Thamnochortus cinereus - Restio

The Thamnochortus cinereus is one of those South African perennials with an unpronounceable name that is more commonly known as Restio. From a distance, it resembles an ornamental grass with a very dense appearance, silver in color, narrow at the base, rising in a more rounded clump, with stems that carry extremely delicate branches, giving the plant a very feathery aspect. In summer, it is adorned with large brown-golden spike-like inflorescences that remain decorative for a long time. This discreet and unusual plant has its place in a wild or contemporary style garden, just like grasses. Let yourself be surprised and seduced by adopting it in a pot on the terrace or balcony too!

The Thamnochortus cinereus is a plant of the restionaceae family. It is a robust South African botanical restio, widespread in the Cape Province, from Port Elizabeth to Swellendam, very adaptable, and relatively hardy. In its country of origin, it is found both on the moist and misty slopes of the mountains and along streams, not far from springs, and in small pockets of soil between rocks. This region of South Africa is under the influence of a Mediterranean-type climate, mild and humid in winter, hot and dry in summer. The preferred habitat of restionaceae is a vegetation formation called fynbos, regularly subject to fires, where proteaceae plants and heathers dominate.

This herbaceous perennial forms a tuft of hairy, silver stems emerging from the stump, widening upwards. It will reach a height of 80 cm (32in) for the foliage in three years, 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16in) in diameter at the base, and 1 m (1 and 3ft) for the crown in open ground under favorable climates. The culms can reach a height of 1 m (3ft) after 5 to 7 years of cultivation. The plant develops flexible but robust stems, with nodes resembling those on bamboo canes. Along these stems, at regular intervals, at the level of the nodes, there are clusters of feathery, also silver, branches, gathered in dense whorls. The stems are devoid of true leaves. In summer, brown inflorescences appear, which can exceed 1.5 m (5ft) in height on male plants. This plant is dioecious, meaning there are male and female plants. Flowering takes place in May-June depending on the climate, in the form of long brown-golden spikes, followed by the formation of capsules on the female plants. Although theoretically evergreen, the vegetation will be destroyed by frost, but a well-established plant will regrow from the stump in spring.

The Thamnochortus cinereus is hardy down to -10 or even -12°C in well-drained and protected soil, supported by numerous French and British horticulturists who have tested this amazing plant. Its accommodating nature and hardiness allow it to be grown in open ground in many regions spared by severe frosts. This accent plant can be used in a simple perennial bed with echinaceas, thistles, or gauras, as well as in an urban setting to soften a concrete structure. It can also be used in a very decorative way on the terrace, to be stored away in too cold a climate. In open ground or in a pot, it always succeeds when combined with the astonishing Boronia, bamboos, or Nandina, Dierama, Callistemon, or even Gomphostigma virgatum. Its flowers are very beautiful in dried bouquets.