Grasses as exotics

[Yorkshire Kris]

Check out the Independent number 18

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/co ... 87156.html

[Dim]

Hakonechloa Macra Auerola (the one that won perennial plant of the year in 2009-has stripes in the leaves) .... it's one of my all time favourite plants (I do a bit of landscaping for some clients but am still learning)

planted at 300mm intervals on a border in shade/semishade is a sight to behold.... also planted as a specimin plant next to a purple or black Heuchera looks stunning .... pity it does not do well in full sun

I recently planted some of the black grass on a bedding border at 200mm intervals (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Arabicus'- Black Mondo Grass) so will see how that goes ... wanted to plant the blue grass, (festuca glauca blue grass ) but my garden centre were asking £10 a small pot

and speaking of Hakonechloa , there is one that I recently saw on the internet that has red leaves .... looks nice

not so sure about the plain yellow Hakonechloa.... looks a bit too plain to me .... the Hakonechloa Macra Auerola gets a few red stripes if it exposed to a bit of sun....

[Ian Cooke]

Maybe I'll plant one in my own front garden and see what happens!

[GoggleboxUK]

My mother had a monster pampas.... bits set alight........still came back following year

Sounds like a swinger to me!

[Dim]

I'll be sure to cross to the other side of the pavement if I see a pampas in a front garden, don't want anyone getting the wrong ideas . Pampas grass reminds me of Abigails Party and that era, a little old fashioned.
My mother had a monster pampas, impossible to get rid of . It was hacked down, remaining bits set alight, still came back following year

rumour has it that in the 1970's, swingers used to plant pampas grass in their front gardens .... they were inaundated with knocks on the door by 'door to door' salesmen

not sure how true this is, but read it somewhere on the internet a while back

[Trudytropics]

My mother was a bit of a tiger Google, it would'nt surprise me at all, they used to have wild parties .

Dim I feel this conversation is going round full circle
I have the hakonechola you talk of the varigated one, I have 4 planted round a water feature, they are lovely grasses. They are in full sun and I have noticed some fading to their colour, but they seem happy enough, despite my dog trying to kill them when he waters them They have a very fine red stripe in their leaves. I may get some more next year and find a shady spot for them.

[Dim]

My mother was a bit of a tiger Google, it would'nt surprise me at all, they used to have wild parties .

Dim I feel this conversation is going round full circle
I have the hakonechola you talk of the varigated one, I have 4 planted round a water feature, they are lovely grasses. They are in full sun and I have noticed some fading to their colour, but they seem happy enough, despite my dog trying to kill them when he waters them They have a very fine red stripe in their leaves. I may get some more next year and find a shady spot for them.

here is a good article about them:
http://www.perennialplant.org/ppy/2009_POY.pdf

and here is the red one (called hakonechloa nicolas)... looks 'interesting'

http://www.blokkermeijer.nl/nieuw/Hakon ... icolas.JPG

[Trudytropics]

Dim that red one is interesting, undecided whether I like it or not, looks like it has gone straight into autumn. I think you'd have to be quite careful with positioning this, I'm not keen on the japanese blood grass either. My favourite would still be Macra auerola. Keep grass green

[simon]

I have quite a few grasses Ian. Miscanthus, Hakonechloa, Festuca glauca, Ophiopogon, Arundo donax, Carex siderosticha, Purple Millet. The one I wouldn't do without is Miscanthus sacchariflorus.

[derrick]

I have Arundo Donax it seems bit slow. My nan had a Pampas grass in her front Garden we used to set fire to control it they burn well

[Rachelpalm]

Hello
I grow Carex Evergold and have recently bought some Carex Red Rooster. I love grasses, evergreen ones that look nice all year round. I believe Phormiums are grasses too. I have loads of them. My favs being my black ones( pitts black) . Carex Evergold look great with Pitts Black.

[Ian Cooke]

........ I believe Phormiums are grasses too. I have loads of them. ......................

Phormiums aren't grasses despite their appearance although they are giant, evergreen herbaceous perennials. They are in the family Phormiaceae although some books will list it as Agavaceae.

Wonderful plants - such a pity last winter decimated so many.

[Chad]

I have been experimentng with grasses as a sort of 'prairie' thing.

Here is Stipa gigantea in June.

And here a [mainly] Miscanthus collection.

With the Miscanthus I like they way they change through the year. Spiky in the spring then wavy in the summer and then fluffy in flower and sere aver the winter. Settign them alight in March is fun too.

Chad.

[countrylover]

I wanna say that Carex, Phormium, Liriope and Ophiopogon are not grasses. They do not belong to Poaceae family.

[AndyC]

I like your Prairie Chad, wish I had the space for one. I too wouldn't be without Miscanthus sacchariflorus and/or Miscanthis giganteus, they make a great backdrop for plants that carry their flowers above their foliage, e.g Cannas

Some of the more robust grasses make great supports for other plants. Here the purple sugar cane is supporting a rather floppy Dahlia coccinea

You can't see it very well but this Arundo donax supports Dahlia merckii very well and grows 4-5M tall

I've tried growing the variegated Arundo but it hasn't liked the last two winters and isn't anywhere near as vigorous as the plain green one.
I use Setaria palmifolia as a summer filler in sun or shade, in sunny positions the leaves turn a lovely red colour. Here's one in a shady spot

Hakonechloa works great when mass planted especially on a bank as it looks like it is flowing down a slope. I use it to underplant small standard trees or shrubs

I think Ophiopogon looks great in pots that have taller plants growing through it. I guess the black form would look great in a pot with something brightly coloured growing through it. I have the green form that works well with the black Aeonium

Well I think it works well, my wife thinks it looks crazy