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Focal Point

Ornamental Millet Grass: The Ultimate Guide to Growing and Care

by Gregory September 5, 2025

written by Gregory 4 minutes read

Ornamental Millet Grass: A Show-Stopping Addition to Your Garden

Ornamental millet grass is a beautiful and easy-to-grow grass that adds a touch of elegance and drama to any garden. With its stunning purple foliage and striking seed spikes, it’s sure to turn heads and attract compliments.

What is Ornamental Millet Grass?

Ornamental millet grass is a hybrid of ordinary millet, a cereal grain that is an important food crop in many parts of the world. However, this particular variety was bred for its ornamental value, rather than its agricultural value. It features vibrant purple foliage and spectacular seed spikes that change from gold to purple as they mature.

Benefits of Ornamental Millet Grass

In addition to its beauty, ornamental millet grass offers several benefits for gardeners:

Easy to grow: It is a low-maintenance plant that can thrive in a variety of conditions.
Fast-growing: It grows quickly from seed, reaching maturity in just 60 to 70 days.
Attracts birds: The seed spikes provide food for birds, making it a great choice for wildlife gardens.
Versatile: It can be grown in mass plantings, as a focal point, or in containers.

Best Time to Plant Ornamental Millet Grass

The best time to plant ornamental millet grass is after the danger of frost has passed. It needs warm air and soil for germination, so even into June seeds may be sown.

How to Care for Ornamental Millet Grass

Ornamental millet grass is a relatively easy plant to care for. Here are a few tips:

Sunlight: It prefers full sun, but can also tolerate partial shade.
Soil: It needs well-draining soil.
Water: Keep it moist, but avoid overwatering. Mulch around the base of the plant to retain moisture.

Different Varieties of Ornamental Millet Grass

There are several different varieties of ornamental millet grass available, each with its own unique characteristics:

Purple Majesty: A popular variety with deep burgundy foliage and 4 to 5 foot tall seed spikes.
Jester: A compact variety with 3 inch leaves in hues of burgundy, green, and chartreuse.
Purple Baron: A dwarf variety that grows to only 3 feet tall.

Ornamental Millet Grass as a Focal Point

Ornamental millet grass makes a stunning focal point in any garden. Its tall, graceful seed spikes add height and drama to the landscape. It can be planted in mass plantings or as a specimen plant.

Ornamental Millet Grass as Bird Food

The seed spikes of ornamental millet grass are a favorite food for birds. As the seeds ripen, they turn a golden brown color and become irresistible to feathered friends.

Ornamental Millet Grass in Containers

Ornamental millet grass is a great choice for container gardening. Its compact size and tolerance for partial shade make it ideal for patios, balconies, and other small spaces.

Ornamental Millet Grass in Mass Plantings

Ornamental millet grass can be planted in mass plantings to create a stunning effect. The purple foliage and seed spikes will create a sea of color and texture that is sure to impress.

Conclusion

Ornamental millet grass is a versatile and beautiful plant that is perfect for any garden. With its easy-care nature and stunning good looks, it’s sure to become a favorite of gardeners of all levels.

Garden Design

Formal Gardens: A Timeless Style to Elevate Your Outdoor Space

by Donna November 15, 2024

written by Donna 3 minutes read

Formal Gardens: A Timeless Style for Your Yard

What is a Formal Garden?

Imagine a garden that’s like a perfectly planned masterpiece, where nature is tamed into geometric shapes and symmetry. That’s a formal garden! Formal gardens date back to centuries ago, and they’re still popular today for their elegant and organized look.

Key Elements of Formal Gardens

Geometric Shapes: Squares, triangles, and straight lines create the framework of a formal garden.
Hedges: Boxwood shrubs are commonly used to create hedges that define paths and create geometric shapes.
Mirror Image: Each side of a formal garden is an exact reflection of the other, creating a sense of balance and order.
Green Plants: Leafy plants, such as boxwood and camellia, are the main focus of formal gardens, with pops of color added sparingly.
Focal Point: A fountain, birdbath, or sundial often serves as the focal point of a formal garden, drawing the eye to its center.

Creating a Formal Garden

To create a formal garden, start by sketching out a plan on graph paper. Place a focal point in the center and use mirror image techniques to design the layout. Hedges and gravel walkways can be used to outline geometric shapes and create pathways. Fill in the open spaces with green plants, such as boxwood or camellia.

Formal Garden Design Ideas

Geometric Vegetable Garden: Plant vegetables in geometric shapes, such as squares or circles, for a unique and organized look.
Concentric Flower Rings: Create concentric rings of colored flowers around a fountain or other focal point.
Triangular Herb Beds: Plant herbs in triangular beds to add a touch of color and functionality to your formal garden.

Benefits of Formal Gardens

Order and Symmetry: Formal gardens bring a sense of order and symmetry to your outdoor space, creating a calming and serene atmosphere.
Low Maintenance: With their focus on green plants and geometric shapes, formal gardens are relatively low maintenance compared to other garden styles.
Visual Interest: The geometric patterns and contrasting colors of formal gardens create visual interest and add a touch of elegance to any landscape.

Tips for Formal Garden Success

Plan Carefully: Sketch out your design before starting to ensure symmetry and balance.
Use Hedges Effectively: Hedges are essential for creating the geometric shapes and defining paths in a formal garden.
Choose Hardy Plants: Select plants that are well-suited to your climate and soil conditions, especially for green plants that will be the backbone of your design.
Maintenance is Key: Regular pruning and trimming are essential to maintain the formal structure of your garden.

Conclusion

Formal gardens offer a timeless and elegant style that can enhance any outdoor space. By incorporating geometric shapes, hedges, and mirror image techniques, you can create a formal garden that is both beautiful and functional.

Gardening

Siberian Melic Grass: The Ultimate Guide to Growing and Using This Ornamental Grass

by Donna May 29, 2020

written by Donna 3 minutes read

Siberian Melic Grass: A Guide for Beginners

Introduction

Siberian melic grass (Melica altissima) is a beautiful and easy-to-grow ornamental grass that adds a touch of elegance to any garden. With its striking deep purple panicles and low maintenance requirements, it’s no wonder that Siberian melic grass is a popular choice for gardeners of all levels.

What is Siberian Melic Grass?

Siberian melic grass is a perennial grass that is native to Siberia. It grows in attractive, neat clumps that can reach up to five feet tall and two feet wide. The leaves are light green, long, and thin. The stems arch and produce panicles with flowering spikes in the summer. The flowers are a deep reddish purple and glossy, and they look lovely in a garden bed or border.

Growing Siberian Melic Grass

Siberian melic grass is easy to grow and can be grown from seed or from transplants. It prefers full sun but will also grow in partial shade. The soil should be well-drained but does not need to be particularly fertile.

Once established, Siberian melic grass care requirements are low. It may need some watering to get established and during droughts, but otherwise, it will grow well with little intervention. Keep the grass in place in the fall for visual interest in the winter garden. Trim the old foliage back in early spring as new growth appears. You can propagate Siberian melic grass by division in spring.

Benefits of Growing Siberian Melic Grass

There are many benefits to growing Siberian melic grass in your garden. Here are a few:

It is a beautiful and easy-to-grow ornamental grass that adds a touch of elegance to any garden.
It is a low-maintenance plant that requires little watering or fertilizing.
It is a drought-tolerant plant that can withstand hot, dry summers.
It is a deer-resistant plant that is not bothered by deer.
It attracts birds to the garden, which can help to control pests.

Uses for Siberian Melic Grass

Siberian melic grass is a versatile plant that can be used in a variety of ways in the garden. Here are a few ideas:

Use it as a border or edging plant to define your garden beds.
Plant it in a cottage garden for a charming, old-fashioned look.
Create a meadow by planting Siberian melic grass in a large area.
Use it as a focal point in a mixed bed with flowers.
Anchor it in a bed with flowers to add height and texture.

Conclusion

Siberian melic grass is a beautiful, easy-to-grow, and versatile ornamental grass that is a great addition to any garden. With its striking deep purple panicles and low maintenance requirements, it’s no wonder that Siberian melic grass is a popular choice for gardeners of all levels.