Description
Eulalia Characteristics
Cultivars of Eulalia can range greatly. All are clump forming ornamental grasses that add texture and color to a landscape bringing winter interest.
'Adiago' grows up to 4' and has light green blades that grow as wide as tall. Sprouts that contain seeds plumes reach several feet above the body of the plant and appear as tan-white clouds overhead.
'Dixieland' reaches up to 4' both in height and width. The thick blades are deep green in the center with white edges. Greens are more prominent at the base of the blades. The blades stand upright until about half way up the plant where the weight causes the tips of the leaves to fall to the ground. This creates a nice sprawling display at the top, with the clumping effect still obvious near the bottom.
'Little Zebra' is a bushy variety with many thin blades that are rigid at the base but weep with height. Foliage is extremely dense and wide. Blooms appear in late summer appear as wine purple but fade to tan with winter.
'Morning Light' has extremely fine blades and grows up to 6' tall. The clump is narrow at the base with some spreading with height. The tan blooms are often cut, dried, and displayed in vases with other dried flowers.
'Strictus' have sturdy, rigid blades that stand nearly perfectly upright. Few blades will droop around the edges of the plant. The blades are a deep green with white at the tips. Seed plumes tend to be reddish brown. This is one of the tallest varieties, growing up to 9'.
'Purpurascens' is a striking variety with green blades in the summer that slowly turn fire red to bronze in the fall. Blades reach up to 5' with the purple to white blooms growing a few feet above. Both the blooms and the showy blades can be added to dried indoor flower arrangements. The blades stay relatively vertical but some light sprawling occurs at the outer edges.
All varieties are relatively attracted to birds and butterflies and many are resistant to deer and rabbits. Best planted in mass as a border or as accents with other vibrant flowers. They can be used to line driveways or bring height to small spaces.
