blvd. | gardening
Glorious grass ORNAMENTAL GRASSES EARN A PLACE IN THE GARDEN.
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n my landscape design practice, I frequently run across folks who ask for a “no-maintenance” or “low-maintenance” garden. After half-jokingly quipping, “So we will plant plastic or silk!” my conversation immediately heads toward ornamental grasses and carexes. Looking beyond the overpowering pampas grass or the overused liriope or “monkey grass” (which isn’t a grass at all but rather a member of the lily family), there are many kinder and gentler grasses that fit the bill of being low maintenance, drought- and deer-resistant structural elements in the garden. Additionally, they are adaptable to many styles of garden design, from cottage to contemporary to pollinator-friendly meadows. Finally, grasses play well with other garden plants, accentuating vertical perennials such as liatris and coneflower, or providing complementary color and drama to shrubs like dark-leafed ninebarks and blue-needled conifers. With so many choices, a good starting point is to analyze the conditions present in your garden. Is your soil wet, dry or consistently moist? Are you working with clay, rich soil or rocky soil? Does your garden receive full sun, morning or afternoon sun, or full shade? From a design standpoint, are you looking for a strong vertical element, or a looser and more relaxed shape? Are you looking for a spreading grass that can help prevent erosion on a slope, or a clumping grass that politely stays where you plant it? The good news is there are grasses and the closely-related carexes for nearly every situation. As a general rule, grasses prefer a minimum of a half-day of direct sun and average to dry soil. If the soil is very rich with amendments or grasses are fertilized or over-watered, they can become weak and floppy. Most grasses thrive on some neglect and
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tough love. Carexes, however, can work well in shadier gardens, and, depending on the species or cultivar, also can work in richer soils that range from very wet and boggy to dry. Unless you are attempting to create rhythm through your garden with vertical single specimens dotting back and forth along a garden path, consider maximizing impact by planting larger groups of grasses. Doing so brings drama and cohesiveness to a space. If possible, attempt to site your grasses in areas of your garden where they will be backlit by the morning or late afternoon sun. This can produce a mesmerizing magical glow. Siting groups of grasses in open areas where breezes are common, the grasses will produce a kinetic effect as they flirt and dance with the prevailing wind. With regard to garden maintenance, there’s nothing easier than grasses. Low water usage, little to no fertilizer, and simply cutting them back to within several inches of the ground in very early March before new growth appears makes caring for them simple. Many carexes do not need to be cut back at all and generally prefer average to moist soil. FIVE COMMONLY AVAILABLE GRASSES AND HOW TO USE THEM
Panicum. Commonly known as switchgrass, Panicum is a tough native grass for sunny locations. Normally thought of as a drought-resistant grass, it can also be used in areas that are somewhat moist but not boggy. Switchgrass is a warm-season grass, which means that it emerges in mid-spring and works well in our hot humid summers. They are vertical growers with a height of 2 to 4 feet, depending on the variety. ‘Shenandoah’ is a popular cultivar that sports bright burgundy atop green foliage. In midsummer, it produces clouds of seed heads.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY JAY SIFFORD
by Jay Sifford
