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Ornamental grasses may be grown in your garden amongst the
flowers or clumped in an open space for a natural effect and to
add a vertical dimension. If you decide to add them to a flower
garden, choose the type carefully, for some are extremely
invasive and others may cast unwanted shade over your flowers.
Ornamental grasses differ from lawn grass in that frequent
mowing weakens and eventually kills them. They can be small,
clumping ground covers like blue fescue or the popular mondo
grass, or stately spires like Chinese Silver Grass, towering to
20 ft. Some, like Red Switch Grass, have beautiful fall color.
For a grass with strong colors try Imperata cylindrica 'Rubra'.
It has tallish straplike blades of deep burgundy mixed with a
green that is almost jade.
Tall grasses can be stunning used as a single specimen in the
middle of the lawn, or in a landscape with trees and rocks. Most
grasses have few diseases or pests to worry about and nothing
could be easier to care for, so if you are pushed for time or
not into major gardening, ornamental grasses may be the ideal
solution.
The beauty of many grasses is not only in their leaves but the
seed. Often seed is born in tall spires above the clump and not
only hangs on for months, but offers food to birds and insects.
Pennisetum villosum has soft and fluffy seed heads in the late
summer, while the delicate feathery seed heads of Stipa
calamagrostis will last right through to fall. Stipa gigantea is
a larger variety as the name suggests. Many seed heads last for
ages when picked and dried and make wonderful indoor
decorations.
Many grasses also have flowers that are attractive, like Melica
uniflora, which has tiny, beadlike flowers borne on slender,
arching spikes. It requires shade to grow well and looks
fantastic teamed with ferns. Some grasses like Lamarckia aurea,
are annuals. This one has unusual downswept flower spikes.
Shorter grasses can also be used for borders and edgings,
enclosing pretty annuals within a green framework. Blue fescue
grown with black mondo grass can give an unusual and effective,
yet extremely simple appeal in a small garden if grown in a
checkerboard pattern. Use the grasses alone, with small,
clumping annual flowers or even squares of white pebbles to give
a lift. Phalaris arundinacea 'Feesey's Form', the less common
variety of gardener's garters, has a white stripe down the
center of the leaf that makes it most attractive.
Many woodland grasses thrive in heavy shade in spite of the root
competition of overhanging trees, because this is similar to
their natural habitat, so if you have a spot that is difficult
to grow flowers in, think in terms of grasses instead.
Warning! Ribbon Grass, though beautiful, is one of those that
are extremely invasive. Plant it in a bottomless container to
prevent it spreading.
Red Baron or Japanese Blood Grass, so called for its beautiful
coloring also spreads, but is not so invasive as Ribbon Grass.
Lemon grass, while not madly attractive, can be picked and
steeped in boiling water for a calming tea.
There are many other beautiful ornamental grasses for the garden
other than those mentioned above. The only trouble is in
deciding which ones to leave behind.
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