Ornamental grasses

Long appreciated in European and Asian gardens, ornamental grasses are finally beginning to grow in reputation here in the U.S.

What’s the big deal about ornamental grasses?  For starters, you probably couldn’t find an easier group of plants to care for.  The ornamentals are very adaptable, hardy, relatively disease- and pest-free, and very low maintenance.  Most thrive in sun but also do well in a variety of other light conditions, can grow in soils from sand to heavy clay, and work well in a range of climate and moisture conditions.  Can’t get much friendlier than that.

And they happen to be beautiful plants.  Becoming more recognized for their architectural effects and environmental uses, ornamental grasses will also give your landscape all-season interest:  an array of foliage colors in spring and summer, dancing plumes in late summer and autumn, and structure and habitat protection in winter.

If you think “ornamental grass” is synonymous with pampas grass or liriope, think again because a wide selection of grasses can now be found at local nurseries and garden centers.  You’ll find plants that grow to only a few inches in height, such as mondo grass, all the way up to the towering Arundo donax (giant reed grass) that can reach 15 feet high and six feet across.  Foliage can be gray, blue, or green; some are variegated with whites, creams, or yellows; and some foliage is even shocking orange and blood red.  Plumes are also to be found in a wide range of colors.

Here are some pointers to keep in ming for choosing and caring for grasses:

Selecting your plant

First, consider the light conditions where you would like to put your plant.  True grasses will like lots of sun and the sedges and rushes tend to prefer shade.  Next, consider your soil and it’s moisture conditions.  If too much water is a problem, look into buying a sedge or one of the rushes.  When a showy plume entices you to buy it in the fall, don’t do it.  You’ll want the plant to root properly before the onset of winter.  Spring and summer would be the ideal tie to put new grasses in the ground.

Planting

Plant your grass with the crown slightly above soil level; planting too high can rot the grass.  Most importantly, know the relative size of the mature plant and make sure you give it the room it needs to grow.  Check on the plant’s water needs for the first few weeks, but once established you’ll need to be more careful about over-watering it.  If you want to use a fertilizer, try a slow release type of 10-10-10.

Now you can just sit back and enjoy your grass until early spring!

Cutting back

Cut back deciduous grasses in the early spring before new growth appears.  Never cut back the new growth on your grass!  If the mature plant is under three feet, cut it back to two inches; if it’s over three feet, cut it back to four inches.  Evergreen varieties may need only a bit of combing with your fingers to remove dead foliage.

Dividing

If you have a grass that is a few years old and beginning to die in the center, or if you just feel the plant is getting too big, divide it.  You can do this in the early spring after you have cut it back, just to keep things simple.  Divide the plant in half (or more) and eliminate any deadened areas.  Replant the grass immediately since it is best not to expose the roots to the sun.  Dividing is also the best way to propagate most grasses to ensure the plant retains the characteristics you’ve chosen it for, such as a unique variegation.

A sample of ornamental grasses

 Here are a few if the grasses I happen to like.  For beautiful powder blue foliage try Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’; it also makes a good ground cover.  For red foliage there is Imperata cylindrica ‘Red Baron’ and Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax).  Want a privacy screen for your yard?  Try one of the large Miscanthus species.  The Carex species like shade.  To see delicate foliage dancing in the breeze, try Stipa tenuissima (Mexican feather grass) or Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Lights’.  Briza maxima (large quaking grass) has reddish seedheads like rattle snake rattles that turn pale yellow when dry.  And just for plain fun try Juncus (corkscrew grass) that looks like curly green hair.

But don’t just rely on these suggestions.  Look through catalogues and at your local nursery to find the right grasses for you.

Published in the Sanford Herald.