using ornamental grasses in the garden
Ornamental grasses celebrate everything that's great about gardening. Grasses weave threads of color, motion, texture, and sound to planting beds. Clumps of ornamental grasses form living screens, tufts of grass bubble along bed edges, and mounds of grass froth in fountains of foliage in perennial beds.
USING GRASSES IN THE GARDEN
Many gardeners tend to use ornamental grasses like punctuation marks, showcasing them in the garden like prized works of art. Grasses are not just accents, but simply living swatches of color and texture to combine with other plants to create a perennial paradise.
MIX IT UP
Mix upstanding grasses with flowing grasses and blends grasses of every size and shape with perennials. The result is magical, particularly from late summer into fall, when the grasses are at their peak. Place plants based on what their growing needs are, not on what will look good together. Plant mid-range ornamental grasses (growing 2 to 4 feet high) with perennials to create a tapestry of textural beauty. A favorite is 'Morning Light' Miscanthus sinensis with the grass Carex 'Bowles Golden'
RUDBECKIAS
'RAVENNA'
MAKE A SCREEN
Combine ornamental grasses with large shrubs and flowering perennials to form a living screen. Plant a ring of perennials around the base of tall stands of grass to create contrast in color and form. Favorite combinations? Rudbeckias ringing the grass 'ravenna' .
Glauca 'Elijah Blue'
Hakonechloa 'All Gold'
EDGE YOUR BEDS
Use smaller grasses, such as Glauca 'Elijah Blue' , and Hakonechloa 'All Gold' to edge beds and to form ground covers for areas with dry shade.
Tags
Ornamental Grasses, designing with grasses
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