March 2025 Culture, Variety Info
Culture Report: Miscanthus ‘Scout’ By Cary Levins

An infertile perennial from University of Georgia

Miscanthus, commonly known as maiden grass, is one of the best-known ornamental grasses in North American gardens and landscapes. It might be tempting to assume one knows all there is to know about it, but that would be far from the truth.

Did you know that while most miscanthus produce viable seed and can self-sow in the garden, there are also infertile selections that are the wellbehaved cousins and don’t spread through the garden?

But why would one want to reach for the infertile selections rather than the seedproducing ones? Namely, for the grower, this helps keep the variety true to type in container production. The other, perhaps less obvious, advantage of infertile grasses is that because the plants aren’t putting energy into producing seeds, they are more vigorous, flower earlier and produce blooms for a longer period of time.

The great news is you don’t have to say goodbye to your favorite miscanthus characteristics, because often there is an infertile selection that shares many benefits of its fertile cousin. So, it’s basically a swap for the better.

One such infertile variety worthy of the spotlight is Miscanthus sinensis ‘Scout’ (PP30402), which was developed by Wayne Hanna at the University of Georgia and is exclusively available from Emerald Coast Growers.

‘Scout’ features slender green blades with white midribs that take on spectacular fall color. It’s similar in form to miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’. Reaching a mature height of up to 5 to 6 feet in the garden and hardy in Zones 5 to 10, it’s one of seven infertile miscanthus that Emerald Coast Growers carries. All of them perform best in full sun and are available in 38- and/or 72-cell liners, with the exception of M. xgiganteus, which is available in 21-cell liners. Growing conditions are the same as for fertile miscanthus, so they don’t require any special treatment.

POTTING AND MEDIA

If starting from 38-cell or 72-cell liner trays, plant one liner per pot. The recommended finish size is 1-gallon pots.

‘Scout’ does best in well-draining commercial potting mix with a soil pH of 5.8 to 6.2 and EC of 1.0 to 1.5. In the garden and landscape, plant in well-draining soil.

TEMPERATURE

During the growing period, daytime temperatures can range from 60° F to 95° F and should maintain around 50° F to 60° F during the night.

FINISH TIME

If planted from January through mid-March, it should take 8 to 10 weeks depending on day and night temperatures. If planted in the spring, finish time is reduced to 6 to 8 weeks.

FERTILIZER AND MOISTURE

Incorporate or top dress with a controlled release fertilizer with a 4- to 6-month release. In the garden and landscape, little to no fertilizer is required.

Keep evenly moist soil in pots. Do not let it dry to the point of drought stress. In the garden and landscape, ‘Scout’ is drought tolerant once established.

PEST AND DISEASE

Watch for leaf spots and rusts during humid, wet conditions, and be sure to scout often for aphids in the spring.

VERNALIZATION

Miscanthus can overwinter and will start to go dormant below 50° F. Growers can push ‘Scout’ out of dormancy above 55° F. Supplement with liquid feed fertilizer weekly for four weeks when new growth emerges. Supplemental lighting is not required.