HOW TO WORK WITH ORNAMENTAL GRASSES These architectural plants add structure, form and texture to the garden
HOW TO WORK WITH ORNAMENTAL GRASSES
EASY to grow and low maintenance, grasses can be used to divide up your space and add drama – and extend the garden season right through winter. Airy grasses are available in a range of eye-catching colours, from rich gold and luminous silver to inky black and lush green. As well as colour they add height, texture and shape – the trick is to plant one type of grass in a big loose block to maximise the impact. The rippling grass becomes the star of the show rather than merely the supporting act. They thrive year-round but grasses take centre stage now in a blaze of foliage, plumed flowers and interesting seed heads that glow in the autumn light.
INTRODUCE MOVEMENT AND TEXTURE Using ornamental grasses brings a whole new level of dynamism to the garden.
‘With a near filmic quality, the blades of green and diaphanous plumes flicker, catching the light and moving in a breeze,’ says landscape designer Miria Harris. ‘A favourite of mine is Anemanthele lessoniana, a fountain-like variety that takes on coppery tones in the sun and provides an evergreen grassy texture for shadier garden areas.’
RIGHT GRASS, RIGHT PLACE Grasses are adaptable but for best results choose the right one for the job. Some will act as informal screens; others cover the ground or provide masses of flowers for a more subtle foliage effect. ‘Grasses range from a few centimetres to several metres in height,’ says Neil Lucas of Knoll Gardens. ‘Ideally, have a clear idea of the effect you want to achieve. If you’re looking for height in an open, sunny border opt for taller grasses such as panicum and miscanthus.’
PLAYING WITH HEIGHT ‘Lower and mid-height grasses can be mixed in a repeat matrix with herbaceous perennials and bulbs to bring the beauty of prairies to your garden,’ says Stuart Wallace of landscape designer Bowles & Wyer. Or select taller grasses with a strong vertical form and place throughout a border to anchor perennial planting, creating a rhythm through the garden.
USING PERENNIALS WITH GRASSES Flowering perennials and ornamental grasses share a versatile and informal style, with similar growth habits making them perfect planting companions. ‘When combined successfully they evoke an emotional response that is similar to seeing a wild meadow: think thinly veiled views, pointillist colours and swaying movement,’ says landscape designer Sarah Morgan. ‘Combine plants with similar growth rates, soil preferences and hardiness, so they don’t compete with each other.’
CREATE A NATURALISTIC EFFECT ‘Most plantings are enhanced by considering associations between plants rather than by looking at them in isolation – and this is particularly true of grasses grown with perennials,’ says designer Amanda Patton. ‘Perennials that retain their seed heads after flowering, such as echinacea and phlomis, mix well with grasses that take on good autumn tints, such as sporobolus and panicum.’ The tonal difference between the pale grasses and the dark seed heads creates interest throughout autumn and into winter. →
“TACTILE, VERDANT AND BRINGING MOVEMENT AND LATE-SEASON INTEREST TO A SCHEME, ORNAMENTAL GRASSES ARE A MUST FOR ANY GARDEN DESIGN” STUART WALLACE, Bowles & Wyer
WAYS TO INTRODUCE VERTICAL STRUCTURE Beth’s preference in her planting for creating a rich tapestry-like effect that varied over the seasons was achieved by planting vertically as well as horizontally, so that as one group of plants died back, the first leaves of a new group were pushing through. An important element of this is to encourage a fluid intermingling of plants. In autumn and winter Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ makes an outstanding vertical, its bleached columns standing firm without support or damage. It partners well with the distinctive seed heads of Phlomis russeliana, providing structure until cut down early in spring.
AIM FOR YEAR-ROUND INTEREST Ornamental grasses add movement and late-season interest. Tall Stipa pseudoichu is best planted rising out of a void so its silvery arching plumes can be fully appreciated. Miscanthus sinensis ‘Dronning Ingrid’ has become a favourite here, flowering earlier in the year than many other miscanthus varieties while also providing invaluable winter structure. Many herbaceous plants retreat during autumn, but ornamental grasses such as Miscanthus sinensis continue to provide colour and interest throughout winter.
INTRODUCING SUMMER COLOUR In late summer, the grass colour palette moves to soft golds and browns. The Mexican feather grass Stipa tenuissima is at its best on a sunny day, when the light catches the feathery plumes. The delicate hair-fine foliage and silver-green flower plumes are a feature from midsummer to autumn.
“MAKING THE GARDEN IS LIKE WORKING ON A CANVAS, PAINTING IN HIGHLIGHTS AND SHADOWS – NEVER CAN ONE SAY, IT’S FINISHED” BETH CHATTO, plantswoman and author