What is your favorite ornamental grass and why?
Also, what plants did you combine them with?
So far, and I'm new at this, I've grown fountain grass (annual and perennial), feather reed grass (no flowers this year, planted it too late), switch grass, and two miscanthus cultivars: 'Arabesque' and 'Rotsilber', as well as dwarf zebra grass, blue oat grass and little bluestem. Waited too late to find good blue fescues, so I went with dianthus instead. It was a great choice, as it is flowering now (again) and makes a nice, contrasting edging.
This message was edited Aug 26, 2005 8:03 PM
Ornamental Grasses
You may want to post this over at the grass & bamboo forum. You have a great variety of grasses.
My favorite changes everytime I look at a different grass!
Abigail
Hi, prairie girl and So.OH--
I didn't realize there was a 'grass forum' and I'll have to look there for more info, too.
do you have some pics of your plantings--sounds like you are on a roll with the grasses...I have had some fun this year combining (only a couple of) grasses with some perennials--I love black mondo grass around hostas, for instance...and the new(ish) zebra/tiger/variegated grasses are fun to put next to simply colored daylilies, cannas and others...
I don't have much of this sort of thing in my garden, but wish I had more...I think grasses must be fairly easy maintenance and a very modern and stylish addition to the mixed border...a new twist to the 'same old, same old'....and the birds and butterflies like them.
I can't think of the landscape designers' names who popularized the grasses in the U.S.--his name is something like Van Sweden from Grand Rapids (now in D.C.) comes to mind...does anyone know?
Would love to see more grasses combined with perennials and other plants...
Happy gardening...t.
PrairieGirl, Are you still looking for blue fescue. I have many seedlings that I need to find new homes for? I didn't cut the seed heads soon enough last year and I have seldings everywhere.
Went out to inspect my grasses (which I tend to take for granted) and took a few pics....No ID on these grasses, but I'm sure someone recognizes them...planted with sedum (and a fall blooming baby liatris that is hard to see.)
and another quite large one that needs to be divided (a lot of work)...
Your mondo grass & hosta sounds like fun... & I don't know the fellows name that popularized them, but they are low maintenance & soothing in our dry landscape.
Your first picture T. Looks like Pennisetum A very good choice for soft bloom & any perennial the same size or taller will go with it.
Your larger one looks just the right size to me... They get so pretty butting up against their neighbors.
Thank you for posting the pics...
You made me go out & take some pics of my own. I posted them over on the grass & bamboo forum tho.
It hasn't been too active & I miss it!
SoOh - Thanks I'll go over there and look! I had no idea there was a grass forum, I guess I was looking for the term ornamental or something, and I missed it. Thanks Kathy, I'm willing to take some of those seedlings off your hands...I'm very new at this, so please tell me what you need me to do...
I agree that tabasco's (Morning Light?) miscanthus looks like the perfect size. I also have pennisetum and the sedum tabasco used is just right. (And the liatris!) That's a great combination!
I used a low-growing darker-colored one (vera jameson) and it's barely visible next to the fountain of foliage! I thought I might switch it for this new one I have called 'Strawberries and Cream'. I don't have pics yet, but when I do i'll post them on the grasses forum. See you all there!
Thanks for your ID's SoOh. I will check out the grasses forum, too. I'd like to know more about them.
And BTW here's a link to a good article from "Horticulture" about using grasses with perennials in the 'German' landscaping fashion which I found quite interesting... http://www.hortmag.com/gardening_articles/german_style.asp
And the landscape architects who popularized grasses in America are Oehme and Van Sweden in Baltimore, to answer my own question...And here's an article about them
http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/ornamentalgrasses.html
Lot's of good grasses info here, including a link to Oudolf's site, another designer who popularized grasses.
Now, if only I had the space to try some of these ideas! Happy gardening. t.
Oh Wow, great sites there T. We were just talking about seeing pictures of combos we like... Then trying to duplicate them...
That site will make it to easy. Their pics are terrific. Especially the German site.
The grasses can be big, but luckily they group really well, And now, they are coming out with smaller versions.. I hope they are true to form. Cuz that could be an awesome mini display!
Ab
Tabasco, I just now returned to this thread and your links, very inspiring!
I spent my early years, K-3rd grade in Germany, also part of 8th grade, must have been subliminal because I've always, always LOVED this garden style, planting grasses with flowers, and am so happy to see it becoming mainstream in America.
I had the March issue of Hort. mag. and fell in love with this style of gardening. I've always loved the 3-D aspect of cottage gardens, but the repitition of the same plant in the German garden gives it a fairy tale wildflower meadow look that I really like. I have a large area where lots of random clumps of Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum) are growing wild. So far I've just been mowing around them and they're now 10-12' tall and so beautiful. Wild, fall blooming clematis grows up them and is so pretty blooming together. My plan is to remove a few of the clumps, add grasses between several of them, and other tough perennials I have lots of. I'm having to re-train myself though; it's hard for me to get the idea of planting clumps of short stuff in the back and tall stuff in the front through my head, but that random planting of tall, med, and short plants from front to back is what gives it that wonderful dimension and depth.
Now I have tons of Zebra grass, and it's great. Grasses and sedums are one of my favorite combos, but they contrast beautifully with most other perennials. I have some fountain grass and a couple of others a friend gave me I don't know the names of. I like grasses with lilies, tall phlox, and any of the daisy type perennials like rudbeckia, ecinacea, and shastas. Neal.
Hey Neal! Howdy!
Great minds think alike, LOL. I'm in TOTAL agreement about the grasses and sedums.
I LOVE your plan to create a "fairy tale wildflower meadow look" with your Joe-Pye. You could get away with a really big miscanthus, like 'Cabaret'.
I have a couple of dwarf zebra grass, want to move them (still moving things around) any suggestions on what to pair them with? Was thinking dark foliage, like maybe 'Diablo' ninebark, and a pink shrub rose. What bulbs do you suggest?
My fav. is Bunny tail--just DARLING! I am just having a dickens of a time finding it......love it in my garden books, plantings on the road. For some reason, it's eluding my greenhouses this year. WILL find it though. =)
mkjones-we have a local nursery here and I got a new plant called cottontail, related to the bunny tail. I think the only difference is the bloom last longer and clump is a bit larger. I really like the bunny tail too, I went to a nursery today and they had the bunny tail selling for $20 which I thought was too high. You should try ebay, they have alot of grasses. Here's a picture of the cottontail.
shelly
mkjones - I bought "Hameln" at HD this year, looks similar, very pretty. Tolerates drought and supposed to hold up in the snow, guess you prob don't have to worry about that, LOL.
Well, I've only had these a couple of months, so time will tell.
Here is a picture...My first!
prairigirl what is the purple thing in front? loropetalum? very pretty
Thanks Vossner!!
The purple plant is a sedum, 'Vera Jameson'.
More on grasses forum, see you there!
very nice prairiegirl!!! I love that, I'm gonna have to check out that sedum too.
shelly
Thanks shelly, I think it would go good in your garden, we're learning together, LOL.
Hey PG! Great minds do think alike; I was going to mention dark leaved sedum then saw your pick! That's superb use of grasses in the landscape. 'Wine and Roses' Weigelia came to my mind to. If there's a shaded nook between some of the bigger plants, you could add some Japanese Painted fern or some of the many beautiful heucheras out there. Foliage plants like those are nice with magic lilies if your using pink. Some nice spring bulbs to start the show off would be nice, like pinkish gregi tulips with dark mottled leaves, white daffodils (I really like 'Thalia') and maybe some late blackish 'Queen of the Night' tulips(oohh, would'nt they be nice with the budding new growth of the sedum!). You've inspired me! I'm on a roll! I've been working on a bed devoted to pastel blooms against dark foliages with a repitition of grasses. This is it's 2nd year, so I expecting wow next year. Finally shutting up!LOL Neal.
Wow, you all are good with the grasses. I tried several different ones, but had no luck and finally just gave up on them. Is there one that will grow in the heat and humidity I have here?
How hot does it get? No, don't tell me, we lived in Fort Bragg for three years, I know it's HOT, LOL. All I can tell you is, I planted mine in late June and we have had 90 degree temps and no rain, up to and including this weekend. So I have to water them a lot, only at the base, not the leaves, so they don't burn. Also, I killed one (blue oat grass) by overwatering it, and then letting it fry. Have another one that gets some shade, its doing fine in the heat and humidity.Or try a fountain grass, they're easy to fit in the border. Also, your local county extension office can fill you in on natives, thats always a sound choice. Good luck!
Geesh--I've been over at the grasses forum and here you all are over here discussing good plant combinations!
Gemini--please keep us up to date on your natural planting project...I have noticed Joe Pye weed is quite 'en vogue' these days and you are so lucky to have some in place and ready to design around. What fun! And yours are 12 feet tall. The biggest I've seen by far! Plus, great for butterflies.
Lot's of good ideas on this thread...I'm learning a lot! t.
My favorite is Hakone grass. I have a lot of shade in my garden, and this grass is perfect for it, really one of the few ornamental grasses that has really thrived in the shade for me . The cultivar Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' is perfect for lighting up darker areas of the garden. This is a ridge overlooking a stream that I have planted with Hakone grass, Hosta "Sugar and Cream, Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora), Vinca as ground cover, and not visible in this picture, Cimicifuga 'Hillside Black Beauty', and Victoria ferns (Athyrium felix-femina 'Victoriae'). This spot gets part shade all day in a woodland setting, and the Hakone Grass just lights it up beautifully, especially when dappled sun reaches it between about 11 AM and 1 PM. It is a gorgeous and easy to care for grass.
-Greg
Neal,
Man, you're on my wavelength tonite! I was also thinking of surprise lilies, we call them naked ladies here, LOL. I was drooling over 'Wine and Roses' today at HD, does it do okay in hot, dry conditions? This is a full sun western exposure. I've already ripped off your idea for a border of pastel bloomers and dark foliaged plants, with grass accents. Next I'll plant the bulbs you suggest, yummy, I plant those now, right? Not RIGHT NOW, but I would if I could, moon madness, you know?
Gregr, Wow! I love your woodland garden, amazing what a few well-placed plants will do for a landscape..I've wanted to try Hakone grass, does it need to be kept moist? I have lots of dry shade in back lately.
Tabasco, PLease go see my pictures on grasses forum, my first photos!! (I got a digital camera for my B-day, which was Thursday!!) Hooray!
Hi PrairieGirl, Thanks for the compliments! I'm glad you've looked into the Hakone Grass. It is really a nice, graceful plant to have around, but unfortunately, I don't think it appreciates being too dry, at least from what I've read, because I have only grown it in soil that is naturally moist. Its native habitat is wet, cool forest margins in Japan, so if you wanted to put it in your shade, you might have to hose it down every couple of days to keep it from pouting. An alternative for you, if you would have trouble keeping the shady area moist enough, is one of the Ribbon Grasses, like Phalaris arundinacea variegata. I got some of this from a fellow DGer that needed to clear out her garden, and I got a few clumps of it. It's native habitat is a wetland situation in full sun, but I decided to do a little experiment with it and put it in a couple of different areas of my garden. I planted one clump in part sun in moderately moist soil, and another in somewhat dry soil that gets only a couple of hours of morning sun. This was about two months ago, and honestly, it is difficult to tell by looking at the two clumps which one is happier. Both have put out similar new growth, and both seem to be flourishing. In full sun with plenty of moisture, this grass spreads extremely quickly and is often considered invasive, but like a lot of aggressive but adaptive plants, it seems to behave itself just fine while growing in less-than-ideal circumstances. The variegated form has lots of white in it to brighten things up, and though it doesn't hit you the way that the Hakone Grass does in the shade, it would probably make a pretty good showing for itself even in the dry shade.
-Greg
Edited to fix spelling of the Ribbon Grass's Latin name.
This message was edited Sep 12, 2005 11:54 PM
Sounds like I should look into this! Thanks for the tip, that makes sense about the less than ideal conditions to keep it in check. also the bed I had in mind is relatively small and has only hostas and heucheras, and a tiny little bit of variegated vinca, left over from a window box planting! Very pedestrian plants, so need something unexpected to liven it up!
Greg--I have a woodland area like that at the back of my big yard and I never thought to try grasses back there because of all the shade. I have ferns and hostas there now, and that Hakone grass would look really good with them. How tall does it get?
PrarieGirl--You know about hot if you've been at Ft. Bragg. I used to live in Colorado and Utah and it gets hot there, but it's so dry that you don't stay sticky all the time. It's the sticky I hate. This summer no matter how early I tried to get outside to do gardening, it was just ugly!! My flower beds all show that, too. I've wasted a lot of money and time finding things that will grow here. Now I can ask DGers!! Love that. I'm reformatting a couple of beds this year and would love to add some grasses. They are so graceful in the breeze.
Diane
Diane, It is a low-growing grass, good for side borders and front borders. It can probably mound up to about three feet, but my plants are fairly immature, and stay low to the ground. I imagine a mature clump in a fertile situation could get taller, but most pictures I have seen show it slumping over at a fairly low level, and that has been the case for my plants so far.
-Greg
Thanks for the information, Greg. It's really pretty. Now....where can I find some?
tobasco, I've really enjoyed the big patch of Joe Pye, almost as much as the butterflies! I was analizing the area yesterday, and I think some of the big clumps are going to have to come out; it's a little too thick now for the effect I'm hoping to achieve. So let me know if you'd like some (or anyone out there) because I'll have lots of extras.
PG, I think 'Wine and Roses' must be pretty tough. Weigelias are sturdy plants in general, and the 1 gallon plant I planted in late spring has grown really well in an area that has been pretty dry this year. I have tons of magic lilies if you want some. They're always kind of pricy in the catalogs, and I can set you up with as many as you want.
Greg, thanks for the tip on the Hakone grass. I have mostly wooded areas and have been looking for grasses or grass like plants for an area by the creek that looks very similar to yours. I love the way the Hakone grass seems to glow in the shade. Where do you get it?
Neal.
See Greg. I'm not the only inquiring mind that wants to know.
Well I'm glad to see the Hakone Grass is getting so popular! I got these at Avant Gardens in Dartmouth, MA, which does mail order, but is close enough to me that I just visit the nursery. Big Dipper Farm sells it, a few others on the Plant Scout also, and I don't know if it was the 'Aureola' cultivar, but I am almost positive that I saw Hakone grass at one of the local Lowe's or HDs here, though I didn't have time to go up and look at it. A quick check of the net confirmed that some Lowe's do sometimes have some cultivar or another of Hakone Grass.
-Greg
Neal - I would love to try the Joe Pye Weed and magic lilies, please send d-mail w/details!!
I got 'Vera Jameson' sedum and some of the grasses at local nursery, most plants from Home Depot, including fountain grass 'Hameln', feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster' and dwarf zebra grass. Bigger grasses from nursery. Also I worked there briefly this past summer, I was trying to complete an internship, but my son wouldn't cooperate with sitter! I think Hakone grass would be great in the woods by your house, with maybe brunnera and toad lily, 'Midnight Reiter' perennial geranium would offer good contrast in foliage color.
Sure PG! I definitely need to try some of those gorgeous brunnera hybrids. I tried toad lilies this spring from Bluestone and they've done well. They're in the garden the tree fell on, so the leaves look torn and ratty, but they're blooming anyway. Those dark leaved geraniums have had me drooling to. Will dmail you, Neal.
Greg,
Would you plant now? Or wait until spring?
Diane