Planting and caring for elephant grass – the most important things at a glance

In most cases, different types of plants live together in a garden. Each plant is unique in itself, but together they make a beautiful whole. In addition to perennials, shrubs and trees, grasses are also planted in the outdoor area, because they spice up the ambience wonderfully. The elephant grass is a great example of how grasses bring a fresh flair to the outside area. We will tell you below how to plant and care for the elephant grass. Make a note of the most important things so that you can set cool accents with the ornamental grass in your ridges.

Elephant Grass – A popular ornamental grass in the gardens

The elephant grass – a beautiful ornamental grass

Miscanthus giganteus is the scientific name of elephant grass. The beautiful plant is still called giant Chinese reed. This unusual ornamental grass is the result of crossing silver flag grass and silver Chinese reed. It pleases the eye all year round, even if it doesn’t always have green leaves.

The giant Chinese reed is a very tall ornamental grass. Even the name of the plant suggests this. It also has an upright and clumpy habit. The plant fascinates with its dark green and ribbon-shaped leaves, which are also very strong. The arrangement of the leaves is described as waterfall-like. But they don’t always stay that green. In autumn they change color and become yellowish-brownish. Naturally, the leaves fall off in winter. But the empty stalks also offer an attractive picture in winter.

Giant Chinese reed can reach a height of 3 to 4 meters

Even if the leaves make the giant Chinese reed look attractive enough, it also impresses with its fancy pink flowers that hover over the plant, which only appear in mild regions. The flowering time is in October.

Due to the sprawling growth and the enormous height, Miscanthus giganteus can also be used as a privacy screen in the garden in certain cases. The plant is not only characterized by a decorative value, but can also serve functional purposes. What better privacy screen can you have for a seating area in the garden than a cascade of overhanging leaves? But you should reckon with the fact that the plant can only protect itself from prying eyes in summer and autumn, because it loses its leaves in winter.

Nevertheless, the elephant grass cannot only be planted in groups. The beautiful plant also enriches every garden as a solitary plant.

The plant can perfectly fulfill the role of privacy screen

Care tips for the elephant grass

The giant Chinese reed does not need any special care to decorate the environment with its leaves. But you should note this:

Plant

The dainty plant needs to be planted in full sun. Nevertheless, it can also thrive in partial shade, but then the leaves and stalks are not as strong. When it comes to soil, rest assured that elephant grass will thrive in almost any garden soil.

The most important thing to consider when planting giant Chinese reed is to provide enough space for its lush leaves. A planting distance of at least 100 cm is enough, but the ideal distance is 150 cm. This is especially important if you want to plant several specimens. But you can also cultivate the plant in a bucket and use it to decorate the patio.

The tall plant can be used to fill empty spaces in the garden bed. As a structural plant, giant Chinese reed is perfect for showcasing low-growing flowers.

The elephant grass can easily survive very long periods of drought. This makes the plant particularly easy to care for.

Miscanthus giganteus is an attractive decoration in the garden

To cut

A pruning is only necessary in the spring. It is recommended not to cut the elephant grass before winter, otherwise you may cause rot. However, since the leaves of the giant Chinese reed have very sharp edges, you should wear gloves. Otherwise it cannot be ruled out that you will injure yourself. The sharp-edged ornamental grass is also a phototoxic plant. This means that it causes allergic reactions when it comes into contact with skin in combination with sunlight. A grooming cut is of course recommended if necessary.

Of course, what defines the ornamental grass is its leaves

In autumn, the ornamental grass fascinates with its new leaf color

The plant is characterized by a sprawling growth and an enormous height

The elephant grass is an undemanding plant

Combine elephant grass with other ornamental grasses to create cool effects