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Ornamental Grasses

New Panicum

15 years ago

I am excited!!! Finally after many years of mucking about with a perennial plant firm a sport, from one of my Panicum 'Heavy Metal' plants, is going to be introduced as a new named cultivar. YIPEEEE!!! They tell me that it should be available at nurseries within the next couple of weeks. (may only be available in Canada at first ??)

The Panicum is going to be called 'Blood Brothers'. It has the same stiff upright form of 'Heavy Metal' but 1/3 to 1/2 of the leaf is a deep blood red. The rest of the leaf is the same steel-blue of 'Heavy Metal'

If you see it in a nursery I would love to hear about it!

Fingers crossed that it will do well

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Comments (12)

donn_
15 years ago
Mazeltov!

I was just reading about it on perennials.com, and for some reason didn't connect your name.

I want one, or three!

Hey grass_guy...how 'bout it?
countrygardener_2009
15 years ago
Congratulations: that's fantastic! I'll be looking for it.
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My first thought is to religiously avoid any fertilizer in the future. Panicum only needs ferts when it's very young, and detests it in later years. Fertilizer tilts the delicate balance between foliage growth and stem strength. If you stimulate the growth of foliage, the stems can't support the weight, especially when wet. My next thought is it may be time to start the process of thinning the mature plants by division. With as many as you have, this is a daunting task, but the older they get, the more they need it. In your case, I'd probably do it by removing all but a small bit on the outer perimeter of each plant. This is the youngest part of the plant, and will grow with vigor after being freed from the older parts of the plant. Use a very stout, sharp nursery spade, and simply cut out and remove at least 3/4 of each plant, leaving only a bit of the perimeter growth. Fill the hole with plain soil. It'll fill in quickly, and be much stronger. Finally, $2,000 to mow and remove a half-acre of grass sounds terribly exorbitant. I can't imagine why it would cost more than a few hundred dollars, at the most. For a few hundred, you could rent a brush hog, and cut it yourself. You could probably rent a shredder for even less, and shred the cuttings for mulch/compost. If you live in an area which allows it, consider a controlled burn each spring. This kills two birds with one match. The grass will love it, and you'll save a bundle. Do the divisions soon after you burn the field. By mid-summer, your patch will be gorgeous.
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You can probably get away with moving it now in your zone. I've done it with no ill effects. If the fall is normal, there are still several weeks before hard frosts. Cut the plant back to 1/3 its current size. Prepare the new planting site by digging a hole twice the size of the rootball. Leave the soil you've dug in a circle around the new hole. Loosen the soil at the bottom and sides of the new hole, but don't amend the fill soil, unless it is too rich for Panicum, in which case, cut it with poorer soil. Cut the rootball about 3" out from the crown, at least 12" deep and at a slight angle inward. Once you've circled the rootball, you should be able to rock it out with little root damage. Soak the new hole with water, and soak the rootball (gently), and install the plant with the top of the crown at the same level as it was in its original site. Use the soil ringing the new hole to backfill around the rootball. Fill it 1/3 the way, tamp and water. Continue until the new hole is completely backfilled. Water thoroughly every couple of days through the fall, unless there is sufficient rainfall.
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airfun
14 years ago
Congratulations! If I see it, I will tell you where I am planting because I am sure to be buying it :) It is gorgeous!

Chris
achnatherum
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for that Chris - I will be happy to hear when it finally hits the nurseries. Of course a lot of the grasses don't get into 'selling condition' quite as fast as other perennials. I can give you one hint - look for it in a blue pot .....
It has taken such a long time to get the plant to this point - I won't believe it is being marketed until one of you actually sees it out there.
Holding my breath.... :o)
Achnatherum
bluespruce53
14 years ago
Any chance of it getting over to the UK ?
achnatherum
Original Author
14 years ago
bluespruce,
Good question - I will certainly ask for you...
I did take a piece to a friend in ireland a number of years ago. I wanted her to trial it for me. Unfortunately, she has since sold the garden & nursery so I don't know what happened to the grass.

A.
steve1young
14 years ago
How would you say it differs from 'Ruby Ribbons'?
achnatherum
Original Author
14 years ago
Good question Steve - I haven't seen Ruby ribbons 'in the flesh' so, I couldn't tell you. I will certainly look out for it in the local nurseries & check it out myself. I'm sure the growers grew a comparison plant of ruby ribbons while they were evaluating Blood Brother's. I'll have to ask them what they thought....

A.
ontnative
14 years ago
I'm pretty sure that I saw it at a nursery in the Guelph-Kitchener area a couple of days ago. The name caught my atttention, when I saw your post. I was at three diferent nurseries that day, so I can't say for sure where I saw it.
achnatherum
Original Author
14 years ago
I've had a few reports off the forum that Blood Brothers has indeed arrived in nurseries in Ontario anyway. That's a beginning!
Steve, they are growing ruby ribbons & b. brother side by side (since last summer) & will have a better idea of how they compare by the end of this summer.
Blue Spruce - re: available in the UK - they say that might be a possibility but it won't happen this year.
Thanks to all for your kind comments!
a.
achnatherum
Original Author
14 years ago
I've had a few reports off the forum that Blood Brothers has indeed arrived in nurseries in Ontario anyway. That's a beginning!
Steve, they are growing ruby ribbons & b. brother side by side (since last summer) & will have a better idea of how they compare by the end of this summer.
Blue Spruce - re: available in the UK - they say that might be a possibility but it won't happen this year.
Thanks to all for your kind comments!
a.
shivadiva
13 years ago
I see that these were messages from last season -- I'm looking for nursery distribution in the US and haven't found anything by online searching. Does anyone know a nursery which will ship to the US? Canning no longer does. Thanks!

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