Report From An Opinionated Gardener – July 17
I’m into my fourth summer at Poison Ivy Acres, and this means dealing with plants that have put in the wrong place. Planting that ‘Morning Light’ Miscanthus in the entry garden seemed like a good idea at the time. Now that it’s larger, however, I see that this placement was a mistake.
First of all, the grass blocks the view of the stone steps and the rest of the garden. Secondly, the color of the foliage isn’t that much different from the Russian sage next to it, so one blends into the other instead of supplying some contrast. Every time I see this part of the garden all I can think about is getting rid of that grass!
I offered it up on the local Master Gardener facebook page but there weren’t any takers. It’s an attractive plant but I have five other clumps of this grass on the property so I don’t see moving it elsewhere. I’ve decided, therefore, to cut it down to the ground. In the fall I’ll take it out and toss it in the compost, but for now, a basal pruning is the way to go.
There are times in life when it’s silly to continue to put up with an irritant when we can take action.
There it is, on the right side of the photo. This is a nice variety of Miscanthus, but even though it's called 'Morning Light' I think it's too heavy a plant for this location. And see how the Russian sage, planted in front of the grass, pretty much disappears? I'll take a photo once the grass is gone.
