Ornamental grasses are discreet and graphic plants that are increasingly popular in the garden. Matching flowering plants as well as shrubs, they give lightness and flexibility to the decoration. Easy to grow, they are even suitable for beginners!
Easy to grow and almost maintenance-free
To cultivate ornamental grasses in your garden, nothing is too difficult! You just have to consider the needs of each species or variety, to install them in full sunlight and give them enough space. A local nurseryman will be able to inform you about the varieties best adapted to your soil, some need freshness, others heat and drought, so it is crucial to adapt your choice to the soil, the exposure and of course the climate of your garden. There are also specialized growers, many of whom present an online catalog, who will also be able to give you very good advice.
Most grasses, once well established, fit into the concept of the sustainable garden because they do not require frequent watering and grow by themselves. Hardy down to -20°C (except for a few tropical varieties), grasses are not a worry during the winter, on the contrary, their light foliage and graphic inflorescences become covered with frost and give a fairy-tale look to the garden in the early morning.
There are ornamental grasses of all sizes (from 15 cm to 3.5 m high), so you can use them in borders as well as to punctuate flower beds, in rock gardens, on a slope, in landscaped gardens, in a moving garden, even to create hedges and windbreaks. Once dried, the inflorescences are used in the composition of dry bouquets to decorate the house. Grasses are multi-purpose, enjoy!
Decorative all year round
The perennial grasses remain ornamental all year round, they come in various shades of foliage (green, copper, brown, variegated yellow, blue, red, purple ...).
In certain species the foliage withers, becomes dry during the bad season, it will remain ornamental under the effect of the frost and will protect the plant.
Do not confuse perennial species (Fescue, Miscathus, Pennisetum ...) which will remain in the garden for many years even if their foliage disappears in winter and annual species (Briza maxima, Agrostis nebulosa ...) which complete their life cycle over a year before dying and resowing spontaneously in the garden.
It is also necessary to distinguish between deciduous and evergreen species among perennials, especially with regard to pruning. The latter will not need to be pruned, just combed with a small claw to remove plant residues, inflorescences and dry stems. The others (Pannicum, Miscanthus, Pennisetum...) will have to be pruned at 10 or 20 cm from the ground depending on the volume of the plant. It will be possible to prune them into a ball to give a more graphic shape while waiting for the stems to grow back more beautifully! Proceed then at the end of the winter to keep the protective foliage as long as possible on the one hand, but also because the large varieties often shelter small animals like hedgehogs or insects which find a shelter of choice there.
Tips for planting decorative grasses
When to plant ornamental grasses?
- Perennial and hardy grasses can be planted in the fall, giving the plants time to properly establish their root system before summer.
- The planting of annual species is done in the spring.
- As for the tropical species, they will be planted in the ground only in areas where it does not freeze from the end of May.
Nature of the soil and exposure
Grasses need loose, well-drained soil. It is important to properly prepare the site by aerating the soil and making the necessary amendments. A mixture of river sand and compost will be beneficial except for plants with low nutrient requirements, again, it is essential to find out beforehand about the variety introduced and its real needs.
Similarly, some grasses like moist soil, such as Carex elata 'Aurea', Hakonechloa, Miscanthus sinensis, Carex pendula, Arundo donax..., plant them on the edge of water bodies, ponds, streams, wet ditches or rivers.
Others like Hordeum jubatum, Festuca glauca, Pennisetum, Stipa tenuifolia, like dry soil, heat does not bother them. Think of them for your rock gardens, embankments and dry areas of the garden.
How to plant ornamental grasses?
- Soak the root ball in a bucket of water at room temperature to hydrate it before planting;
- In the meantime, loosen the soil with an organic fork, remove all unwanted weeds and make the necessary amendments to correct the nature of the soil. If it is compact and impermeable, add river sand. Grasses appreciate drained land;
- Dig a hole twice the size of the root ball;
- Install your plant in the hole, plug, pack and water.
Maintenance of ornamental grasses
If the right species has been planted in the right place according to its specific cultural needs, maintenance will be very limited.
Water the grasses planted in dry areas for the time it takes to recover, then let nature take its course!
Prune deciduous perennial grasses at the end of winter.
