The EasyBloom Blog

High on Grass Part 1

Small and medium sized Grasses

In this second part of the series of ornamental grasses[a] I will be talking about some of my favorite small to medium sized ornamental grasses I love to use in the field.

Small Grasses

Small in size but definitely big on impact is one of my favorites Festuca ovina var. glauca ( Zone 4-8) or blue fescue. This little guy may make it to about 10 inches high, but I doubt it! Its wonderful grey-blue color in its tight tufted form will provide a nice contrast to other plantings in your yard. Fantastic planted in small groups amongst a rock garden or at the front border of a planting bed, or use along pathways and in drought-tolerant and or Mediterranean-themed gardens. This grass is a native of temperate regions of Europe, but should not be invasive if planted in your yard.

Another grass that has some impressive coloration would be the Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrical ‘Red Baron’ Zone 5-9). This little guy stands around 16 inches high and has impressive coloration with bright red tips that may extend on some blades all the way to the ground creating wonderful contrast within the grass itself. Very effective planted en masse (although be aware it can get invasive if it is quite happy!) or in small clusters to create a dramatic focal point in your garden.

Blood Grass & Blue Fescue creating fun contrast and texture in this yard

A wonderful North American native that is well worth having in your garden would be the Mexican Feather Grass (Stipa tenuissima) (Zone 7-11). This grass is a must to plant in large groups as its impossibly hair-like filament grass blades reach about 2 feet above ground with its wispy, feathery seeds capturing every puff of breeze to creating the impression of ripples moving through a still pond. Gorgeous! Despite its delicate looking nature, this is actually a tough customer and can withstand drought wonderfully (being a native of Mexico, New Mexico, and Arizona). This is another grass that can be a little too happy in some yards and can easily get invasive if allowed to. Not always a bad thing though, as it is a fantastic solution for erosion control on sunny dry slopes!

Small, clean, and fun with its playful, relatively large, feathery seed heads dancing above its clean 10-inch long grass blades Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Little Bunny’ (Zone 6-9) is too cute to pass up for your yard. Effective if planted by itself, but even better with a few in a group. Or plant this Aussie native in containers as it has year round beauty being an evergreen within its climate zone.

Mid Size Grasses

Now we are getting into some true foundation type grasses that can make a dramatic statement. My all time favorite ornamental grass would have to be Stipa arundinacea or New Zealand Wind Grass (Zone 8-15). This grass has perfectly formed upright, bright chanteuse green, grass clumps that reaches about 18” high above ground. By midsummer the feathery, bronzy tinted, feather seed panicles float majestically above the grass to create a surreal effect…especially when a breeze is moving though a stand of these New Zealand natives. These seed heads are great to be added to fall cut flower arrangements for a festive, fun look. This grass gets about 3’ high with seed panicles in full bloom.

Another favorite of mine, but was sometimes a tough sell to my clients, is the Carex flagellifera or Bronze Sedge (Zone 7-9). I suspect my clients’ main issue with this plant is that its natural color is an earthy brown…but don’t knock it until you try it! Its wonderful wire-like grass blades sets such an impressive foundation that all your other plant choices will stand out and look just that much more dramatic when they are all tied together. We love it for its drought tolerance and year round appeal being an evergreen (or ever-brown in this case). It can reseed itself but I haven’t seen it ever get to an invasive status.

Check out this transformation mainly using grasses and sedges for low maintenance and year round color and texture for this circular driveway

I will next be talking about some wonderful large grasses that are some favorites of mine. But before we leave the topic of the smaller ornamental grasses…I would love to hear from you about your favorite smaller grasses and how you use them in your landscape?

High on Grass Part 1

Gazing out over the tapestry of a Yosemite meadow a couple years back, I had an epiphany which gave me even more confidence as a landscape designer. It occurred to me that one of the biggest foundations of flora in nature is the amazing array of grasses! From the delicate tufts of grass, adding texture to that high mountain meadow to the grassy native sedges holding our coastal sand dunes in place, almost every major biome (anywhere in the world!) prominently features grasses in their many forms.

As a designer I was always attempting to tie into nature and it was my genuine attempts to replicate nature that created the best designs.  Yet in the industry, where the client’s priorities come first, my designs were mostly determined by the opinions of the clients and what appealed most to them, not necessarily what looked most natural.

Once in a while, I would meet with some resistance from clients when including grasses in a landscape design. Often, they assume grasses will just look dead in the winter, or not provide the same visual impact of a blooming plant. The truth is, most people would be amazed by the variety of color, texture, size, shapes, and all season interest available in the grass community. Some varieties produce long lasting, blooms that are almost surreal with their uniqueness and unbelievable beauty. Actually, if grasses are missing from your garden or landscape, you are missing a basic component that makes up the best of nature’s planting plans. Nothing really softens and transitions between plant groups like the movement and flow of grass, especially if planted in groups that create soft drifts of earthy colors and flicker with movement in every breeze.

In my next posting I will begin going over some favorite grasses used in landscaping and gardens. How about you and your space? Have you been a long time fan of ornamental grasses? Have you always wanted some in your garden, but are not sure how they would look or work?

New variety alert!  Check out ‘Blonde Ambition’ a fantastic new cultivar of the native prairie grass Bouteloua gracillis .

In a typical week I make two trips from Napa to Sacramento. Since I live in eastern part of Napa the most enjoyable route I like to take is to go back roads up in the hills, past Lake Berryessa and eventually following its outlet stream, Putah Creek, which leads me out to Winters… where I hit the flatland en route to Sacramento.  Now this is the time of year to embark on this trip even if it is not in your commute somehow…the reason? It is in its botanical peak with California natives just going crazy with their spring time blooms! So this is a little pictorial which begins in Winters and ends in Napa– around a 25 to 30 mile drive.
Bear in mind that this pictorial was done with my kids on board and me stopping every mile of so to photograph my next big botanical find. This worked for awhile, as I convinced my 3 and 5 year old it was a game and asked them to be on the look out for some great flowers! But patience wore thin as Daddy was going just a little crazy with this project. All ended well as they got bribed with frozen yogurt pushups in exchange for their barely masked patience in letting dad just stop one more time!!  So enjoy the drive and hopefully you can do it yourself some day!  Click on the plant links to see them in our database and if there is no link you will be seeing this plant soon in our database.

The Route Taken.... Except I went from B to A!