Little Miss Maiden Grass

There is a revolution happening right now in home gardening. Not a big revolution. A small one. With so many people moving from the suburbs back into urban spaces, there is a trend of finding beautiful, small - even dwarf - plants to fit the smaller gardens.

Something these small gardens often lack is the motion and grandeur of grass, since so many of the American prairie grasses are big and bold. They simply take up too much space. But now we have a striking beauty - the Little Miss Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Little Miss') - that has all of the great traits of the well-loved miscanthus grasses and puts them in a small, but mighty, package.

Little Miss has green, lush, graceful foliage that emerges in early spring. As the summer wears on, the outer foliage turns brilliant red and purple that just intensifies in the fall. The inside foliage, near the center, stays green, which gives a neat two-tone effect. In autumn, red flowers give way to buff-colored seed heads that hold through the winter. Wait until you see it backlit by the sun. It will make you stop in your tracks!

Plant a small drift of Little Miss to imitate the color and movement of the prairie, or just plant one individually to animate your border. Its small size is just right for decorative ceramic pots or balcony window boxes.

If you have to garden small, be sure to go big! Order your own Little Miss Maiden Grass today.