Morning Light Ornamental Grass

Light Needs

Partial Sun to Full Sun

(At Least 5 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

4-5 Feet

Mature Spread

3 Feet

Growing Zones

5 to 9

Add this award-winning ornamental grass to your space for its unique shimmer of silver as it moves with the slightest breeze. Variegated, fine textured leaves are partly green but look totally silver from a distance. Blooming later than others, its tiny crimson plumes appear in late summer. Growing 48-60 inches high, this new, improved cultivar is not as invasive as the species form of Miscanthus sinensis. The Royal Horticultural Society gave it the prestigious Award of Garden Merit.

With a graceful growth habit, this plant retains a tight, vase-like shape. It is pest and disease free, resists deer and rabbits, and attracts birds. Morning Light tolerates drought, salt, and black walnut. It is native to Asia. Use it to soften the landscape, to create a screen or hedge, or as an accent plant in the border. Use Morning Light as a ‘thriller’ in a combination planter. It works well as a screen or hedge in a mass planting. It is equally at home in a coastal garden, a cottage garden, or a prairie garden. Its blooms make long-lasting dried flowers. For a stunning effect, locate this ornamental in a spot where the setting sun can illuminate its silvery plumes.

Morning Light Ornamental Grass Care

Plant in an area of good drainage. Deeply till the soil and incorporate organic matter. Plant no deeper than the pot or it could rot in the ground. Water thoroughly. When established, an average amount of irrigation is sufficient, but water well during heat and drought. This ornamental grass does not need high amounts of fertilizer. It is not fussy about the type of soil: average, poor, or moderately fertile and with a pH of acidic or neutral. This ornamental grass tolerates conditions from dry and rocky to moist clay. Miscanthus thrives in full sun, becoming floppy in too much shade.

Mulch around the base in autumn. The grass will turn shades of brown – it may be retained for winter interest and to protect the crown from extreme winter wet. Cut back to about 3 inches in late winter/early spring before new shoots appear.

Morning Light Ornamental Grass Spacing

These grasses look dramatic in large containers. Choose one large enough to accommodate the roots. Space the plants 36 inches apart in the landscape.