Miscanthus sinensis Little Tiger - Silvergrass

Miscanthus sinensis 'Little Tiger' is a dwarf Chinese reed, a small ornamental grass with character that won't take up all the space. Its finely tiger-striped foliage in yellow and green captures the light throughout the growing season, then delicate panicles crown its growth in late summer. This compact, robust, hardy, and very undemanding Miscanthus is suitable for naturalistic borders, containers, and small town gardens.

'Little Tiger' is a cultivar of Miscanthus sinensis, a perennial grass from the Poaceae family. This variety, protected under the cultivar name 'Misono22', was developed in Japan by Yoshitomo Ono and then introduced to Europe by partners like Plantipp and Globe Planter. It is presented as one of the smallest miscanthus currently available, designed for contemporary gardens and terraces where space is limited.
The plant forms a neat, upright, slightly flared clump. The thin, flexible yet sturdy stems emerge densely from the collar and bear abundant foliage. At maturity, 'Little Tiger' reaches 50 to 60 cm in height and 40 to 50 cm in width, whether in the ground or in a pot. Its growth is fairly rapid: after the first year of establishment, the clump reaches maturity in two or three seasons. The foliage is deciduous, drying out in winter. The leaves are long and narrow, flexible, fresh green, widely striped with creamy yellow bands, arranged in small, irregular touches. This variegation is all the more luminous when the plant benefits from good light, without scorching sun.
Flowering occurs from August to October. The flower stems are slightly taller than the foliage and bear fine, feathery panicles, initially light, sometimes slightly pinkish, then turning straw-brown upon maturity. The panicles then dry out, remaining decorative for a good part of the winter.

'Little Tiger' possesses all the charm of a large Chinese reed, but its reduced size is much better suited to small spaces and container cultivation. It can be placed at the front of a border or in a flower bed. It can be planted in a ribbon along a path or used to fill in at the base of shrubs like Mexican orange blossom. Pair it, for example, with Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah', with its purple leaves, Verbena bonariensis 'Lollipop' for its clouds of small lavender flowers, the bicoloured Echinacea 'Green Twister', or Sedum 'Tropical Night', which flowers in autumn.