts utilizing proper spacing from the original plant. ‘Adagio’ can attract garden pests, but they won’t damage the foliage.
2. 2. ‘Gracillimus’: This cultivar prefers moist soil. You should cut it back in late winter before new shoots appear to keep it looking orderly. If it reseeds, it will become invasive, but you can lay down mulch to prevent this. Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’ is also known by the common name eulalia.
3. 3. ‘Morning Light’: With a bloom time in late summer, this cultivar has a red flower color and thrives harmoniously alongside companion plants like juniper, geranium, and aster. As with all species of maiden grass, it can tolerate dry or moist soil and prefers full to partial sunlight. This plant type also does very well in pots.
4. 4. ‘Strictus’: Also called porcupine grass, this cultivar is a deciduous perennial that grows in a dense and upright clump. Much like other cultivars, it likes full sun and well-draining soil and can withstand the winter as long as you prune it before new growth sprouts in early spring.
5. 5. ‘Variegatus’: Also called variegated Japanese silver grass, the signature of this cultivar is its dramatic foliage color—creamy white stripes running down the length of the green blades plus silvery-white plumes at the top. This maiden grass is clump-forming and has a moderate growth rate.

Despite how similar pampas grass appears to maiden grass, they’re unrelated.

Maiden grass grows best if your garden receives full sun, but other than that, it has few requirements. Here’s how to care for your maiden grass:

1. 1. Divide plants for more coverage. Dividing the plant can mean not only more plants for you but also increased vitality for each plant, since each has more space to grow. The best cadence for dividing maiden grass is every three or four years in early spring after you prune them. You can divide the maiden grass into as many plants as you want, as long as each one has around five healthy roots attached.
2. 2. Fertilize carefully. Maiden grasses are light feeders and too much fertilizer will cause the plant to weaken, making it unable to withstand winds and cold temperatures. Since you want these plants to make it through the winter, avoid over-feeding them. Maiden grass needs fertilizer only once per year.
3. 3. Prune at the end of winter. The leaves and plumes don’t die right at the end of their growing season. They dry out over the winter, creating a look some growers find desirable in their gardens. However, if you prune the dry and dead parts by the end of winter, it will encourage new growth come spring.
4. 4. Water regularly during the first year. Maiden grass needs watering until it establishes. After that, it can tolerate drought conditions but will still benefit from additional moisture on occasion. Water at the base of the plant and not on the leaves or plumes.

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