Description

This perennial dwarf restio (family of grassy-looking South African plants) is a plant that will add some dazzle to your garden. The inflorescences are a shiny bronze color, guaranteed to catch your eye as you walk by. Thamnochortus lucens is a restio with an arching, tufted growth habit which remains rounded, compact and neat It is 1 ft to 2 ft tall and has a small base diameter and crown diameter. It has unbranched, smooth culms (stems) and side shoots often emerge from the nodes along the fertile culms as well as at the base of the plant. These small shoots become curled and tangle together but are sterile as they do not produce flowers or seeds. Restios occur as separate male and female plants (dioecious). This can make matching the sexes of the same species quite difficult. A good way to tell is to look at the sheaths found along the culms, male and female sheaths will always be the same for both plants. Thamnochortus lucens has persistent sheaths which are very long and tightly wrapped around the culm. At the base they are tan/brown, becoming lighter towards the margins. The upper part of the sheath becomes membranous and frays with age. In the garden, Thamnochortus lucens prefers a sunny spot with lots of air movement. It grows in a wide range of soils provided that it has good drainage. It does best in gravel, acidic soil. Add compost at planting time which should be early winter or at the start of the rainy season. The cooler weather and rain allow the plant to establish deep roots before the onset of the hot, dry summer season. Plant at other times of the year provided that the plant is well watered for the first two months. It is used to hot dry summers with minimal watering, although a more robust, lush plant will be achieved with regular watering. Looks great planted in large sweeps where wind moves the plants. Beautiful on slopes. Considered difficult to grow.