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last update March 2011

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Melica ciliata 1461 $6.00

photos: ...flower ...plant ...

Not sure if there are any left this year ... Common names: Silky Spike Melic; Hairy Melic; Ciliate Melic; Eyelash Pearl Grass; Spikey Melic Grass. A mid-height perennial grass, hardy to zone 4. Of Arching habit, colonizing mainly by forming a very tight clump. Moderately quick-growing and of long lifespan. Height: to 1-2'. Native to Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia; naturalized in parts of NAm. The showiest Melic grass, with regards to the flowers, which form at the ends of long stems and fan into a canopy over the plant; relatively unknown and underused. Weak stems may be floppy. Recommended site: sun or light shade. Soil: fertile, largely organic loam, reliably moist but well-drained. Light shade is better; (part shade in southern climates?) Tolerates dry soil in sun at the expense of show. Open, sparse foliage, of fine texture. Deciduous. Flowers are borne as a moderate Panicle in late spring. Branched, narrow, spike-like inflorescence, almost like a small dense bottlebrush. Flowers silky, described variously as purplish tawny to bright brown to creamy-white to silvery... Some uses: Borders and Beds, Cut Flowers, Dried Flowers, Naturalizing.

Molinia caerulea 0797 $6.00

photos: ...flower ...plant ... another ... early winter ...

also known as Aira caerulea... Common names: Purple Moor Grass, Moor Grass; Purple Heath Grass. A tall perennial grass, hardy to USDA Zone 3. LOW MAINTENANCE. Of Tufted habit, colonizing mainly by forming a very tight clump. Slow-growing and of long lifespan. Height: to 3ft, and 1ft wide. Native to N Europe to Siberia to N Turkey and the Caucasus. Naturalized in NAm: St Pierre & Miquelon, NS/ Ontario/ Maine; extensive near Louisbourg. Dainty, graceful plant especially showy in late fall when it takes on a bright straw colour. Dense arching tufts expanding at the rate of only inches per year, eventually becoming large. Recommended site: sun or light shade. Soil: fertile, mildly acidic, sandy to largely organic, reliably moist but well-drained. Naturally occuring in bogs, heaths, and on wet, peaty mountainsides, often covering many square miles. Dense, compact foliage, deep green; of fine texture. Leaves to about 30cm long by 5mm wide. Good golden fall colour. Tiny unscented pale violet flowers are borne as a small rather open Panicle in late summer. Some uses: Borders and Beds, Edgings, Specimens, Foliage, Mass Planting, Dried Flowers, House Plant, Steep Banks, Naturalizing, Useful groundcover in low moist (to wet?) sites. Especially good in front of dark foliage.