Miscanthus sinensis 'EMPMIS01' RED CLOUD^®

If you like ornamental grasses you will now be thrilled. And if you are not a grass fan you will most certainly become one of them the minute you check this miscanthus. It was introduced by Dutch grower Piet Bron from his nursery Empho in 2016, and the same year it won Bronze Medal at Plantarium in Boskoop. Its name is RED CLOUD^® and it was selected among many seedlings for its shorter growth, early flowering, and excellent flower colour.

RED CLOUD^® miscanthus is one of very few varieties producing weeping inflorescence. Already in midsummer it forms rich burgundy red, glossy plumes which are not erect as most other eulalias. Their colour is intense and is best viewed against afternoon sun. In early autumn the flowers open into fluffy, cotton-like, silvery plumes that look great left on the plant over winter when the whole clump is pruned back.

Leaves are rather narrow, just like Gracillimus variety, and reach only about one meter tall. The plant forms compact, upright but not stiff clumps creating and airy and relaxed atmosphere. RED CLOUD^® does not spread quickly like some other varieties.

Eulalia is best grown in sunny and warm areas, in almost any well-drained soil with only occasional watering in summer. It hates boggy soil quite surprisingly copes well with heavy clay unless its roots stand in water before they establish. It is recommended to tie up the leaves before winter and cut the clump back in early spring, about 10-20 cm above ground level. Fully hardy to min. -24°C (USDA zone 6), possibly a little lower (not trialed yet).

Last update: 23-09-2018