Posted by seedmoney 8A (seedmoney@embarqmail.com) on Mon, Feb 18, 13 at 15:45 This offer is now closed. Tip...when responding to any seed trade or 'offer' it is a good idea to scan through the posts in the thread to see if the OP (Original Poster) has updated, changed, or closed the offer...as in this case.

I've got a Miscanthus 'Gracillimus' in almost full shade, as well as several plants in mostly sun. It grows fine in the shady spot, but as you pointed out, it grows about half as tall (which isn't necessarily a bad thing because they get enormous) and it doesn't flower. I started Chasmanthium latifolium from seed this year. It was a slow germinator compared to the other native grasses I started from seed. But I've got 6 small plants about a foot tall now. Can't wait to see this when it flowers!

Chasmanthium does prefer shade and moist conditions, but I've got some growing in containers outside in full sun and they do fine with adequate watering. They are a warm season grass and you are in zone 7, so it may just not have established itself well enough yet and if the grass receives more sun, it needs more water. My guess is that once established, you won't have to worry so much about watering as often. They are actually fairly drought tolerant for a woodland/stream lover, and an overall pretty tough grass.

SallyM: Just saw your posting and thought that I would make a very belated response. I live in northwestern Michigan and recently decided to add a few ornamental grasses to one of our garden areas. Having been a long fan and frequent visitor to the wonderful Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, MO, I went to their plant finder section, which is part of their Kemper Center for Home Gardening and did a "search" on "ornamental grasses" - you'll find this link under "plant type" when you use their search engine and scroll down a bit to plant type. At any rate, the link below will provide you with extensive and useful information on Chasmanthium latifolium, which is also apparently named "Inland Sea Oats". In reading their information in the "General Culture" section, they make the statement that this is "one of the more shade tolerant of the ornamental grasses. self-seeds and may become invasive." Despite that statement, I found a souce for this plant and have planted two of them at the edges of our patio. Since the garden area around our patio area is covered by a heavy plastic woven barrier, I doubt that I'll have serious problems with it. If by chance I do, I'll simply take out a trowel, a pruner or whatever and "tame" it. ;>) Besides, I believe that it will become a treasured gem in the garden. Manistee, MI is located on Lake Michigan and our winter temperatures are often moderated by the lake's water and so we are mostly located in USDA zone 6/5 - depending upon the severity of the winter. Since you might be interested in making use of the MBO PlantFinder's information, I have noted a few other links below regarding some of the plants and flowers that are being considered for inclusion in our garden or have been planted as to date. One of the plants (2 of them) that we planted in our garden this fall is Phlox paniculata 'Mount Fuji'. I've listed the informational link at the Missouri Botanical Garden below. If you look carefully, you will note several checked areas in several sections. I located this plant by simply using their search engine and checking a number of the characteristics that I wanted. In addition, you should also note that they offer a wide variety of local - for St. Louis gardener's - and online sources for the rest of us. Fortunately, I was able to locate this plant locally by just handing a print out of this page to one of our better local sources. http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=E600 One of the peonies that I did consider placing in the garden this fall was Paeonia lactiflora 'Duchesse de Nemours', but choose instead to plant "Florence Nicholls", which I obtained from A & D Nursery. Here's the link to the two peonies. The first is to the Duchesse and the second is to Florence and the third link is to a photograph of Florence. Thought you'd enjoy!! http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=Q260 http://www.adpeonies.com/ (You'll have to scroll down at bit to find her. http://www.adpeonies.com/peonies/florencenicholls.jpg I mentioned both of these white peonies for another reason. I am using the "Chasmanthium latifolium" as a "dividng point" to separate the front of our patio garden from the sides. I just hope that the "design" in my head actually turns out just as well in reality. ;>) Hope you find these comments and this additional source of information more than useful in your gardening endeavors. Bill William Harrison, Librarian/Gardener/Photographer, etc. ;>) Here is a link that might be useful: Missouri Botanical Garden - PlantFinder