This elegant new Miscanthus is set to be the finest of all the banded Miscanthus sinensis varieties boasting more stripes than M. ‘Zebrinus' and M. ‘Strictus'. Lush green foliage with contrasting gold cross-hatching bands makes it a striking specimen at the back of borders or in the middle of island beds. More compact than M. ‘Zebrinus' it also looks stunning in a large container. Plumes of soft tawny flowers occasionally appear in late summer.

It was discovered in a batch of seedlings in the garden of breeder and nurseryman Darrell Probst from Massachusetts, North America.

In 1986 Darrell trialled a selection of the new plants and Miscanthus ‘Super Stripe' was selected after many years for its superior banding, sturdiness, early flowering and hardiness. He offered it to the plant breeding programme at Blooms of Bressingham in North America where it has been successfully trialled. In the UK, R A Meredith's New Plant Development unit at Bressingham, Norfolk have done extensive trials for Blooms of Bressingham to ensure the new Miscanthus is suited for British gardens.

Darrell is well known in America and Europe for his work with shade-loving plants, particularly his extensive work with the genus Epimedium and he has introduced many new species collected from China. He has a nursery and garden in Hubbardston,  Massachusetts, which mostly specialises in shade-loving plants and has introduced several other new plant varieties for Blooms of Bressingham in North America.

Fact File

• Mature plants: height 120cm (4 ft) to 2.1m (7 ft) with flowers, width 120cm (4ft).
• Fully hardy.
• Green foliage with bold cross-hatching bands in gold.
• Tall spikes of tawny brown flowers occasionally in September and October.
• Sturdy, upright plant and ideal for smaller gardens.
• Site in full sun or partial shade.
• Ideal for borders and island beds, associates well with other grasses and perennials.
• Striking in large containers and gravel gardens.
• Low maintenance and only requires foliage cutting back in early spring as new growth appears.
• Adds interest in the garden all year round.

For press enquiries, please contact Rachel Gibbs.

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(High res photographs supplied as digital image e-mail file or disk; press release available by e-mail)