Bowles' golden grass
Milium effusum 'Aureum' · Poaceae
Soft, floppy leaves of clear, bright yellow in spring, with delicate, golden, beaded flower sprays above them.
- Size
- 18 in tall, 12 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers mid May to late June
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around Bowles' golden grass
The planner designed this bed around Bowles' golden grass when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why Bowles' golden grass stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bowles' golden grass × 4, chartreuse leaves
- 2 Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple' × 11, purple
- 3 Leadwort × 16, blue
- 4 Foxglove × 3, pink
- 5 Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume' × 3, pink
- 6 Bleeding heart × 1, white
- 7 Hardy cyclamen × 3, pink
- 8 Yellow trout lily × 10, yellow
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
Why here
- At the back. At 18 in it is seen over leadwort (10 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to bleeding heart (2½ ft) and astilbe 'Ostrich Plume' (3 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 4 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 12 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- Stands through winter. Left uncut, it holds its shape until March, when the perennials have gone.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 65% of the planted ground. Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple' is planted in three places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. The scheme leans cool (purple, blue and pink) and uses yellow for warmth, with white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 7 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Bowles' golden grass goes in a border
At 18 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in). It is airy enough to see through, so it can also come forward and veil what is behind it.
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Spring sunshine for a shady bed, at its best with blue: forget-me-nots, bluebells and brunnera. It fades to lime in summer and seeds gently, coming true.
- Gold foliage for spring shade
- Partnering with blue flowers
- Woodland gardens
What to plant with Bowles' golden grass
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Siberian bugloss: adds the flowers, late April to late May; bold leaves against its medium ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Virginia bluebells: adds the flowers, mid April to early May; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta 'Halcyon': bold leaves against its medium ones; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about Bowles' golden grass
Does Bowles' golden grass need sun or shade?
Bowles' golden grass grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does Bowles' golden grass grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should Bowles' golden grass be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Bowles' golden grass plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used four in one group.
Will Bowles' golden grass spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Self-seeds lightly in moist shade. Seedlings are gold and easy to move.
What does Bowles' golden grass look like in winter?
Bowles' golden grass holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 12 in (30 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front, or further forward: it is airy enough to see through
- Flowers
- Mid May to late June; airy sprays; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; chartreuse
- Shape
- Arching, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Poaceae
Checked against VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.