Get to Know Molinia—Trial Results

It’s well-behaved, hardy as heck, and stunningly beautiful, so find the best one for you

Grasses are dynamic garden plants . Whether declamatory or pocket-size , for structure , motion , speech sound , and even light , grasses are unparalleled in their result , and their appeal increase tenfold when massed . Molinia , also known as regal moor grass , is no exclusion ; in fact , its fountainesque form and tall statureexemplify the best attribute of pasturage . It is especially prized in Europe — unmistakable in so many of the cultivar names — but somewhatunderappreciated here . WithMiscanthus sinensisrightfully out of favour due to its invasive nature , molinia merits greater care .

Promoting nonnative Mary Jane can be a blistering - push button issue . I get it in the showcase of miscanthus and even fountain grass ( Pennisetum alopecuroidesand cvs . , Zones 4–9 ) , but from my experience , molinia is n’t worrisome andis a good reliever for obstinate grasses . Of course , I cede to anyone who has had it run away in their landscape ; molinia has found its way into scattered instinctive areas in the Northeast , northern Wisconsin , and western Oregon . By most measures , it ’s belike not a hoodlum , but carefulness is prudent . That said , I have never discovered a seedling in our trial . Based on this and its undeniable good looks , a molinia ( or three ) might be just the finely - textured treasure your garden has been missing .

At a glance: Molinia

( Molinia caeruleassp.caeruleaand cvs.;M. caeruleassp.arundinaceaand cvs . )

Zones:4–9

condition : Full sun ; moist , well - run out dirt

bloom of youth time : Late summer through fall

cuss and disease : None

trait : boring maturation to begin ; only infrequent dividing needed

Top performers for your garden

The wide , arching foliage of‘Bergfreund’have a coarser appearance — I think it ’s even a little wild - looking — than cultivar with sparse vertical leafage . Despite the coarse - textured leaves , the tall arching flower staunch make it unexpectedly graceful . The dim flower clusters , up to 25 inch long , turn from green - and - over-embellished peak in summer to coppery seed head by midfall . In late drop , the flowered stems become pinkish orange as the leaves turn jaundiced . At 68 inches magniloquent with flowers , ‘ Bergfreund ’ is a honorable sizing , and watch it backlit by the setting sun is a real dainty .

I like the imposing size of‘Skyracer’from the first metre I see it get up up through a midsummer meadow . Our plants never reached the touted eight - animal foot mark , but at most seven feet grandiloquent they were no slacker . The aloofness between the compact leafy cumulus and airy flower headway is what create all the dramatic play , both in soaring superlative and the playful movement of its supple stem in the wind . While the arching leaves are still green , the flower stems take on a pinkish touch in late tumble . ‘ Skyracer ’ , like other molinias , eventually flex all gold to tawny and is particularly vivacious on gray winter day . Tall selections need n’t be relegated to the back but can punctuate the midborder with surprising lightness due to the see - through calibre of the thin stems and flowers .

‘ Moorhexe’has vertical , slight , sour green leave , which give it a tasteful riding habit ; I care it well than its droopy - leave cousins . narrow-minded heads of dark royal - gullible flowers age to golden tan in late summer before shatter in autumn . The spent inflorescence have a ghostly argent quality that is accentuate when backlit by aurora or late - day sunshine . In early fall , the flower stems take on orange tree and bronze pure tone before turning deeply bronze a few week after . ‘ Moorhexe ’ has a fairly narrow upright drug abuse to 4 foot marvelous and somewhat wider . While equally robust and arresting in their flowered effect , shorter molinias such as ‘ Moorhexe ’ and ‘ Dauerstrahl ’ are not as dramatic as the giant ace .

As names go,‘Transparent’is fairly expressive — it ’s a nod to the see - through timbre of molinia ’s wispy flowers . In foliage , ‘ pellucid ’ is common , with a mix of erect and arch wide leaves forming a robust bushy agglomerate to 3 feet grandiloquent . The dark-green - and - purple plume like inflorescences ripen to golden tan in late summer , and the flower stem turn yellowed long before the leaves change to sonant golden yellow in late fall . At peak , ‘ Transparent ’ was 7 feet improbable and almost 5 feet across the fan flowered crown that ’s held high up above the leaf .

The deviation between molinia cultivar can be insidious , relying on a variety in altitude or slightly more colour to set one asunder from another . ‘Fontäne’was one of a few pick with darker regal flowers . Low mound clunk to 24 inches tall are topped with arcuate prime stems starting in former summer . Those plumage can be intimately 4 metrical foot tall , give the plant serious wow - factor . In fall when the seed head are a pledge golden tan , rich mahogany stems together with yellow leaves give ‘ Fontäne ’ a beautiful coppery gilded freshness .

Uncommon selections to hunt for

Interestingly , I grew‘Cordoba’several years before I started the trial . Though uncommon , it is decidedly worth tracking down . ‘ Cordoba ’ has a commanding bearing , with gracefully curve prime stem to 7 understructure grandiloquent . It was a solid performing artist for eight year and became the one to beat in our tribulation . The strong architectural form is enhanced by voluminous , large violet - green flower head , to 18 inches improbable , which move and rustling in the gentlest child’s play . Tawny come heads shatter late in the season , leave silverish skeletons atop ocher stem . ‘ Cordoba ’ ends it all robe in a pictorial golden - yellow mantle ; if wintertime is genial , this show can last almost into the following give .

One of the first thing I acknowledge about‘Heidebraut’was the swarthiness of its peak ; it is amazing that tiny imperial - bootleg anther alone can create such an telling showing . In its eagerness to show off , the flowers begin blossom just as they intrude out of the foliage , but finally the stems wax a duet of feet above lavish hill of fine - textured green leaves . ‘ Heidebraut ’ has a strong upright drug abuse , reaching a modest 5 metrical unit tall with flower . The muted prosperous yellow flower staunch are the real autumnal show ; the colour holds even after the leaves have shriveled . And as the tan seeds shatter , the spidery silver inflorescences contribute a bit of pastime in the other winter light .

‘ Poul Petersen’is a summary , stocky selection bring up by Piet Oudolf for a Danish nurseryman . I do n’t do it Poul , but I always love a back story . At 44 inches improbable , ‘ Poul Petersen ’ is one of the shortest of the group and has a bushy vase - shaped habit and slightly arch unripened leave-taking . Feathery flush heads of green and morose purple make for a pretty show in other summertime , followed by tan semen head in late summertime . The clear golden - yellow fall colour stacks up well to any molinia .

‘ Dutch Dreamer’is a brand - raw selection of molinia that I have not in person grown but am eager to get after observing it in other garden . I ’m confident that it ’s deserving a endeavour because it comes from the breeding genius of Brent Horvath , who has created a diverseness of awe-inspiring perennials and ornamental weed . At just 5 feet magniloquent , ‘ Dutch Dreamer ’ neither towers above small industrial plant nor is dwarfed by great unity . Not to be outdone by the others , come autumn its broad steel and floral stems glow golden , too .

Trial parameters

Since 2013 , the Chicago Botanic Garden has valuate 16 selections of molinia .

continuance : Minimum of 6 years

Participants : A variety ofMolinia caeruleassp.caeruleaandM. caeruleassp.arundinaceaand their cultivars were trialed .

Zone:5b

Conditions : Full sunshine ; well - drain , alkaline , clay - loam soil

Care : Minimal , allowing the plant to thrive or die under raw conditions . works were irrigate in hot , dry weather . Besides observing their ornamental traits , we monitored how well they grew and adapted to environmental and dirt condition while keeping a close eye on any disease or pest problem and assessing plant injury or losses over wintertime .

Richard Hawke is plant valuation handler at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe , Illinois .

Sources

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