Phaenosperma globosa

The Phaenosperma globosa is a hardy and graceful perennial grass found naturally in humus-rich undergrowth, along watercourses, and other cool places in the mountains of East Asia. It charms with its beautiful fountain-like habit, lovely bluish-green foliage, relatively early flowering, and amusing and precious fruiting, which evokes clusters of pearls. In the garden, it can be used to add a poetic touch to shady and cool areas, ideally in the humus of an undergrowth. It is worth noting that it tolerates dry shade quite well.

The Phaenosperma globosa belongs to the large family of grasses; it is a mountainous origin grass resistant to cold (-20°C (-4°F)). The plant forms a tuft about 80 cm (32in) tall when flowering (50 cm (20in) for the foliage) and about 50-60 cm (20-24in) wide; its root system is non-invasive. It consists of stems bearing beautiful flat, tapering leaves measuring up to 4 cm (2in) wide. They are dark green on the upper surface, with bluish-to-whitish reflections on the underside. This foliage persists in mild climates during winter. Flowering occurs in June, more or less early, depending on the environment. It takes the form of long arching stems bearing upright flower heads, which then spread out and become branched and light, measuring 15 to 40 cm (6 to 16in) in length, with a silvery colour. After wind pollination, round, shiny seeds are formed, which become almost white when ripe.

The Phaenosperma globosa is a beautiful grass for fresh undergrowth or edges, rarely found in gardens. Its elegant grass-like silhouette and bright green foliage always make a big impression among shade plants such as ferns or silver candles, which often have a very different appearance. Place it in the least exposed corners of the garden, where it will benefit from summer freshness. It can be perfectly placed near a small pond or stream as long as the soil is not constantly waterlogged. Tolerating the competition of the roots of large trees, it can also be planted in groups of 5 to 10 plants on the edge of fresh undergrowth. It can be paired with ground cover plants that appreciate the same environments, such as small ferns (Polypodium), Hostas, Japanese grasses, and ophiopogons.