Worth Waiting For?

your garden looks beautifull lily and i love these pennisetum rubrum, im going to have some next year for my front pots, think they will look good either side of front door,it sure does look more red from last year lily, stunning infact, enjoyed your blog and pics thanx, and nice to see you as always ;o)) x

It is a very beautiful plant. I hope your efforts next year pay dividends and also that someone can advise you about when it's best to divide it. A+ for perseverence with your planters....and the nastursiums have really graced your arch beautifully.

found this lily
After you cut them back, examine the base of the clump. After several years of growth, the clump will tend to die out in the center. When this happens, it's time to dig it up and divide it.

The easiest way is to cut the clump in half, discard the dead center and replant each half. You could divide it into quarters, but I find that larger clumps reestablish more quickly. This is a good time to replenish the soil with fresh compost. Keep the new divisions moist for the rest of the growing season.
hope it helps x

Brilliant blog Lily and your garden looks magnificent, such colour !
Can't help you about splitting the Pennisetum but good luck any way, I'm sure you will succeed and get them to grow really big ! ;0)))

Thanks very much Sandra for your comments and your words of wisdom. Does it say when to do this? Yes they would look very impressive either side of your front door, I thought of this but then I wouldn't see them much myself unless I went in and out a lot! I've just remembered that I had 3 plants last year and this one was redder even though supposed to be the same plant.
Glad you like it too Whistonlass, it really does look best in the planters. It's such a prime spot that I need something worthy of it. The nasturtuiums weren't expected to climb but I'm so glad they did. :o)) Freebies too so even better!
Thank you Val, the garden has been 'winners and losers' as usual this year but turned out quite colourful in the end. I can feel myself mentally sharpening up that old breadknife again LoL........

lovely blog & photos...your garden is beautiful Lily

Looking as fantastic as ever Lily, it's still my favourite too!

Lovely grass in a lovely garden, Lily, the stone pots are just perfect for those grasses. I Good luck wih the division of them ! : o )))))

what a lovely blog Lily, good luck with the overwintering challenge!
I agree that the plant you kept longer seems redder and therefore more attractive.
Are they plants to be bought in the Spring? I'm not normally a fan of grasses, but these are really lovely, very impressive.

I've never tried grasses - never been really keen about them, but these look very nice. I like the colour on them, They look lovely in those big tubs.

Beautiful pennisetum, Lily :-)))
They've been a favourite of mine for years :-)))

I have had one in the ground for years with no problems but it's nothing like as nice as yours. There must be different varieties some hardier then others. It's always the less hardy that are nicer lol

It's colour is fantastic, will put this on my shopping list. The garden looks fantastic . :o)))

Lovely garden as usual Lily, nice to see it again.
I note ypur comment about the breadknife, lol, I came on to say I can hear that breadknife being sharpened! I've done a bit of research, but unfortunately, this grass is grown as an annual in this country, so not much guidance, but I'd imagine the best time to split would be in Spring, as growth begins, as with Phormiums and the like.
Funny how it survived during last winter, one of the worst for ages, when the others you tried to keep didn't. Must have been the extra care you took as it was so cold, lol!

that is a fantastic plant, im not surprised you couldnt resist it, i have a couple of smaller grasses in my front garden, behind them is a large blue pot, somehow it makes the grasses stand out more, but what i really love is how they blow in the wind.

Thank you all for your lovely comments, they are very much appreciated :o))
It's all an illusion due to distance with the grass Shirley! It's been looking worse than usual for most of the summer but mostly green now.
They're not usually in the GC's till June Weeding but you can get them mail order earlier which is what I did last year. They were tiny and took forever to get big so I don't recommend it! The one I overwintered (which was more red) was one I bought later from the GC as I was so impatient!
I'm not keen on grasses generally either Hywel especially in borders, but I love these in tubs.
Do you buy new every year Louise or overwinter?
I think a lot are very hardy Heron but yes, it's as you say with a lot of plants - the more interesting, the more temperamental! :o((
All sharpened and ready to go Bamboo! I was wondering if Spring would be the time to operate. AndrewR instructed me on how to overwinter (in the living room, no less!) so maybe he's tried division too.
Yes Stickitoffee, I agree about the background, maybe why I'm not so keen on them in borders.

I admit that I tried this lovely grass as well - but lost it in the winter of 2008, so I tried again, starting with plug plants, and they did really well. I didn't succeed in over-wintering them though, and the new ones I ordered this spring were....errrr...dead on arrival. Grrrrrr...... I think that I'll have to buy a mature plant next summer.

Your garden looks so lovely - it's tidy, too - mine certainly isn't!

Yours is ahead of mine lily - mine is only just thinking about 'flowering' - I think the dry period we had in the summer held it back.
I've not tried to divide mine. Did you see Gardener's World last night - theydid a lot on grasses and said they should be divided in spring so i'd leave it till then.
Two things I've learnt with this grass - when overwintering it, I give it a little water once a week; this seems to keep it ticking over without getting it into rampant growth. I then cut all the top growth back in early spring and make it start again. Don't be in a rush to plant it out - late May at the earliest and then only if we are having a good warm spell. By all means harden it off earlier but a cool spell or cold nights hold it back if it is put outside permanently too soon

Lily what a wonderful garden and those plants are amazing

The problem with this Pennisetum is that it really needs more heat than we get in the UK to grow really well, especially earlier in the season.....would probably benefit from keeping it under glass well into summer before bringing it outside.Certainly wouldn't try and divide this one in spring, probably best left until mid summer, unless it's still under glass at that time

Thanks for the advice Bluespruce. Maybe I'll buy 2 matching specimens for the tubs early next summer and have a go and dividing this one later in the summer. Presumably it won't recover soon enough to put on a display on a decent size plant in the same year?

Lily, I think if this is a grass you really want to have every year, then it is less problematic, although a little more expensive, to buy new plants every year...too much hassle and no guarantee of good results trying to keep it going over winter IMO....ever considered giving Pennisetum vilosum a go in containers ?

I did admire Pennisetum Vilosum in your recent blog BS but just had another look and my comment doesn't seem to be there (this happens quite often, not sure why). I think I may certainly give it a go next year, it's very beautiful and seems to be hardy, Is it widely available?

You can normally find it in good Garden centres when it's in flower ...for obvious reasons, or I can send you some through the post if you want ?

i got this this year .had it in a tub and now planted in the border. wth a few other grasses .do i cut it down or leave it .and do i have to pritect the crown .

One of my favourite grasses. Congratulations on getting a plant through that long, awful winter last year.

Cristina, it will not survive outside, the first frosts will kill it!

do i tup it again then help or shud i wrap it up where it is

Ah a lovely plant, I bought one a few weeks ago, firecracker I think its called, commonly, to place in front of a pale wall and have planted in an aluminium container, looks good, not as good as yours tho' :) I am gonna risk it outside over the winter.

Thanks Bluespruce, sent you PM
That's gardening isn't it David, things survive when you least expect it and sadly, vice versa!
It definitely needs to come indoors out of the cold Cristina and Welshange, no chance of survival otherwise. :o((

Cristina and Welshange - see my tips above about getting this grass through the winter indoors. It can be tricky (as Lily and Spritzhenry will tell you). Good luck

What a beautiful plant. The colour is so unusual, hope you get it through the winter.

read the label again and it says it will keep flowers till past winter so now i am confused urgggg but will treat it as you say. the one i have is pennisetum setaceum <rubrum> says on label retaines spikes over winter ,in march cut down to 20 cm. . ergggg wot u think

It will keep flowering all winter PROVIDED it is kept in warm conditions,
ie away from frost. As I said above, I then cut it down in spring, increase the watering, gradually hardening it off while making sure it is never outside in cold temperatures

ok then will i put it in conservatory

It all looks fantastic and so neat Lily. Very impressive.

just looking at your photos again~ what a beautiful garden

Thank you Dan and Sticki, sadly a lot of it was seen off by the early frosts and the rest is dying down now for winter. :o( This is very much a summer garden, winter interest is in the front garden.

mine is a bit like that, seems to be naturally a spring garden but im trying very hard to make it interesting all the year round. there is a gorgeous copper beech in the corner and i love it ~ it is red gold right now ~ unfortunately it has a few branches that go onto the neighbours garden which they cut off!!! i cant understand how or why anyone could cut a copper beech

Oh what a shame, some people just hate overhanging branches don't they? I suppose it is a nuisance if they stop his plants growing upright but such a pity to spoil the shape of the tree. I've learned my lesson on that one and have vowed never to plant another tree near my boundary! We're having a re-jig of the far right hand corner of the garden so hopefully I can plant some things with other seasons in mind. :o)

the tree was in when we moved here [the previous people put in some beautiful plants] and now its too big otherwise it might have been worth moving?? the shade is all on our side tho so its a bit baffling.
just looking at it now ~ i think you would call it burnished gold? even on this cloudy dim afternoon!

What a lovely sight to look out on Sticki, especially on a dull day but I think I'd be very wary of transplanting a tree....better to leave well alone and put up with the neighbour. :o((

yes its lovely, but no chance of transplanting ~ would probably lose it altogether and i wouldnt want to do that!