Melica ciliata
Melica ciliata
Melica ciliata
Silky-spike Melic
Planted 6 months ago, it is struggling to settle in, probably due to the soil being too heavy.
Vanessa, 08/09/2024
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Description
Melica ciliata is a beautiful cosmopolitan grass, valuable for brightening up sunny and somewhat arid areas of the garden with its rather extraordinary flowering. It quickly forms a dense clump topped with delicate, fluffy flower spikes that are very bright, resembling a fountain of Bengal lights in full bloom. Well adapted to all regions, compact and truly graceful, it deserves a place in our gardens.
Melica ciliata belongs to the large Poaceae family. It is a rhizomatous grass. In nature, it occupies rocky and somewhat arid, very sunny places. A very hardy perennial, it appreciates calcareous and well-drained soils, even dry in summer. Its lifespan is quite short, especially in heavy and humid soils, but it perpetuates itself through numerous spontaneous sowings. This plant forms a compact tuft of fine, rough, grey-green leaves, which are more or less rolled up on themselves. They do not exceed 40cm (16in) in height. The generous and prolonged flowering takes place from May to July. The fine flower spikes, equipped with numerous bristles (or cilia), have a somewhat loose appearance. They measure at least 10cm (4in) in length. The flowers successively change from tender green to cream-white and then beige. These silky inflorescences, which play beautifully with light and shine in the sun, are carried by gracefully arched stems, 70 to 80cm (28 to 32in) above the foliage. The above-ground vegetation is evergreen in winter, depending on the climate.
Easy to grow and undemanding regarding soil quality, it will thrive in most of our gardens, in full sun. Once well established, this beautiful grass requires no maintenance and self-seeds here and there, wherever it pleases, often in sunny and arid places in summer, which are slightly difficult to vegetate. Ideal for adding a light and poetic touch to borders, banks, and gravel gardens, it can be combined with many other grasses (stipa, Carex comans, eragrostis, muhlenbergia) and annual or perennial plants. Easily create a naturalistic border by combining it with thistles (Echinops ritro, Eryngium planum), annual poppies, cornflowers, autumn asters (Aster laevis and A. turbinellus), and goldenrods, for example.
Melica ciliata in pictures
Flowering
Foliage
Plant habit
Botanical data
Melica
ciliata
Poaceae
Silky-spike Melic
Western Europe
Planting and care
Melica ciliata is undemanding in terms of soil quality. It grows well in any good garden soil that is not too acidic, in full sun. Heavy and poorly drained soils can harm its longevity. Its cold resistance is excellent. Stony and limestone soils are not a problem, even if they are dry in summer. It is a very easy grass to cultivate in most of our regions. It naturalises easily through spontaneous sowing.
Planting period
Intended location
Care
Planting & care advice
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Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
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In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a (East Coast and Midlands: Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny, Portlaoise). It will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the north-west (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal, Westport), delay planting by 1 to 2 weeks in spring and bring it forward by 1 to 2 weeks in autumn compared to the dates given, preferably choosing periods without strong winds.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (Wicklow Mountains, Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, Connemara, Killarney), it is best to plant in spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October), avoiding periods of waterlogged soil in winter and strong winds, which pose the main risk to newly planted trees in these areas.
The flowering period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a, such as the East Coast and Midlands, including Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Portlaoise.
This will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the northwest (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal and Westport), it will be delayed by one to two weeks compared to the given dates, due to stronger Atlantic winds and less spring sunshine.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (the Wicklow Mountains, the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, Connemara and Killarney), flowering will be delayed by two to three weeks. Flowering mainly occurs between May and July, with the limiting factors being less frost and more of the excessive humidity, strong winds and lack of sunshine that are characteristic of these areas.