grasses – Black Gold

Pretty Perennial Ornamental Grasses For Late Summer

Blue fescues are lovely, steely blue grasses that form tidy clumps.

It’s August and here in Indiana we often have days in the 90s. Many summer perennials, such as daylilies, salvias, and Shasta daisies, are past their prime or have disappeared until next year. Perennial garden grasses, however, are still colorful with their bold plumes and blades. There are many species and varieties available to fit practically any garden.

Perennial grasses range from the diminutive (1-foot or less) to big and bold (6-8 feet or more). Some are dense and colorful while others are airy and textural. Most require full sun, but some will grow well in partial shade. I only grow perennial grasses, so I do not have to fuss with planting new ones every spring. Here are some of my favorites for your consideration.

Sterile Chinese Maiden Grasses

Maiden grasses (Miscanthus sinensis, Zones 5-9) are beautiful, but gardeners need to exercise caution when choosing one. Many of these Asian-native grasses are invasive to North America, so it is best to choose varieties with low or no seed set. One of my favorites Miscanthus is the 6-foot-tall ‘Zebra Grass’, which has an unusual pattern of horizontal-striped bands of yellow across the green blades, but it is not sterile. Thankfully, they have come out with the smaller 3-foot-tall ‘Bandwidth‘, which has all of the good looks while being infertile. In late summer it sends up feathery, golden-brown plumes that produce no fluffy seeds.

Another beautiful, yet invasive, variety is the 6-foot-tall, graceful ‘Morning Light’ with its narrow, green blades with white edges and midveins. The clump reflects light, giving the plant a shiny appearance. The reliably sterile My Fair Maiden™ is a good replacement. It reaches a whopping 6-8 feet and has very showy plumes that glisten in the sun.

Maiden grasses do best in full sun and need regular water since they don’t like dry soil. Give them plenty of space to grow. These clump-forming grasses widen with age. If you want a tall hedge but don’t want to wait around for slow-growing shrubs or trees, plant maiden grasses instead. They are fast-growing and dense. Wear long-cuffed gardening gloves when you cut the old clumps back to 18 inches in early spring.

Switchgrass

Cheyenne Sky has blades that turn shades of red. (Image thanks to Proven Winners)

A simply gorgeous native switchgrass (Panicum virgatum, Zones 4-9) variety from Proven Winners is Cheyenne Sky. The deer-resistant grass forms a tight, upright clump of blue-green leaves that turn wine-red in early summer and stay that way until frost. It needs full sun and is drought-tolerant once established. At only 3 feet tall, it looks beautiful in large containers as well as in the garden. The clumps spread over time. Leave the dry blades and airy panicles for winter beauty and cut them back in late winter before they begin growing again.

Muhly Grass

An unusual and extra-beautiful grass for fall color is the pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris, Zones 5-9), or pink hair grass, which is native to barrens and prairies of the eastern United States. In fall, it sends up large, 12-inch, frothy, panicles that look like bright pink clouds. These can last from September to November. The leaves are very narrow and shiny. Pink hair grass reaches up to 3 feet tall, likes well-drained soil, and is drought tolerant once established. It looks best when planted in groups and grows best in full sun but will tolerate more shade than other grasses. Regal Mist® is an extra showy variety to try.

Blue Fescue

Blue fescue (Fescue glauca, Zones 4-11) is a wonderful compact ornamental grass for the front of the flower garden. It is round clump-forming grass with straight, narrow, blue blades. At only 8-12 inches tall (foliage) it is one of the shortest ornamental grasses. It is drought tolerant and does well in rock gardens or any other dry-soil area. Blue fescue sends up its flower heads in late spring–by summer they turn tan. Two excellent varieties are ‘Elijah Blue’ and ‘Boulder Blue’. Old specimens plant sometimes die back in the center. At this time, divide them to rejuvenated clumps, and replant them elsewhere.

Red Hood Sedge

For interest, I decided to add one sedge to the list–sedges being close relatives of grasses. Red hood sedge (Uncinia rubra, Zones 7-10) is a stunning evergreen sedge species from New Zealand that is so tempting to me. The beautiful, cascading, 1-foot mounds have bright, glossy, red blades. Red Hood Sedge will grow in full sun or full shade, so you can tuck them in among your hostas. It grows well but does not require, very wet soil, so it can be planted where other grasses would probably not make it. Choose a spot or pot with moist, rich soil, and do not let it get too dry. An excellent variety is ‘Everflame’, which has undulating red blades.

Does Mulch Along a Home’s Foundation Attract Termites?

“I’ve heard that its not a good idea to place mulch too close to a house’s foundation. I was also told to mulch or plant shrubs around my house’s foundation to prevent my kids from getting lead poisoning from the old chipped off paint in the soil. What should I put near my foundation, bricks? Also, how far from my foundation should I plant vetiver grass? I’m having trouble finding guidance on how far from my brick foundation it should be with its deep root system.” Veronica of Clay City, Indiana

Answer: Some speculate that termites may be attracted to or reside in bark mulch. It is true that termites can eat bark mulch, but they survive and form colonies in solid wood, so bark mulch not a terribly strong termite lure. Moreover, newer homes are generally protected from termites, and older homes should be for their longterm protection.

Either way, there are other mulch options that are certain not to harbor or attract any termites. These include pine straw, chopped leaf mulch, stone mulch, and even quality Black Gold Garden Compost Blend. (Please click here for a full overview of different mulch options.) My personal favorite is pine straw. It looks tidy and really helps to detur weeds.

The best way to keep kids away from the soil at the base of the home is to plant lawn or shrubs along your foundation (click here for some good flowering shrubs for foundations). Ornamental grasses are another option, but I would not recommend vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanoide, Zones 7-8) because it is a warm-climate grass that will not be hardy in your Zone 5 garden, and it is weedy. Better, more beautiful, sun-loving grasses for your foundation include Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass, Prairie Winds^® ‘Apache Rose’ Switch Grass, or Little Zebra Dwarf Zebra Grass. All need sunshine and should be planted 2 to 4 feet from your foundation in a mulched bed, depending on the final height and width of the grass you choose.

I hope that these tips help!

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

Green Screens: Planting for Privacy

Gardeners can create layers of screening plants to create privacy, enclosures, and drama within the garden.

Using plants as screening is the prettiest way to block an unsightly view, demarcate space, channel traffic, or form the walls of an intimate outdoor room. A green screen can be anything from a single eye-stopping specimen to a uniform hedge, to a mixture of evergreen and flowering shrubs, to a vine-adorned fence. The type of plant that does the screening influences the overall personality of a garden as well as the amount of labor required to maintain it.

Ascending Evergreens

Robust, columnar evergreens make a tidy, effective, year-round green screen.

Often, the first plants that spring to mind for screening are three evergreens: Leyland cypress (Cupressus x leylandii, USDA Hardiness Zones 6-9), Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica, Zones 6-8), and arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis, Zones 2-7). Each has a formal aspect and grows at warp speed; Leyland cypress tops out at 75 feet, Japanese cedar at about 50 feet, and arborvitae at 40 feet. Appealing as immediate gratification is, very tall plants can change patterns of light and shade, be difficult to prune, and, worse, grow out of proportion with the rest of a garden. For this reason, gardeners seeking a more manageable evergreen screen have more compact varieties of these trees from which to choose. North Pole^® arborvitae has a narrow, conical habit and tops out at 15 feet, and R ein’s Dense Jade Japanese cedar is a choice variety that reaches 25 feet and has very dense growth.

Hedging Plants

Skip laurel has spires of white flowers in mid to late spring and glossy, evergreen leaves.

Another traditional hedge plant is Skip laurel (Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis’, Zones 6-9). It grows moderately fast, is dark green and dense, thrives just about anywhere, tolerates pollution and drought, takes pruning, and reaches about 12 feet. Unfortunately, deer love it.

Deer won’t bother spicily aromatic dwarf bayberry (Myrica cerifera, Zones 7-9), an evergreen that can eventually reach 10 to 15 feet but is generally much shorter. Its loose habit is casual, but for a more formal look, it takes well to shearing. Growing in wet or sandy soils, sun or shade, it isn’t bothered by salt spray or high winds and is ideal for seaside gardens. Northern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica, Zones 3-7) is equally tolerant of tough growing conditions but is hardier and shorter, reaching between 5 to 10 feet.

Prague viburnum is an evergreen spring bloomer with a less formal appearance when used as a screening shrub.

A uniform clipped hedge is at home in a formal garden. Informal gardens allow for looser, more textured shrubs, such as the deep evergreen Prague viburnum (Viburnum x pragense, Zones 5-8). It will reach 8 feet tall by 6 feet wide quickly in the sun or part shade. It grows in full shade but won’t produce the fragrant, creamy white May flowers that are followed by showy black berries. The equally informal All that Glows^® Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) is a pleasing deciduous viburnum that is tough and creates a fine screen. It takes well to shearing, has glossy leaves, and white flower clusters in late spring followed by clusters of deep blue berries that remain attractive into fall.

Screening Grasses

Feather Reed Grass has a stark upright habit and creates a fine green screen from summer through winter.

Informal gardens also allow for out-of-the-box thinking. How about a screen of ornamental grasses? Drought-tolerant, deer-resistant switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a tall, airy, native and some cultivars can reach up to 6 feet or more. The award-winning ‘Northwind’ (Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind,’ Zones 4-9) is vertical with olive-green blades and soft panicles that top out at 6 feet. It grows quickly in a single season. Another grass with a vertical appeal is the classic Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’), which reaches 4 to 6 feet. It’s upright green panicles age to warm tan by fall and remain attractive through winter.

Or how about grasses and shrubs in combination? Deer-resistant blue fountain or clumping bamboo (Fargesia nitida, Zones 5-8) reaches 10 feet tall or more. Clumps are dense, but the thin. Erect canes have a linear appearance that contrasts handsomely with bold, broadleaf evergreens in the foreground, such as Beale’s mahonia (Mahonia bealei, Zones 6-9)–a deep green shrub with prickly evergreen leaves that grows up to 10 feet tall and nearly as wide. Another complement would be Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium, Zones 6-8), which grows to 6 feet or slightly more and spreads to 5 feet wide. Fragrant yellow flowers bloom in the earliest spring. (Click here to read more about Oregon grape holly.)

Mixed Screens

Alone, evergreen Sky Pencil holly (Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’, Zones 5-8) is ideal for a medium green screen in a narrow area. It reaches 10 feet, but stays 3 feet wide and under, grows in the sun or shade, isn’t fussy about soil, and needs no trimming. It is sensational when alternated in a hedge with just about any shorter flowering shrub. One choice might be deciduous flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa, Zones 5-8). Quince grows to about 6’ tall and bears pink, red, or white early-spring flowers, followed by tart fruits that can be used in jams and jellies. Its thorns deter deer, but there is a thornless and fruitless variety called Double Take Orange^™( aka. Double Take Orange Storm), which has double flowers of deepest orange that make it well worth growing.

Privatizing Climbers for Fences

Sometimes a well-espaliered tree, like this apple, makes its own green screen.

Sometimes, for reasons of space and time, only a fence will do. Espaliered trees or shrubs like apples, pyracantha, and camellias (Camellia species, zones 7-9), or a woody vine, like climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris, Zones 5-9), are great choices for added fence or green wall screening that goes a long way to improving the view.

Bold Grasses for the Fall Garden

*Pennisetum* ‘Jade Princess’ is a spectacular variety with huge, showy plumes.

With many summer-flowering annuals beginning to fade, autumn is the season when many ornamental grasses take center stage. I do not want to dismiss those ornamental grasses that look quite good in the garden during the summer, and some that look good all year round, but by careful selection, a gardener can pick certain grasses that are at their prime in the fall season. In my neighborhood, I see ornamental grasses being used much more frequently than in years past. Nowadays, there is such a large assortment available that I will highlight favorites that have consistently performed well in my Pacific Northwest garden.

Keep in mind that most grasses, these included, grow best in full sun and require well-drained soil with average to good fertility. Hardiness varies among the perennial species. Adding a little Canadian sphagnum peat moss at planting time is always welcome.

Ornamental Millet

An annual grass that I regularly see in garden centers is the bold purple ornamental millet (Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Majesty’), which reaches up to 4 feet. It provides purple foliage, which can be quite striking from summer into fall. If planted in a full sun location, the blades will be the darkest. Upright purple flower spikes appear above the foliage, usually in mid to late summer. More compact ‘Jade Princess’, which reaches 2-2.5 feet, is another exceptional variety with lush green blades and large, puffy purple-red spikes that curve at the tips. Ornamental millet spikes are often cut when fresh and dried for Halloween or Thanksgiving arrangements. If the seed heads are left on, they are an excellent source of food for wild birds.

Chinese Feather Reed Grass

If I had a favorite Chinese feather reed grass, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gold Bar’ would be top on my list. It is an introduction by Joy Creek Nursery in Scappoose, Oregon as well as a Great Plant Picks selection. As the name indicates, ‘Gold Bar’ has golden, zebra-stripe bars that begin at the base of the green blades and continue to the tips. It is ideal for large containers or planted in a garden in need of striking foliage throughout the season. ‘Gold Bar’ is more compact and upright for feather reed grass, with a maximum height of 4-5 feet. It is also hardy, surviving in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8. The foliage turns tawny brown in winter and has nice structure, so wait to cut it back to the ground in late winter.

Purple Moor Grass

For an easy-to-grow, small, clumping grass, variegated purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea subsp. caerulea ‘Variegata’, Zones 4-9) is an outstanding choice. The yellow and green variegated foliage grows 1-2 feet tall and works well as a border plant along a flower bed. In late summer and early fall, clusters of airy yellow to purple flower spikes appear about 2-3 feet above the clump. The purple flower spikes contrast well with the variegated foliage, and as they age, they turn yellow and look quite attractive into the autumn season. Cut the plant to the ground once the flower stems have faded. During the growing months, moor grass needs additional water when it is dry.

Tall Moor Grass

Another worthy garden grass of the same species is tall moor grass (Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea). This one has broader gray-green leaves that can form a clump about 3 feet tall with blooming stems up to 8 feet. One of its most popular, best forms is ‘Karl Foerster’ (to be distinguished from the more common feather reed-grass, ‘Karl Foerster (Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’), which has 2-3 foot leaves and feathery stems that can reach up to 7 feet. The form ‘Skyracer’ has plum-colored plumes that reach straight into the air. Tall moor grass survives in Zones 5-8.

Giant Feather Grass

Native to Spain and Portugal, the tall flower spikes of giant feather grass (Stipa gigantea) rise high above the foliage and can reach up to 6 feet in height from clumps that are 2-3 feet high. It is drought-resistant and hardy in Zones 6-10. Be sure to plant it where it can be appreciated as a specimen plant. It makes a very bold statement in a gravel garden. Airy stems of yellow flowers appear in summer, and a large plant in full bloom almost looks like a glistening cloud. It is a real attention-getter when in full bloom. Cut it to the ground in late fall or when the leaves begin to fade.

This listing presents a small sampling of some of the ornamental grasses that are available at local garden centers. If there is a particular public garden in your area that features perennial grasses, fall is an ideal time to visit to get an idea of what they look like at the end of summer in your area. Fall is also a good planting time.

Transformative Grasses: Anchoring Gardens and Soils

This hardy fountain grass is in full summer bloom, releasing pollen in the breeze. (Photo by Maureen Gilmer)

Over the past year, California has experienced drought, wildfires, floods, mudslides, and extreme cold. The rest of the Southwest has seen the same crazy extremes and has experienced high-damage potential within a short time span. Everyone will have some rethinking to do, whether making structural repairs or just replanting to return beauty to the landscape. For others, it may require a whole new assessment of site planting and soil protection.

There is just one group of important plants that are called for this spring to heal the land. John James Ingalls tells us why in a most eloquent quote:

Grass is the forgiveness of nature–her constant benediction. Fields trampled with battle, saturated with blood, torn with the ruts of cannon, grow green again with grass, and carnage is forgotten. Streets abandoned by traffic become grass-grown like rural lanes and are obliterated. Forests decay, harvests perish, flowers vanish, but grass is immortal. – John James Ingalls, Yearbook of Agriculture, 1948

The Power of Grasses

Empty garden spaces can easily be transformed or revegetated by large, ornamental grasses. (Photo by Maureen Gilmer)

Grasses are natural colonizers. They are nature’s repair mechanism for soil disturbance. Soil bound by grass roots underground and broad foliar coverage above protects the surface from raindrop particle displacement (erosion). On slopes, they are excellent for slowing runoff velocity as well; the slower the water flows, the lower the erosion potential.

This makes grasses the most natural quick fix for gardens and home sites damaged by extreme weather and disasters. Not only are they the ultimate problem solvers for damaged ground, but large ornamental grasses will also turn sparse drought plantings into lush, beautiful landscapes this year. When planted in spring, they flower by mid to late summer with tall animated stems that grow more beautiful as they complete their life cycle.

Grasses produce flowers held well above the foliage to catch the wind, which is integral to their reproduction. When pollen flies from grass plumes amidst prairies or drylands, it is caught on sticky flower parts called pistils for pollination and seed set. In the fall, dry winds help distribute seed far and wide. The remaining seed structures stand barren into winter until knocked down by snow or heavy rain.

Because grasses are found on every continent, their range of tolerances is significant. In dry areas of the Southwest, the soils and water supply are too lean for many species that originate in summer-rain climates. The key is growing grasses that will thrive in our heat and potential drought, so you need not increase irrigation. They should be sufficiently adapted to drought to survive nicely when the wet cycle wanes.

Planting with Grasses

Grasses are such incredibly transformative plants due to fast growth and significant seasonal change. They are the stars of late summer gardens when the flowers are heavy and stems nod and sway in the slightest breeze. Designers know how important this “animation” can benefit an otherwise static garden dominated by rigid cacti, succulents, and arid species.

There are four easy ways to add adaptable grasses to your western landscape this spring.

Create Fast and Easy Fillers

Early in the year, upright maiden grass makes a lush, green single specimen. (Photo by Maureen Gilmer)

Tall grasses with a significant diameter at maturity, like maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracilimus’, 7-feet high, USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9), are the fastest way to fill gaps in your planting caused by frost death, washouts, and slope failure. Provided these grasses spots in full sun, and plant to fit a given space. If garden space is too large for just one single specimen, plant a group of three or five for a bigger visual impact.

Add Texture to Succulents

Blue fescue is the perfect low-growing, fine-textured grass for planting among succulents.

Succulent plants are coarsely textured and physically stable. Blend them with fine-textured shorter grasses that are of similar height to contrast the character of each. Try Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima, 3-feet high, USDA Hardiness Zones 7-10) or blue fescue (Festuca glauca, 1-foot high, USDA Hardiness Zones 4-8) for fine-textured appeal.

Enhance Boulders and Rock Gardens

Pennisetums are reliable anchoring grasses for rock gardens.

Boulders are always more natural when anchored by grasses. Planting right at the edge allows roots to reach underneath and draw up cool moisture trapped beneath the stone far into summer. Where rocks are plentiful, the roots of grass tend to do better in shallow soils where they find fissures of much greater depth where the water hides. Two kinds of grass for the task are tender fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum, 5-feet high, USDA Hardiness Zones 9-10) and hardy fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides, 4-high, USDA Hardiness Zones 6-9).

Enhance Background Seasonal Color

The Southwest native deergrass is our best large grass for the dry southwestern US and California. (Photo by Maureen Gilmer)

Bedding plant and succulent displays are animated by taller grasses in the background, particularly after blossoms fade. In the fall, when ephemeral annuals wane, the tall flowers of upright or airy ornamental grasses become sculptural. With this background, you’ll never be without interest except in the dead of winter. Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens, 4 to 5-high, USDA Hardiness Zones 7-9) is a good selection that offers a cloud of pinkish seasonal color.

Planting Grasses

Because grasses are very active rooters, gardeners planting in clayey soils that tend to clod-up should generously add Black Gold Garden Compost Blend to their backfill at planting time. With heavy clay, like Adobe, mix compost in at a 50/50 ratio with excavated soil. This introduction of copious organic matter will wake up the army of dormant microbes that exist in fertile clays and work with plants to make them more resilient. The organic matter allows new roots to grow much faster and penetrate deeper. Adding compost also helps prevent surface cracking as wet, clayey soils dry out. Cracks in hardpan clay allow water to skim the surface or penetrate too fast in the wrong places, causing irregular saturation.

Let grasses make your garden immortal this year. Celebrate the repair and renewal opportunities that grasses offer to rethink landscaping after a very difficult winter. For those who have suffered from wildfire and flood, turn to Mother Nature’s repair mechanism for all things soil-related to receive her constant benediction.

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