Ornamental Grasses

Schutterstoren, Amsterdam

Wet Grass

Grasses flop when wet which is why it is best not to plant them too close to narrow paths. However, today, fine rain turned this border in front of my home into a glistening spectacle of textures and light. The fine flower stems of Sporobolus heterolepis arched under the weight of a thousand water droplets …

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Grasses in early Autumn

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Vorläufer’ Ornamental grasses bring excitement and interest to the garden throughout the year when we take advantage of their exceptional qualities, but it is in early autumn that they can steal my heart. Molinia caerulea Subsp. caerulea and Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’ In soft light their fine details are set against the courser …

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Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental Grasses

The warm season grasses are finally in full flower her in the Netherlands. This year they are later than normal as a result of the cool late summer weather. But when they do flower all is forgiven as by then the garden has reached its dramatic peak. Cool season grasses such as Calamagrostis (above) are …

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Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea

Whispering Grass

  As gardeners there are two groups of purple moor grass to be aware of: Molinia caerulea subspecies caerulea which flower somewhere between knee and hip height and Molinia caerulea subspecies arundinacea which top head height.   The taller of the two make diffuse fountains of flower stems that dance in the slightest breeze, however …

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Grass Hedges

Grass Hedges

In contrast to naturalistic mixed perennial plantings, I like to place blocks of a single species of an ornamental grass for bold architectural impact. Planted in lines, tall grasses can make seasonal hedges and when the grass remains effective for most of the year they form part of the garden’s permanent planting design. In my own garden …

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Designing with Grasses

Gardening with Grasses

The introduction of ornamental grasses into planting plans was one of the most significant changes to occur within garden design in the past twenty years. Through their inclusion amidst an evolving planting pallet of perennials, contemporary gardens took on a naturalistic feel, far removed from the stiff block plantings of traditional herbaceous borders; grasses introduced …

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