Thanks y'all! I'm glad to have people to talk to who understand the excitement. My husband just rolls his eyes and laughs at me. :P Well, one reason I'm waiting is because I will have a big chunk of time that week. I was also trying to time it to be about six weeks before frost. Usually we are baking hot this time of year, but this year has been different so I may actually be able to start a little earlier...was thinking about getting started on a few things this weekend. Oh, and I am also waiting to make sure the grass is good and dead first - I did the layered newspaper method with this bed. ciberisis, even with all the planning I bet you I still end up moving everything at least a couple of times. Oh well, that's part of the fun of it too! Oh...I just realized it's really only 8 days until my vacation. Eeeeeee! :D

Your client is on the right track! Miscanthus cultivars 'usually' stay upright throughout the winter months adding interest to the landscape. However, some winters throw more at the grasses than they can take. We have had similar weather here and many of my grasses were flattened. As the snow & ice has melted some have managed to rebound to their original shape. Some of your client's grasses may rebound. Those that don't can be cut-back enough to tidy them up. I would leave a foot or two for winter protection. As for the centers becoming sparse. This is a normal thing for most clumping grasses. There are several 'fixes'. 1. Dig the whole grass up, remove the center portion & replant ~ you could gain many more clumps of grass with this method. NOTE: Spring is the recommended time to divide grasses. 2. Chop out the dead center portion, add some soil & the grass will probably start to shoot in this improved area. 3. Leave it alone - the sparse centers don't show as the grass gains full size each year. I find that grasses with sparse centers have a lovely shape to them. Bluestem has a nice article about dividing grasses AND a link to a very helpful discussion on this forum! Here is a link that might be useful: dividing grasses

The roots on the sick looking OG looked fine. Yes, I did plant the new OG in the same hole. To be honest, I'm sure the original OG would have been fine in the long run. It probably would continue to looks dry and curly throughout the fall and winter, but I'm sure it would send up new, healthy shoots come Spring. I just couldn't bear to see it looking so dry and curly every day. It all worked out for the best anyway. I think the new OG with the non-variegated leaves fits into the surrounding landscape better.

Since you want the gritty mix to remain that way, I wouldn't topdress with peat or moss. Covering the media surface with a towel would reduce evaporation from the media surface. I'm sure others will chime in with suggestions but one I would toss out there is lower the apt temp/thermostat. You didn't mention at what temp you typically keep your home. If during your absence temps are in the upper 50s low 60s, the tree's metabolism will slow resulting in less transpiration as will evaporation in general. If a wide metal pan(s) (like a deep wide cake pan) are set on top of the radiator and filled with water, then the room humidity would be further increased when the radiator kicks on until the water is gone. (And with metal pans, you wouldn't have to worry about them catching fire/burning.) Extra humidity in the air will further reduce water loss by the tree. Btw, tree is looking good. Looks like it could go up a pot size or two this summer. Looks like Petrushka posted a similar idea while I was typing. :-)