Ornamental grasses resistant to frost

easyram

Hi,

What grasses should I consider as the most frost resistant ones in Ireland?
How did the Stipa tenuissima survive in your gardens?

Thank you

ormondsview · Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:36 pm Post subject:

Stipa tenuissima is hardy to zone 6. If in doubt, Google the plant name and put keyword zone.
If it's 6, that's borderline. If 5 it can take frost to below minus 20. Cutting them back and covering with mulch will help too, though defeats the purpose of growing them for winter interest and shelter for birds.

easyram · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:02 am Post subject:

We're in zone 9 but with the latest frosts at -15 C you never know.
But I understand it should be fine and I can try to grow the grass.
Thank you for the advice ormondsview!

kindredspirit · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:43 pm Post subject:

What height grasses are you thinking of?

Are they feature grasses or ground cover grasses?

I, personally, thought Tenuissima was rubbish and after being given some, threw it over the wall into the next door neighbour's field. Sad

I can give you names of ground cover grasses and specimen grasses that survived minus 12°C. in our place.

easyram · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:33 pm Post subject:

Well up to 60 cm + seed heads.
I need them as feature AND ground cover grasses.
Why you think tenuissima is rubbish? Is it hard to grow or doesn't look nice for some reason???
I want to have that soft effect along my driveway (only small space). The grass is going to grow between conifers, Hebes or maybe standard evergreen trees.

Btw, is Sagina subulata good as a ground cover and as a finishing touch next to conifers and the Stipa? Or it requires more moist conditions? Then maybe Thymus serpyllum would be better?
The soil there is very bad - just a few inches of top soil and the rest is concrete rubble...

And yes, I would love to have the names of the grasses that survived in your place!

Tank you!

kindredspirit · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:58 pm Post subject:

A feature plant and ground cover plants are two totally different things, I think.

My view on Tenuissima is completely subjective. I just don't like it. That's just me!

Grasses of all descriptions can grow in poor soil, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Carex Evergold might suit you. It's grown well here. (Bear in mind, that I'm only a starter gardener.) I've love to try Irish or Scotch Moss but I've never been able to find any here. (Subulata stuff.)

Can't fault Thyme. I have some growing on my Sandstone Pavement in the front garden.

There's a bright yellow grass (can't think of the name of it at the moment) that I have successfully growing in my pond and I've been told it'll grow in all conditions so I'm looking for a cheap source of a quantity of it. Ophiop something or other. I have Uncinia Rubra (red grass) and Festuca Glauca (blue grass) and Black Mondo Grass (which is not officially a grass, but a lily)

For a feature grass, I'm absolutely sold on Cordaderia Richardii (not Cortaderia Sellowaniana) but you can't get this from any Garden Centre, so I have to beg, borrow, steal this from a local farmer.

easyram · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:40 pm Post subject:

Yes, right - I meant that the main feature of the driveway would be the area covered with he grass.

It's the softness, colour and size of Stipa tenuissima that suits me most. So if it can survive the frost, that's great for me.

About the Irish Moss - you can get seeds from seedaholic (www.seedaholic.com).

And you can get Cortaderia richardii from Campbell Plants in example but it's a wholesale nursery - just good to know.
The grass looks beautiful indeed!

Thank you for the advices kindredspirit Smile