Grasses are the glue that holds many gardens together, adding texture and movement through summer, then body, drama and colour from late August through to December. Ornamental grasses are also great at filling out beds and borders when they become sparser during the winter months. Generally happy in pots but definitely provide more impact as part of a border planting scheme.
Deciduous grasses are the way to go in terms of colour progression with their autumnal toasted golden – brown hues. There are several that lose their verdant colour in the autumn but keep their foliage and therefore perfect for providing good coverage and winter interest. Pheasant’s tail is a great example of this.
Our top picks:
- Anemanthele lessoniana – Pheasant’s tail grass is a fantastic ornamental grass that provides colour, movement and structure. With evergreen foliage which emerges green but becomes striped with yellow, orange, and red with age it’s a super grass for year round interest. Sprays of airy flowerheads appear in late summer. Clump forming it’s easy to divide and multiply, it’s our ‘go-to’ grass of choice!
- Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ – One of our favourite grasses, this miscanthus is well renowned for its vigorous versatility and stunning display of silvery green variegated foliage. It is a compact deciduous clump-forming grass that does not have invasive spreading rhizomes, so are easily contained within gardens of all sizes.
- Miscanthus sin. ‘Kleine Silberspinne’ – A compact ornamental grass known for its fine, silvery leaves with a white central stripe. It produces upright and feathery red / brown plumes in summer which fade to silver in autumn. Ideal for small gardens, providing year round textural interest.
- Hakonechloa macra – Commonly known as Japanese forest grass, this is perennial grass produces mounds of bright green leaves with airy sprays of insignificant green flowers in mid to late summer. It has a slow spreading clump forming habit and in autumn the fresh green foliage gradually develops rich russet tones.
- Lomandra longifolia Platinum Beauty – An evergreen grass like plant with variegated shades of blue and green. It’s drought tolerant and can thrive in various soil types making it a hardy and versatile choice for your garden. Due to it’s strong root system it is effective at soil erosion control. Suitable for borders and focal points.
- Stipa tenuissima ‘Pony Tails’ – Also known as Mexican feathergrass or ‘Ponytails’ due to its light airy habit, this grass’s thread-like fronds arch elegantly and appear to dance in the wind. A perfect choice for softening a hard landscape, creating movement and interest. It is an extremely versatile plant and thus used in many planting schemes. Mature height 60cm.
Cortaderia selloana is easy to grow and adds instant height and depth. The silvery or pink tinged flower panicles are also excellent for drying and bringing into the home as a floral arrangement.
There is also a way to create the grass like affect using perennials such as Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ (always best to plant grouped together in multiples to create maximum impact) and Phormium.
Grasses are a simple but effective way to retain shape and colour during the winter months. They are the bare bones of the garden at this time of year.
If you need help updating an existing border or creating a new one then our “At Home” Consultancy Service might be just the thing <find out more>
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