How to use grasses
A few years ago ‘The Grass Garden’ became a thing and we were urged to plant our grasses together, perhaps with some in pots standing in a gravelled area and some planted in the gravel itself. At Wisley, there was a monocotyledon bed with masses of grasses. It was interesting, but not exciting.
The major quality that grasses possess is their versatility and for me, and I think for most of us gardeners, the joy of using grasses is mixing them with other plants where they can change a static scene of clumping perennials into one that moves and changes. The anti-grass brigade will often say, “All very well, but they’re all the same”, but nothing could be further from the truth – the pro-grass contingent will tell you how just diverse they are.
Grasses can be used to add stature and height, with taller grasses even being used as hedges or a device to separate one area of the garden from another, creating secrecy. They can be used en bloc or to wend their way through a planting in curves, moving sinuously from back to front. Or shorter grasses, especially those with textural interest such as Nassella tenuissima (Stipa tenuissima) or pennisetum can be used to soften edges or spill over paths.
There are gardens where one grass is used en masse to make a design statement and allow for the appreciation of the grass itself. The molinia beds at Scampston Hall, by Piet Oudolf, are a good example.
Grasses can be used to create seasonal interest. In tiny gardens they do this wherever they are planted – and there often isn’t much choice. In bigger gardens they can be deliberately planted where they can shine at their best time, usually the autumn.
To make the most of their rhythm, sound and music – not to mention their ability to change with the light – these star performers should be placed strategically where space will maximise their impact.