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There is nothing so soothing as the sound of a gentle breeze blowing through the long slender leaves of the stately Maiden Grass and setting the Purple Moor grass swaying gracefully nor the sight of the burgundy-colored frothy clump of Shenandoah Switch grass on a crisp autumn day. That was what I was trying to impart to a friend as we walked around my yard when he had the audacity to say derisively “When you’ve seen one ornamental grass you’ve seen them all.”
I wanted to throttle him. But then what could I expect from the owner of a golf course? The only grass he likes to see can easily be replaced by astroturf. He obviously was not a connoisseur of these majestic garden staples. But perhaps you are under the same assumption as my flat, lifeless turf loving pal. I’ll fix that!
My love affair with the ornamental grass started with the unassuming and utterly delightful fountain grass, Pennisetum as it is known botanically. I saw it first at the garden center near my mother-in-law’s house. Bribing me with a little romp at that garden center was the only way my husband could get me over there semi-willingly.
The fountain grass had me captivated. It was displayed artfully with other much more impressive flowering perennials and annuals. You’d think a plain clump of grass would be lost in all that color and grandeur but it gave movement to the garden, the texture mixed well and lent an ethereal softness from its arching leaves and feathery flowers. They weren’t fabulous flowers by any means. They were subtly-colored, frothy plumes which swayed so delightfully I thought they might just fly away any moment like a moth. I was hooked.
I brought my baby Pennisetum home and placed it in my perennial border where it still currently resides happily. It grows between 1 and 2 feet tall and when in bloom its flowers, depending on variety can be pink, white or black and double the height of the plant. Of course, Pennisetum is not the only grass in my possession anymore. Allow me to tell you about my collection of ornamental grasses and all the ways they can enliven your yard.
Miscanthus Sinensis, is the most common of ornamental grasses for the home garden and makes a bold statement in the landscape. The long, light green leaves often have a white stripe down the center giving it a lovely glow in the sunshine. Most varieties can reach 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide. I have several of these scattered around tucked in shrub borders, planted along a fence to soften the effect and planted among flowers of all kinds for contrast. They sway gracefully in the constant breeze we have on our little ridge making the garden come to life.
The huge clumps of “Gracillimus” aka Maiden grass, I use as a hedge surrounding one large perennial bed next to the greenhouse. By mid-summer these lovely and quick growing giants completely hide the garden within. Visitors can’t find the entrance because I purposely planted them to do this giving me a Secret Garden even Mary Lennox would approve of. I adore pushing aside their long flowing leaves to gain entrance and have them close up behind me, hiding me again. The sound is irresistible, the feel delightful. The flower plumes towering well over me are a pretty reddish color which I love to bring inside for huge dried flower arrangements.
There are also the variegated forms known as Zebra grass, “Zebrinus”, and Porcupine grass, “Strictus” both of whom sport horizontal stripes. Zebra grass has yellow bands on the leaves which glint in the sun and form widely arching clumps 5-6 feet tall. The flower plumes are a coppery-pink and turn whitish as they age. Porcupine grass is a bit more cold hardy, has a narrow, erect growth and white bands across the leaves with copper-colored flowers.
Another much taller (10-14 feet) Miscanthus floridulus, Silver grass, is a striking focal point in any garden. The leaves glint silvery in the sun but it’s the flower that gives it its name. Leaves turn a purplish color in the fall before they fall away to leave tall bare stalks.
Molinia caerulea, Purple Moor grass, lasts a lifetime but is a slow growing little perennial. It grows only 1-2 feet high, 3 feet when in flower. It has erect and narrow, light green leaves though there is a variegated variety. In summer the flowers, spikey and narrow are yellow to purple in color which change to tan by autumn, great for cut-flower arrangements. Before winter sets in both leaves and flowers tend to break off and blow away in the wind giving a tumble weed effect.
“Skyracer” is a taller moor grass, a whooping 8 feet when in bloom, with vivid yellow flower stalks which form an enchanting and transparent “V” shape. When planted close together the contrast between this and the airy, arching plumes of the Maiden grass is striking in autumn.
Most of these ornamental grasses require very little in the way of care. They like full sun but can tolerate light shade. They like ample water and often times can be seen living quite happily in low-lying, swampy areas of which I have many. The most trouble they’ll give you and truly I can hardly call it that, is in the spring time when they should be sheared back to within 6 inches off the ground. These leaves can be used, as I do, to mulch a strawberry patch. Two birds, one stone, you know.
By no means have I mentioned all ornamental grasses available to the home gardener. I didn’t even get to the Switch, African feather. Oat, Festuca, Pampas, Bowl’s Golden, Japanese Blood, Ribbon and Sweet grasses all of which I highly recommend. There’s a place in most gardens for anyone of these.
These ornamental grass plants are most enchanting year round but during autumn and winter they make the garden. Their leaves and flowery plumes change colors and add interest at a time when all seems close to fading away without a fight. But not the lovely ornamental grass! Their dry leaves rustle in the harsh winter winds lessening the starkness of the season. They look rather pretty sprinkled with snow and glisten during ice storms. And in spring, when it finally gets here, you’ll like to see little birds stealing a leaf or two for their nests. Your garden won’t seem so dead in winter with these majestic beauties standing guard. I know mine never do.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
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http://www.helium.com/user/show/32782.
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