I have lots of rules but find them hard to put into words. I agree with your original comment, Suzy, that matching colors that are close is peculiarly taxing. I think I would get along with Masha's husband, as I also place vinous reds with pale warm colors. I don't like too many pale or too many powerful colors together: one is anemic; the other too heavy or too leaden. Like Aimeekitty I like little dashes or flecks of strong color in the middle of softer tones: wild poppies self-seeding in the garden are perfect, and surprisingly, their brilliant orange-red goes with nearly everything. White is not a universal peacemaker, but a color like any other. I don't like pure white, just as I dislike primary colors in the garden in general, finding them impossible to harmonize; but I like whites that are are tinted with parchment or honey or cream or lemon. The leap from white to strong colors is too great a one for me: I avoid white beside red, for example (though I will consider purple roses and white ones side by side). I dislike colors that I consider hard--certain shades of brown-tinted orange-red would fall in the category, also the primary colors--but otherwise like just about everything and think it can be used to good effect, whether rich and somber, or pale and soft, or brilliant and flashy. The art lies in putting the right colors together and in the correct proportions. Of course I like lots of soft blues and violets and lavenders in the garden: a rose that can't get along with them is hardly a rose at all; and I appreciated purple foliaged plants with roses as well, especially cool pink roses and red ones. Gray-green and steely and silvery foliage is also excellent with many roses, though that hardly needs to be said. And let me put in a word for acid and yellowy greens. A lot of times I just don't know what will work, and I'll take bits of two plants if I can and place them side by side. With babies or plants I've never seen in flower, or that aren't in flower when I need to plant them, I just do my best, which sometimes isn't good enough so that I end up moving things. Just throwing things together doesn't work for me: some combinations make me flinch, while others are joyful and exquisite, so that I have to think out colors. Verbal rules for color matching are almost always inadequate; I suppose a fine set of charts and knowing how to use them would get the color designer a long way. I love talking about color, Suzy, thanks for bringing the topic up. Melissa

Graziella (planted in 2002, had to be moved in 2003)started blooming the last week of August. Picture taken 9/19/06 shows the blooms already silvery (start out sort of pinkish beige). Sorry, do not have Gracillimus, but my Strictus just started blooming this past week and only has 3 flower stalks so far! Purpurescens fronds start coloring in early September and flowers appear in between the other two. Variegatus has seldom puts out any blooms for me until October & in recent years I have taken to cutting it down when it reaches 3 ft or so, because it always flops, so blooms aren't an issue.

Miscanthus sinensis Purpurascens has survived 3 years in my zone 2b garden. It has no extra winter protection however it is planted in front of my south-facing home where the snow melts and ground warms earlier. M. sinensis Blutenwunder is also in its third year and is blooming for the first time this year. This one is planted in an unprotected area and aside from snowfall, no winter protec tion. Another Miscanthus, I'm pretty sure it's Malepartus (lost tag) is also chugging along planted near the house foundation. It hasn't bloomed, but isn't in the best location either and needs to be moved next year.

Paul, I think I dumped about 2 bags of Wal-Mart steer manure on the string of ornamental grasses seen in the pic above, around May 1 last year, right after I chopped them off. I cut off everything above about 6 inches. This Spring Im going to try leaving it a little longer, maybe 12 or 14 inches tall. My thought is this might give it more strength and help it stay more upright when the snow hits. So far I havent seen any new ornamental grasses come up anywhere from seed. I dont get the feeling they start from seed all that easily. The Giant grass sends out runners about 6 or 8 inches from present grass clump. No further than that. On the Hardy pampas the new stems are in very tight to the old. Id say it spreads only an inch or maybe 2 inches per year. I read somewhere that these tall ornamental grass varieties are very responsive to Nitrogen fertilizer, so you might want to consider putting a little manure or something on yours. If not that, then I imagine a little cheapy lawn fertilizer (without the insecticide and weed killer) would also make yours very happy. The Giant silver grass is being used in Germany for the stuff to put into the fermentation vats to make alcohol motor vehicle fuel. Apparently it grows more fermentable mass per acre than any other crop. In pictures of it growing there, it seems to be about 14 feet tall. Bruce