Mary Claire Rowe

Our flower for today is Miscanthus sinensis "Arabesque." (Pronounced mis KAN thus sin EN sis).

What a beautiful word "Arabesque." It conjures memories from my childhood of ballet classes in the old home on Summit Avenue in Fort Worth, just down the street from the original Children's Museum.

In their heyday, those old homes were the "city" digs for the cattle barons from the "wild" west Texas.

Grand and imposing, these "McMansions" of their day sat on the embankment above the Trinity River, facing the little city to the east, and keeping a back door view to the river and beyond to the beloved west.

By the time ballet classes were held in one, most of the homes had been left behind by the original owners, as the rich and near-famous went on to bigger and better things. But the houses retained their beauty and interest, and it was wonderful to be able to go there as a young girl and spend a few hours dancing to lovely music.

As was the style at the time, these homes had rather formal gardens in the beginning, probably as a conscious attempt to tame the wildness of the west. When I walked by the homes, on my way to jete', arabesque, and the like, the gardens were mere remnants of their former beauty, but they were much more interesting than the landscaping of most post war homes, with which I was more familiar.

There the rule of the developers seemed to be to put some holly bushes, a mimosa tree or so, a plain, white althea, which had no aroma, and therefore held no interest to me, and call the place landscaped.

This was about the time when I began to take a fleeting interest in the plants that grew around my home, and wonder what to do with them to achieve greater beauty. One summer, I got permission to do some clipping, and a little weeding, but, since I was only 10 and it was hot, my attention quickly shifted to other things.

It was the beginning of my learning about gardening, and I didn't particularly find it very satisfying. That would have to come much later.

Watching the white flower-heads of "Arabesque" bob and weave in the wind, I understand how it got its name. Decorative grasses are warm season, clump-forming plants, that like full sun to bright shade, and moist, well-draining, fertile soil.

They are adaptable to conditions less favorable, but do best with these. They are hardy in Zones 5-9. Put them on your wish list for late spring planting, when the ground is warm, because they don't do well with fall or winter planting.

The sensitive roots can't grow enough to establish the plant before the wet and cold arrive, and they will likely rot. Established plants can be divided in the spring up until the new growth is 18 inches tall, and can be cut back to 6 inches above the crown as late as May. These plants are native from marshes, to mountain slopes in Eastern Asia and parts of Africa and are used as thatch for roofs.

Decorative grasses, such as "Arabesque," are quite popular now with local landscape gardeners, and they make a nice addition to our local scene. It certainly would have added a lovely element to that little Fort Worth home of my childhood.

If only I had known!

Mary Claire Rowe
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