[Sive]

I have only started growing ornamental grasses a couple of years ago and I am slowly getting to appreciate their worth in the ornamental border.
While I find the late appearance of the non-evergreen ones in the spring/summer to be frustrating, it is at this time of the year that they all come into their own, bringing interest ( and movement ) into beds that are looking a bit tired. And they are so tactile too, inviting you to stroke them as you walk past.
Does anyone out there agree, and have you any advice generally about grasses....for instance when to cut them back and when to split or move them ?

[Protein]

They are also becoming a favourite of mine too... the clumps keep the weeds down, they are generally low maintenance, most are all year round interest...

James' informative thread on ornamental grasses is here...
http://www.gardenplansireland.com/forum/about238.html

[Sive]

Thanks for that link Protein....I obviously need to do quite a bit of research about dividing and moving grasses. The tip about mixing gravel into the planting hole sounds like very good advice.

[kindredspirit]

Here's a little section to Uncinia Rubra, Festuca Glauca and Black Mondo Grass (which is really a lily)



This is a local grass and is my favourite plant in the garden. I don't know whether it's Purple Moor Grass or Canary Grass; no-one seems to know. It changes colour with every season and so has interest all the year round.



Here you can see Cortaderia Richardii (in my humble opinion, the better of the two pampas grasses sold here) and Typhia Latifolia (common bulrush)



But thank goodness, I don't have any ordinary grass to cut!

[artalis]

http://www.ehow.com/how_4514294_split-ornamental-grass.html

http://www.diynetwork.com/outdoors/dividing-ornamental-grasses/index.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2060806_divide-ornamental-grasses.html

My uncia rubra and stipa ponytails self seed around the garden like mad, but the new plants are easy to remove or pot up. My carex comans chocolate variety, became a nest for my next door neighbours five cats ( plus one or two others ) and turned a bit sad and weary looking, so they and their younger seedling plants were moved a few months ago to a giant barrell and now look great combined as a large single planting feature, alongside some bronze fennel in the same spot. My stipa gigantea has looked lovely all summer, with its' lovely long fragile flower heads.Great value and elegant. Looks great planted close to agapanthus, allium, crocosmia, foxtail lily, oriental lily and other low grasses.

Grasses look great planted amongst a combination of alpines, like dianthus, bulbs like crocus, iris, allium, agapanthus and low growing perennials like lavender. They all look great also with a pebble mulch around them and are perfect for coastal gardens.

artalis

[Sive]

Wonderful photos kindredspirit, and thanks for those useful links and ideas artalis...my stips gigantea has also looked wonderful this year, I presume because it hasn't been lashed by rain !

[artalis]

Hi Sive and folks,

A really nice mixed border planting of evergreen grasses, bulbs and perennials that has always lingered in my visual memory is:

Artemesia (silver foliage), purple leaved sedum, stipa ponytails, mauve Tulbaghia violacea, pale yellow Anthemis tinctoria, deep yellow Helichrysum, Allium Christophi,Ermerus Cleopatra, Lavender Augustfolia (Hidcote), Uncinia rubra and of course a deep purple/blue Agapanthus.

Yellows, blue/purple, deep reddish brown and silver-just gorgeous.

artalis

[Sunny]

I am currently quite fond of the dwarf fountain grasses, Pennisetum setaceum 'Red Riding Hood' and Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln' and the large Maiden Grass, Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' they all really come into life this time of year with those lovely seed heads.

[artalis]

I agree that these are lovely grasses at this time of year.

Mass plantings of ornamental grass can appear like the waves of the sea being pushed into rolling troughs and billowing risers.

Except grasses look like they could tickle, lol.

artalis

[andy1005]

i'm biased I know but ornamental grasses can be used for lots and lots of different effects, given that they come in all different sorts of shapes and sizes and provide a range of colours throughout the year.

[kindredspirit]

Andy, can you identify the grass in my second picture?

It grows 2½ to 3 metres high, prefers its feet in an inch of water, has purple seed heads and goes a lovely fawn colour in the autumn.