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Photo by Kris Weatherbee |
Grassroots gardening
If there was ever a “must have” plant for the outdoors, ornamental grasses are certainly a winning addition. Not only do they liven up the garden and landscape with perpetual dimensions of texture, color and architectural form, these same artistic grasses also provide a living framework of food and shelter for birds and butterflies, whether by way of their beautiful foliage, elegant plumes or stunning seedheads.
Ornamental grasses offer up a wealth of traits that few plants do. They are low maintenance and deer-resistant plants that come back year after year. They play and mix well with other garden plants, shrubs and trees; they move with the slightest breeze and make beautiful sounds; and there are hundreds of grasses available for any landscape need — from low, mounding fescue grasses to majestic, 10-feet-tall pampas grass and everything in between.
Selecting grasses
Today’s ornamental grasses are almost a guaranteed success, if you select the right grass for your situation. As with any plant, you need to consider its growth habits and needs as well as your climate and garden conditions. You may grow marginal grasses for your area by planting grasses in protected niches of a courtyard, in sheltered corners, or next to the warmth of a south-facing wall.
Consider your garden situation. Is it sunny or shady, wet or dry? Most true grasses are drought tolerant and thrive in sunny locations. There are some exceptions, however. Sedges (Carex spp.) prefer more moisture and shade, and some of the true grasses, such as miscanthus and certain switch grasses (Panicum spp.), will grow happily near water’s edge.
Grasses in the landscape
With myriad of textures, shapes and forms, ornamental grasses offer an endless array of design possibilities. Foliage and plumes come in a spectrum of colors, including solid to variegated hues that range from pink to purple, yellow to red, blue, green, brown, and even silver and gold.
Grasses can serve as stunning specimens, attractive accents, or even gorgeous ground covers. When combined with other perennials, annuals, flowering bulbs and shrubs, they bring a harmonious flow to the garden. For example, try blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) with yellow yarrow (Achillea spp.), or silvery lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina) with bronze fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and deep blue salvia for drama.
Many of the carex, fescue and Japanese forest grasses (Hakonechloa spp.) serve as wonderful edgings for beds and borders. Giant reed grass (Arundo donax), switch grasses (Panicum spp.), many miscanthus and some of the feather reed grasses (Calamagrostis spp.) form intriguing screens and hedges that sway in even the slightest breeze.
Most ornamental grasses also grow well in containers. You can nestle grasses in pots with other plants, or set the stage with a grouping of grasses going solo in their own containers.
Easy-care grasses
These distinctive grasses aren’t winning gardeners over on their good looks alone. Grasses will grow at nearly any elevation, in almost any kind of soil, and in sun or shade. Practically pest- and disease-free, grasses grown in average garden soil require little, if any, fertilization.
Be sure to water newly planted grasses regularly until they become established, then just enough to keep them looking good. Since most ornamental grasses are drought tolerant, a once-a-week watering should satisfy them, though many can usually get by on even less.
To keep your grasses looking their best, trim back or rake out spent foliage and flowers on low grasses in early spring. Cut larger deciduous grasses a few inches above the ground when new growth appears in late winter or early spring. Using a sharp spade, divide mature grasses once they outgrow their area or develop bare centers.
The next time a gardening problem presents you with a challenge, look to ornamental grasses. They will transform your landscape with an extra dimension of sensory attraction and colorful wildlife appeal. — Kris Wetherbee
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