1st year they sleep…

So, I got a call from Jen at work last Thursday. My plants had arrived.

Getting home, I see this cardboard box. A dirty, half disintigrated with water, crushed, and battered box. This is going well…

Ripping it open, I am greated with a plastic shopping bag, obviously the source of the water, as it had leaked some in transit. out of this bag I pull my 4 plants. What looked like 4 soggy, brown, balls of mushy sticks with bare roots attached. I should have gotten pictures, but was more worried about getting them in the ground. Not at all encouraged.

I dig 4 holes, and quickly slap these suckers in, and water them down. To my surprise, and pleasure, the next day all 4 clumps showed signs of life. And in a way unique, to me, anyway. Not that I’m a plant expert. This grass has a cane structure, like corn. Here, little sprouts started coming up from the center of the dead stumps from what must have been last year’s growth. It’s been really rather interesting to watch. The growth has been clipping along at a rather surprising rate, to me. Didn’t know plants moved so fast. I’ll have to get a picture up.

And, in looking around for information on the best care of these things,(more making sure my plans for them will not go killing them) I stumbled on what may end up being a better method to rot some clothes. May as well give it a whirl and see if it outperforms the simple burial method.

But, I also stumbled on this rule of thumb for these ornamental grasses.

1st year they sleep, 2nd year they creep, 3rd year they leap.

Sounds like a tag line for a bad horror movie. PERFECT.

Anyway, basically don’t expect the clumps to get much bigger this year. They’ll grow a bit next, and it’ll be the 3rd year before we see real growth in the size of the clumps.