Mix grasses and seedheads
GRASSES ADD movement and rhythm to any garden and, as the sun starts to get lower in the sky, they enjoy a renewed ability to dazzle. Early-season grasses perform from May onwards and golden oat grass (Stipa gigantea) turns the colour of ripe corn as it shimmies and sways at five or six feet. Lower-growing S. tenuissima is like a green fibre optic lamp in May, but as the season wears on it produces strands of pale gold. Weave it through achilleas, scabious, Allium sphaerocephalon and Catananche caerulea. By August named forms of tall purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea arundinacea) will produce their grassy heads. ‘Karl Foerster’ is one of the best because the whole plant takes on a golden glow by September. Taller molinias, all with arundinacea in their names, form slender columns, so take up little ground room. More upright Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ produces a sheath of tightly packed russet stems and these make a strong vertical clump through winter. Or you could use Calamagrostis brachytricha, which has soft feathery heads that start pinkpurple and fade to silver-grey. This knee-high grass tolerates part shade. The follow-up acts are Miscanthus sinensis (‘Silberfeder’ flowers well) and last of all, pampas grass. Cortaderia selloana ‘Sunningdale Silver’ will provide variegated foliage topped by feathery upright heads.