Sporobolus 'JS Delicatesse'

Sporobolus 'JS Delicatesse' is a particularly graceful form of hardy grass native to the chalky, salty soils of North America. This perennial forms a small fountain of fine green foliage with abundant airy flowers consisting of fine yellow-pink spikelets that create a mist-like effect in June. Delicate and graceful, it will be valuable for planting in a small wild or formal garden, a dry garden, or a seaside garden. It is a sun-loving, elegant and delicate perennial that can withstand cold, wet soils and drought.

Sporobolus belongs to the Poaceae family and is hardy to at least -20°C (-4°F). This species is found from Canada to Texas and central Mexico, where it grows in a variety of habitats, but most often on alkaline (basic) and/or saline soils. It is widespread in the desert regions of California for example. This robust grass can survive seasonal floods or thrive in arid deserts, as well as sunny gardens with dry to moist soil. It is a long-lived plant that is not invasive.

The 'JS Delicatesse' cultivar was selected for its compact growth and decorative flowering. The plant forms a fairly low clump, about 30 cm (12in) in all directions, and is a bit slow to establish but very long-lived. The linear, fine, flexible, and arching foliage starts a slightly greyish green, turning to light bronze in autumn and straw colour in winter. Flowering begins in June, with large, airy panicles of numerous open, slender flowers that are pale yellow with a pink to purple base, becoming silvery and easily noticeable from a distance. These flowers are borne on long, stiff stems that are woody at the base and reach a height of 60 cm (24in), well above the foliage. The florets give way to small round seeds that quickly fall to the ground.

Sporobolus 'JS Delicacy' is an ideal ground cover for hot and dry climates, and slightly wild areas of the garden. It performs well in rockeries, on rocky slopes, in very sunny borders, and in coastal gardens. It can be showcased through mass planting along a pathway or as a foreground plant in a bed. For example, it can be paired with Amsonia hubrichtii, another perennial from Arkansas and Oklahoma with golden asparagus-like foliage in autumn, or Aster ageratoides 'Ezo Murasaki' and Aster turbinellus, both of which have bright mauve-blue flowers. It can also be combined with other beautiful North American grasses such as Muhlenbergia capillaris with its astonishing pink hair-like inflorescence, Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation', or Panicum 'Hot Rod'.