HomeGardening NewsGardens in generalMiscanthus Sinensis Red Chief

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Miscanthus Sinensis Red Chief — 28 Comments

  1. Alistair, thank you not only for the grass portrait, but for the city pictures too! I don’t know if Europeans realize how fortunate they are to live in the Old World! Several miles – and you surrounded by ancient walls!

  2. What a pretty grass! I’ve been seeing more grasses with red streaks in them. I bought a couple with red streaks this year for my mailbox garden, though I don’t think they were Miscanthus. The town of Chester is beautiful and so charming! What a great story it has. When I’ve visited the U.K. in the past, I’ve been so impressed upon by the sense of history. The U.S. is still so relatively new.

  3. Linda, I can only name a grass if its one that I bought and kept the label. I also have a variegated form like you describe, and it sets out runners, hard to keep under control.

  4. As it happens I’ve decided to add some grasses to my garden next year. I have some kind of Miscanthus growing up around the paddock and I have a pampas grass in the actual garden but other than that I didn’t reall know what to look for. I’m loving the red one you have posted about so I’m going to get hold of some of it and see how it adapts here. I also have another kind of deciduous grass but I haven’t a clue what it is. It’s died down just now but I think i’ll have to get a photo next year and ID it – it’s variegated, about 4ft tall and is terribly invasive (infact I have a 8″ form of a similar looking one).
    Thanks for the post, it’s really got my creative juices flowing

  5. I really like your city tour of Chester. It really is a wonderful town, so pedestrian friendly with very pretty architecture. As for the Miscanthus, I do think the larger grasses really hold their own in a garden and draw a lot of attention to themselves. I very much enjoy them for the late season punch.

  6. glorious half-timbered buildings in Chester! And a ferry for me ;~)
    Good to hear that Myra and Purdee are settling in.
    Your garden will soon be as wonderful as the Aberdeen one, ringing some changes.

  7. I have two different varieties of Miscanthus and love them both. One has reddish plumes not unlike your ‘Red Chief’. I think I have been to Chester a long time ago now. What a nice city it looks to be in your pictures. The Roman history of the city is really interesting. The wall certainly seems to have been built so well that it has stood the charge of any invaders and still stands.

  8. We are not bad for convenience stores Frances, I have been ordering online for a few months now. Its that macular degeneration thing which I have, seems to have remained pretty stable the last couple of years, kind of like viewing the world whilst looking through cellophane paper, not rose tinted though. Yes, it probably is just as well we are living close to Audra.

  9. sorry to hear about your eye sight Alistair, mine isn’t what it once was, I’ve an appointment with the optician Wednesday, when my car broke down 10 years ago, it was going to cost a lot to repair as parts were needed from the mainland, I decided as I was not using it much I would not get it repaired but get rid of it, I was having difficulty with running costs too on my low income, I am lucky as there is a fairly good bus service in the area of the island I live in, it is one of the more populated areas made up of several villages with a mixed age group, we are currently trying to stop the closure of the 11 – 14 school as the children would have to go the 25 miles to Stornoway if it closes, I say lucky as it was not something I had considered when buying the house, if I was still on Scalpay, Harris 37 miles from Stornoway and a very limited bus service I would have struggled to keep my car going, do you have many shops near you and are there any supermarkets that would deliver a phoned or online order? we have nothing like that here but my brother has done it for our mother sometimes, good job your daughter is near you, Frances

  10. We were thinking the same about living in a country village Frances. Has its good points but definitely not so convenient, especially when before too long my eyesight is going to prevent me from driving.

  11. What an enjoyable stroll through the City of Chester! I can see why we Americans like it so much. Thanks also for a brief history. Miscanthus sinensis Red Chief is lovely, and its color complements your fence so well. I also caught a glimpse of a large urn I like very much. You have accomplished a lot in your garden in a short year!

  12. Glad you and Myra had such a nice day out in Chester, it is a beautiful city, you are just a few miles further from Chester than I am to Stornoway which is my nearest shopping centre, moving to an island made me realise how close I used to be to everything, Frances

  13. I see another new theme here Alistair. I like it and I love this grass. I have not seen it here yet in the US. And I can see why Chester was named one of the top five of Europe’s prettiest City’s.

  14. Hello Alistair, I’ve seen red grasses appearing in garden centres and now supermarkets (the pricier ones) so their popularity seems to be taking off. After having seen the red and cream plumes of your “Red Chief”, I can see why.

  15. A really lovely miscanthus Alistair. Have you found good places to buy plants nearby? You must be relatively close to Sue Beeseley’s nursery? Chester is a fabulous city, nice to be so close.

  16. Pam, in spite of my early embracing of our new surroundings, I must admit, I do get a sense of longing for home from time to time.

  17. Thanks for presenting yet another lovely plant I would love to have in my garden, if I could just have found a suitable space for it. Maybe my next garden!
    Great to see photos from Chester, I can understand why it is polled as one of the prettiest cities.
    Take care, Helene.

  18. Grasses are an important feature of my garden, Alistair. Miscanthus tends to be invasive here, so we have to be careful in our choice. Loved the tour of Chester — a typical English town — made me homesick. P. x

  19. Good to hear from you both. It must have been quite a wrench to leave Massachusetts, I look forward to hearing from you when settled in your forever home.

  20. Lovely post, Alistair, and so nice to have an update on your garden and activities! Please give our best to Myra. We have left our lovely garden in Massachusetts to begin a new adventure in California. Starting out with a tiny deck garden until we can find the home of our dreams.

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