I’m a huge fan of ornamental grasses. They add wonderful naturalism, movement and texture to planting and come into their own in early autumn with their golden seed heads shimmering and swaying in the breeze. They look great in big drifts, acting like a neutral foil to colourful late flowering perennials like persicaria, asters, helenium, Japanese anemones, sedum and Verbena bonariensis. But they also work well in smaller gardens knitting plants together. Here are a few to try:
Tall and statuesque
Miscanthus. Some of the best grasses for striking silky seed heads, they tend to flower late but make a real statement when they do. M. sinensis ‘Malepartus’ is a statuesque variety (2m) with a fountain of burgundy flowers, while M. Ferner Osten’ is slightly smaller. M. Adagio is a compact variety with a mass of shimmery silvery flowers.
Stipa giganteum is another big statement grass, which throws its tall oaty flower heads high into the air – and is best in an open sunny spot where the sun can shine through it.
Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ is a great performer, with a very upright habit and fabulous seed heads. Unlike many grasses, the fresh green leaves arrive early in the season, before the fluffy purple flowers emerge, which finally turn straw coloured in summer.
Medium sized grasses
Stipa tenuissima. Also known as ‘Mexican feather grass’ is useful semi evergreen grass with very fine wispy leaves and feathery golden seed heads in summer. It’s lovely mingling with perennials such as achillea and salvia Nemerosa ‘Caradonna’. It likes full sun and well-drained soil. Comb out the tatty bits or cut right down in spring for a fresh flush of green.
Calamagrostis ‘Overdam’ is rarer and smaller (1m) than Karl Foerster and is a pretty grass with an upright habit and cream striped leaves. Calamagrostis brachytricha has pale fluffy flower heads in autumn – again late to flower but worth it when it does. It has a more relaxed arching habit and copes with some shade.
Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’ is a mound-forming evergreen grass, this has silvery purple flowers in early summer, maturing to a cloud of delicate golden seed heads. It’s happy in sun or part shade, in moist well-drained soil.
Small and perfectly formed
Hakonechloa macra is a gorgeous short grass with lush green foliage – a little like bamboo in feel. It’s happy in dappled shade and is fantastic on mass underplanting trees, where it cascades like flowing water, or for edging paths and borders. Sesleria autumnalis is an excellent low growing evergreen grass with mounds of bright green strappy leaves that turn more lime- coloured in winter. It has short silvery flower spires in the summer.
Grass Care
Most grasses like sun and free draining soil though some such as anemanthele lessioniana and deschampsia thrive in semi shade. Cut deciduous grasses right back in late winter, before the new growth has got going. Remove seeds heads from evergreen varieties and comb them through with your fingers to remove tatty old growth.
Where to see grasses: The Horniman Museum has a Grassland Garden where you can see most of the grasses above growing as a permanent display.
@janinewinlaw