HOLCUS mollis 'Variegatus'

Pretty variety of Holcus mollis, a small grass with a herbaceous consistency, perennial and evergreen, with a rather fast growth and a thick and regular habit, native to Europe and western Asia. At the maximum of its development it can touch 40 cm of height, but it extends widely, sometimes resulting also a weed. It has numerous slender, thin stems, erect and supple which give the plant a globular and compact shape; the leaves, which sheath the stems, are narrow and ribbon-like with acute apex and smooth margins, bordered by an elegant white streak: soft to the touch, hence the common English name of "velvet grass". During the summer, from the cushion of the foliage, abundant, tapered greenish-white spikes rise, doubling the typical height, enriching the decorative value of the plant in this season.

It prefers sunny or partially shaded locations and medium-textured soils that tend to be humid, but perfectly drained and permeable. It bears short periods of drought and long phases of even intense frost, but does not tolerate the salinity typical of marine winds in coastal locations. It does not require special care: it is recommended only at the vegetative restart in spring to reduce the tuft almost to the level of the ground to allow a renewed and more dense growth. Suitable for pots and containers on terraces and balconies, but it gives even more amazing results in the open ground garden: either alone in large patches or in rows of low borders, or even combined with other essences from the same needs and complementary in the colors of foliage and flowering.