Lines scribbled on the back of seed packets and copied over here before they are lost.
A clump keeps its shape for roughly four years without thinning. After that, removing a quarter of the oldest culms every spring is the only maintenance that matters. Rhizome barriers work when they are deep; a shallow one simply teaches the plant to climb.
Morning watering loses less to evaporation than the gardening books promise, but it does keep the leaves dry overnight, which is the point. Two long soaks a week beat six polite ones.
Leaf that smells of hay when dry will taste of hay when brewed. No temperature trick rescues it. Buy small amounts, drink them quickly, keep the tin away from the stove.
Three summers of readings say the garden runs about one degree warmer than the station across the river, and a full week ahead of it in spring.