Miscanthus 'Variegatus' is a showy ornamental grass known for its broad green leaves boldly striped with creamy white. It forms a large arching clump with striking vertical presence and produces coppery flower plumes that mature to buff and persist into winter.
Height & Spread: 5 - 7 ft x 3 - 5 ft
Bloom Time: Late summer
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil Preference: Moist, well drained soils; tolerates a range of soil types
Watering Needs: Moderate
Deer Resistance: Deer resistant
Native Status
A cultivar of Miscanthus sinensis, which is native to East Asia. Widely grown for ornamental effect but not native to North America.
WILDLIFE & INSECTS
Birds
- Foliage and plumes offer valuable winter cover for overwintering songbirds and foraging habitat for seed eating birds.
Spacing & Landscape Use
Spacing Recommendations
- Space 3 - 5 ft apart to allow bold clumps to form without crowding.
Landscape Placement
- Striking in large borders, as a focal point in mixed beds, or used in rows for screening. Excellent for adding year round interest to foundation plantings.
Companion Plants
- Helenium autumnale (Sneezeweed) - Provides vibrant fall color to contrast with the variegated blades.
- Echinops ritro (Globe Thistle) - Offers spiky blue blooms and contrasting leaf texture.
- Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' - Adds mounded purple blooms to soften the vertical habit of Miscanthus.
- Phlox paniculata 'David' - Introduces crisp white summer blooms that echo leaf variegation.
- Solidago 'Fireworks' - Adds yellow sprays of flowers that highlight fall tones.