There are two words and two words only needed to describe the reason for He-Man's continued success whilst battling the evils of Skeletor and his many, many other-dimensional minions. You're probably thinking those two words would be "super strength" or "power-of-greyskull" or "big sword", but ready yourself for this one, Jack; "Battle-Cat". Yes friends, Battle-Cat. This powerful green and yellow striped tiger cat creature, when imbued with the Power of Greyskull has gotten He-Man out of countless sticky situations, sometimes merely with a snarl of his razor-sharp man-eating chompers. The vibrancy of his striped coat signals to henchmen from across the Universe that this is certainly the baddest cat on the block. But when it's feedin' time in the Kingdom of Eternia and there's no bad guys to be chewed up, Battle-Cat curls up for a camouflaged nap in a thick sea of variegation. The only place Battle-Cat lets down his guard is in a clump of Chasmanthium latifolium variegatum - 'River Mist' Northern Sea Oats.
The features of this specimen almost require no written explanation. A couple good photographs make the obvious, obvious. But, I'm writin' about it anyway. This particular cultivar of the standard Northern Sea Oats has brilliantly variegated striping and begins the season with a very upright 'mini-bamboo-esque' growth pattern. As bar-b-que season wears on, green oat heads will begin to form on the ends of the grasses, amending their spikey vertical growth into a more arching and swaying habit. By mid-August the seed heads will turn to a phenomenal burnt-auburn color that can catch late afternoon sun with an almost preposterously beautiful result. Northern Sea Oats have a tendency to re-seed themselves, which should be used to your advantage by siting them someplace with plenty of room to allow them to fill in over time. A note to the retentive: Most seeds from variegated plants do not present the variegated mutation in the subsequent generations of off-spring, so make sure to go through with a fine-toothed garden comb to snatch out the non-striped volunteer seedlings.
Chasmanthium latifolium is listed as a Zone 5-8 hardy plant, which means Northern gardeners can look forward to planting them soon, thanks to Global Warming. Again, these will have a tendency to re-seed and spread quickly, so plan accordingly. Like many members of the grass family (Poaceae), 'River Mist' likes a moist well-drained soil, however reports of successful planting in almost any soil type abound across the internet. Probably more important to success is plenty of sun and regular watering, which fall under the "Common Sense" category of General Plant Needs. This plant is so simple to care for, its becoming difficult to write about.
As a somewhat recent addition to the horticultural world, visitors to your Garden Manscape won't know what to make of 'River Mist', much like Skeletor's intergalactic henchmen quiver with fear in the face of He-Man's giant mutated jungle tiger Battle-Cat. Everyone at Castle Greyskull knows Battle-Cat is the Baddest Cat on the Block. Isn't it time you let your friends know you are too?
photo credit:
1] http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/4/49256/1435306-he_man_and_battlecat.jpg
2] http://www.gapphotos.com/images/WebPreview/0174/0174480.jpg
3] http://www.brokenarrownursery.com/shop/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/c/h/chasmanthium_latifolium_river_mist_3.jpg
4] http://www.dovecreekgardens.com/images/products/2011/G1001%20Variegated%20River%20Oats.jpg
5] http://www.bearcreeknursery.net/plants/grasses/botanical-names.html
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