7 December 2009
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Grasses

A huge range of grasses is available to be used right across the garden. Some give colourful low spread among feature plants, others add enormous striking clumps with wonderful flowering spikes, and others provide extraordinary height.

Recommended varieties

Grasses are the ultimate architectural plant, adding see-through effects, gentle rustling, autumn colour and winter shapes. They also tolerate a range of conditions, from gravel gardens to solid lumpy clay.

Grasses can be used in borders as individual eye-catchers, large or small, or repeated in drifts to create a natural look, with paths ambling through and between. Some can even be grown in containers, to help soften formal designs.

Giant grasses

Be careful where you place these as they quickly form enormous clumps. Big grasses also demand lawn space so you can stand back and admire them.

Cortaderia selloana 'Albolineata': most pampas grasses are whoppers, but this isn't as tall as some, being 2m (6ft) at most, and its long, thin leaves have rich yellow edging. If you want a bigger variety, 'Sunningdale Silver' is over 3m (10ft). It has been given the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Arundo donax: tall and bamboo-like, this injects a strong architectural element and a thick clump of vertical growth. It's very vigorous and grows to more than 1.8m (6ft) in a season.

Medium-high and smaller grasses

The following are more easily accommodated in most borders.

Stipa gigantea: wonderfully impressive with its (usually) evergreen base clump of 60cm (2ft) high leaves topped, in summer, with an array of flowering spikes, which turn from silvery green to gold and reach 2.5m (8ft). Has been awarded the RHS's AGM.
Deschampsia cespitosa: creates a dense mass of rigid, evergreen grass about 60cm (2ft) high and produces an airy, see-through display of tiny silvery-purple flowers on stems up to 2m (6ft). 'Goldtau' is smaller with reddish-brown flowers turning yellow.
Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus': deciduous grass producing dense clumps of arching, gold or cream variegated foliage in spring, reaching a height of about 1.2m (4ft) before erupting into a mass of feathery flowers. M. 'Silberfeder' is one of the best for flowers. Both have been awarded the RHS's AGM.
Briza maxima: the annual greater quaking grass is ideal in cottage gardens and for growing under apple trees. The stems are so thin they're almost invisible, but carry heart-shaped tiny flower heads that rustle in the breeze and turn beige in the autumn. Grows to 60cm (2ft).
Hordeum jubatum: beautiful small grass that grows to 50cm (20in) high. It carries silky, greyish panicles in early and mid summer, which develop a reddish or purple tinge at the tips. Fantastic in massed groups, or around taller, more stately plants

Pond and bog grasses

Sedges are suitable for damp conditions. Britain's native sedge, Carex pendula, and the wiry-leaved, bronze C. buchananii are well worth trying, as is the variegated form of purple moor grass, Molinia caerulea. Its flowers and leaves are a soft blend of cream and green in summer, turning to pale parchment in autumn. All need constant moisture. The RHS has awarded C. buchananii its AGM.

You could also try:

Eriophorum latifolium: cotton grass is a British moorland native and ideal for ponds or bog gardens, where it can grow in acid soil. Produces fluffy flowers in spring and early summer that look like tufts of cotton.

Grasses for pots

The following are attractive in ornamental containers:

Hakonechloa macra: this is a popular perennial because it arches and flops like a great wig. Can also be used to edge the front of a border. Choose between the popular, golden-variegated 'Aureola', 'Alboaurea' with paler variegations and the plain green species.

Growing tips

Site and preferences

Most grasses are easy to grow, full sun being the main requirement, and most tolerate a wide range of soils.

Propagation

Most perennial grasses are relatively easy to propagate by division. Do this in spring, not autumn, as some newly divided plants may rot before they've developed a good root system.

Many grasses produce young plants from seed, but special garden forms may not produce identical progeny. Wait to see if they're any good and use to fill gaps in borders.

Feeding

The more nitrogen grasses receive, the greener and further they'll grow. This spreading habit is fine in a field, but in a garden they can become too lush and the flower quality may suffer.

Feed them in spring like ordinary perennials, with a single dressing of a general fertiliser. Even without an annual feed, most grasses will put on a first-rate show.

Ongoing care

February is the time to cut your deciduous, ornamental grasses hard back and give them a thick mulch.

Problem solver

By and large, grasses are remarkably problem-free. Powdery mildew may afflict some in certain seasons, but it's hardly worth spraying them with a fungicide. Grazing rabbits, however, can cause considerable damage.

The biggest problem results from using large, invasive plants, such as Phalaris arundinacea and Holcus mollis 'Albovariegatus', in a small space. When buying, make sure you check the plant's final height and spread.

Arundo donax isn't completely hardy and needs protecting in freezing spells with a covering of thick mulch and bracken.