Getting help with ornamental grasses

Today we did something we had never done before: We hired somebody to help us with yard work.

Removing the two large clumps of maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis) in front of the house had been at the top of our to-do list for the fall. However, since both my wife and I have had back problems recently we hadn’t been able to tackle this project in a timely fashion.

Instead of waiting any longer, we decided to call on a yard service guy who came highly recommended. Within a couple of hours, he had not only dug out the two large miscanthus in the front yard, he had also excavated the remainder of a nectarine tree in the backyard which I had begun to remove a while ago.

All I have left to do now is cut back the remaining vegetation along the side walk and I’ll be ready for some major planting, including a dozen plants I bought at Morningsun Herb Farm last month and a couple of leucadendrons and grevilleas. Yeah!

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Rigoletto’ (left) and ‘Dixieland’ (right)—before…

…and after

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Dixieland’—before…

…and after

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Rigoletto’ (left) and ‘Dixieland’ (right)—before…

…and after

…and after

I was very excited to see that a couple of plants I knew had been buried by the miscanthus were still alive and kicking. The first is an Aloe marlothii which I planted years ago as a small offset. It has grown tremendously in spite of the less than ideal conditions it had been subjected to.

Aloe marlothii, finally able to enjoy the sunshine and breathe fresh air

The second is a Hebe speciosa, a small shrub from New Zealand with showy flowers. Even it has grown since I planted it in the spring although it was completely smothered by the second miscanthus.

Hebe speciosa

Here is what’s left of the two grasses. Hard to believe they started out as 4-inch plants!

Yard waste pile