Maiden grass (Miscanthus Sinensis), also known as Chinese silver grass or Japanese silver grass, is a tall ornamental grass that can look very appealing in rocky gardens, mixed borders, or as an accent plant in the center of your garden.
This type of grass will create a sense of movement with its whispy white tips and fine textured leaves.
The showy grass variety can be a focal point in your garden. It can be accentuated by pairing it with other exciting companion plants like rudbeckias, blazing star flowers, blanket flowers, hairy vetch, or pincushion flowers.
In this guide, we will take a closer look at these popular maiden grass companions and share some great landscaping uses to create more exciting garden spaces.
What to Plant with Maiden Grass
If you want all the plants in your garden bed to grow vigorously and produce as many vivid blooms as possible, then it is always best to combine species with similar growing requirements.
Maiden grass grows at its best if it is placed in a full-sun position where it will receive a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. This ornamental grass variety prefers average soil that drains well.
You can grow maiden grass in any type of soil, including clay, sandy, and poor soil, as long as it drains properly. These grasses are, however, quite thirsty and should be kept moist, or the grass will start to die out.
While selecting neighboring plants for maiden grass, you should also look for something that adds more color, interest, and texture to your beds.
Here is a quick look at some companion species that will look striking next to maiden grass and grow well in sunny positions with frequent watering.
Black Eyed Susans
Black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are a terrific flowering species to grow with maiden grass because the vivid yellow flowers will create lots of contrast in your garden bed.
These hardy flowers will flourish in full sun but can survive in partial shade. The plants can grow well in average soil conditions and tolerate tough conditions. As long as the soil drains well, your rudbeckias should be able to grow healthy and strong next to ornamental grasses.
Black-eyed susans are a little bit shorter compared to maiden grass and, as such, should be grown in a lane in the front or next to clumps of grasses.
Blazing Star
Blazing star flowers (Liatris spicata), prairie feathers, or gay feathers will add lots of color and virtual interest to your garden bed when their vivid purple or white flowers appear from summer to early fall.
These perennials should be grown in full sun or won’t produce beautiful purple flowers. They should also be planted in well-drained soil because they can develop root rot if kept moist or over-watered.
You can mix these tall flowers among maiden grass species but position them towards the front because they are shorter, with a maximum height of 3 feet. The tall, spiky flowers will add much contrast and texture to your garden bed if they peek out from mass-planted ornamental grasses.
Blanket Flowers
Blanket flowers (Gaillardia) can be a terrific ground cover to grow in front of your tall ornamental grasses. These maiden grass companions will also add lots of color to your garden with their showy yellow and orange flowers.
Blanket flowers will only flower if they are positioned in full sun. They are heat tolerant and should be planted in well-drained or sandy and gravel soil types. These flowers are pretty drought tolerant but should grow well with maiden grass as long as the soil drains well and as long as they receive plenty of sunlight.
Hairy Vetch
Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), also known as fodder vetch or winter vetch, is a beneficial plant species to grow in gardens and crops because it restores nitrogen levels in the soil. These crop plants will also look fantastic in ornamental gardens because they add lots of texture with their delicate leaves, and their purple flower stalks will add lots of color.
Winter vetch can be grown in full sun, but it will also take well to areas with partial afternoon shade. They can be planted in any average, well-drained soil and must be watered up to 3 times per week in warm regions.
Hairy fetch will look striking as a ground cover in front of maiden grass. They will help suppress weeds and are great for filling out garden beds.
Pincushion Flowers
Pincushion flowers (Scabiosa), also known as sweet, morning bride, or garden scabious, are interesting to pair with maiden grass. These maiden grass companions come in shades of blue, pink, purple, and white and are excellent for cut flower gardens.
These evergreen perennials should be planted in full sun but can tolerate partial shade in warmer regions. They will grow their best if they are positioned in moist soil that drains well.
Pincushion flowers are shorter and should be grown in front of maiden grass so the grassy ornamentals won’t cover up the delicate flowers of these garden fillers.
What NOT to Plant with Maiden Grass
Maiden grass needs plenty of direct sunlight to survive and shouldn’t be planted underneath tall trees or thick shrubs, or it might not grow well.
These ornamental grasses also love lots of water and, as such, shouldn’t be paired with drought-tolerant plant species like succulents, coneflowers, or lavender. The hardy species will develop root problems if grown in moist soil next to maiden grass.
Landscaping ideas for Maiden Grass and Companions
Now that you know what to grow with maiden grass, it is time to discover creative ways to use these species in your garden. Here is a quick look at some of the best ways to use maiden grass and other companion species to create more exciting landscapes.
Mixed Borders Or Hedges
Maiden grass and other ornamental plants will look striking if you mix them in borders or hedges alongside walkways, walls, or fences. The mixture of wavy grass leaves and showy flowers like rudbeckias, pincushion flowers, or blazing stars will create a romantic cottage garden effect.
As A Central Garden Focal Point
The wispy grass blades of maiden grass can be beautiful and can be used as a main focal point in the center of a garden. You can grow these tall grasses in the middle of a garden bed and add showy ground covers like winter vetch or blanket flours. Add a little structure to your focal point by placing a natural rock border around it, and you will have a great-looking garden space.
Final Thoughts
Maiden grass is one of the best and most popular ornamental species used in garden and landscaping projects because it is beautiful and easy to grow. It can look even more striking with companions like black-eyed susans, Liatris flowers, gaillardia, fodder vetch, or morning bride flowers. These other plants will add more interest to your garden and complement the showy grasses.
Our guide gave you lots of inspiration so you can create a beautiful garden with lots of movement and vertical interest.
See more:
Image by krisrobin/depositphotos
