Good Morning Sunshine

Luminous quality

One of my favorite ornamental grasses is the Miscanthus sinensis cultivar 'Morning Light'.  It has fine variegated leaves that look fresh all summer.  Its reddish blooms show up at the end of summer.

Best in full sun, but can take light shade.  In fact, it looks better without the harsh midday sun.  The grass practically glows when backlit by morning or afternoon light.

This particular Japanese silver grass grows to about four feet so I use it often in mixed beds as accents.  It stays more erect and doesn't flop in late season like Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus', allowing 'Morning Light' to play well with other plants in a bed.

At four feet high, plays well with others

Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' and geranium 'Nimbus'

According to Rick Darke, in his Pocket Guide to Ornamental Grasses (one of my favorite books on grasses),  'Morning Light' has been a popular cultivar in Japan for a century but only introduced in Western gardens in the late '70s.   So really not that new, but still a fresh alternative to many of the other Miscanthus varieties routinely planted around here.