Miscanthus sinensis ‘Beth Chatto’

Chinese Silver Grass Poaceae

A Miscanthus with a little more pedigree than most. This elegant, relatively narrow-leaved selection was the last Miscanthus named by the legendary German breeder Ernst Pagels, who named it for his friend, the celebrated English plantswoman Beth Chatto. A fitting tribute — and one that avoids the usual botanical equivalent of naming a plant after someone and then giving them something rather disappointing.

It forms an upright, graceful clump of fine green foliage, arching gently towards the tips, with warm autumn colour and delicate, light-brown flower plumes carried on conspicuously dark stems. Unlike the notoriously reluctant flowering of its presumed parentage around ‘Gracillimus’, ‘Beth Chatto’ flowers reliably and generously. 

Best in full sun and a reasonably fertile, well-drained soil. Give it room to breathe but don’t spoil it rotten — excessive fertility and moisture can encourage floppy growth. The dried foliage and seedheads remain handsome through winter, providing both structure and useful overwintering habitat for insects. 

H6 –20 to –15°C / height 1.5 m / spread 50 cm / flowers September–November