Ornamental grass Archives - Page 4 of 8 - The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Panicum Rotstrahlbusch

Posted on January 29, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Ornamental grass .

The very first ornamental grass I ever planted was a Panicum Rotstrahlbusch.

I ordered these through an on-line catalog and they were about six inches high at that time. However, it didn’t take long for them to reach their mature size (about two years). And what beauties they are. Some quick facts:

It is a “warm season” grass so new growth doesn’t emerge until the weather warms up in Spring.
Survives winters as far north as zone 3.
Mature size is about five feet tall by three feet wide.
Prefers full sun and a consistently moist soil.
Should be cut down in early spring right before the new growth emerges (definitely use a hedge trimmer).
Pink wispy blooms emerge in July (will show you some shots of the blooms in a bit) and last until the middle of autumn.
Has tremendous burgundy color in the autumn (although the burgundy color starts to emerge as early as July).

Years ago, I successfully divided this grass by simply digging out three sections with a sharp spade; I never removed the grass from the ground. From there, one mature Panicum Rotstrahlbusch turned into three new grasses as seen in the photo below.

And only a few years later they looked like this.

The Panicum Rotstrahlbusch blooms are fantastic come mid summer.

And I have found that this grass mixes well with other shrubs and perennials in your typical mixed border. I have them located all over my garden and they work everywhere.

These grasses are typically not found at your garden center but can be purchased online at a number of ornamental grass vendors. Trust me, even if you purchase them small you will see almost immediate results within that first year.

Or, if you are nice enough, I may send you a cutting through the mail because as you know, I am a man of the people.

Top ten ornamental grasses

Posted on January 28, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Ornamental grass .

My garden is dominated by ornamental grasses. It started out of necessity as they could handle the poor draining clay soil, all day sun, harsh wintry conditions and were completely ignored by the deer. But is has since evolved into me simply loving the hell out of them as witnessed by my numerous posts on the topic. They are the backbone of my garden.

A friend recently asked me “Which grasses should I plant this spring?” and I told him I’ll do you one better, I’ll dedicate an entire post to my personal favorites. A handy little guide for those who are just entering the OG world or are looking to add a few to their existing collection. My recommendations are solely based on grasses that have resided in my own garden as I’ve had the time to watch them mature and adapt over the years. There are definitely others I’ve seen in other gardens that I would recommend as well, but until I have a personal experience with them, I cannot comment.

I’ve dedicated posts to many of these individual grasses, so simply click on the name of the grass to read in greater detail. I’ve also included a few quick tidbits below about each grass.

Here are my top ten ornamental grasses (in no particular order):

Panicum ‘Northwind’

Grass remains completely upright all year long.
Reached full size (5′-6′) within three years after planting a tiny plug.
Underrated yellow fall color.

Panicum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’

First grass I ever planted.
My favorite fall “red”of all the Panicums
I’ve divided this grass numerous times with ease.

Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’

The biggest head turner in Fall with its foliage color of red/green/orange.
The silver blooms are a nice contrast.
Looks fantastic with fall perennials (Dwarf sneezeweed in the photo)

Sorghastrum ‘Sioux Blue’

This towering native grass (middle of pic) reaches 7 feet when in bloom.
Took 2-3 years to establish, but now upright and stays that way through winter.
Individual blooms are interesting when viewed up close.

Pennisetum ‘Desert Plains’

Only two years in with this one and it has already established itself well.
Great late summer/fall foliage color.
Tons of blooms starting in summer and they still look good into the winter.

Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’

Reliable performer year after year. 9 years in for me.
Doesn’t hold up as well in winter as the other grasses.
A bit weedy like most Miscanthus.

Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’

Yes, you can find them everywhere, but there is a reason for that. Care free and upright and buff blooms all summer and into fall.
I like to squeeze one in between perennials as a great contrast in texture and color.
I divide all the time with ease and nothing but success.

Schizachyrium (Little Bluestem) ‘Blue Heaven’

Great blue color in spring and then shades of pink and red in late summer.
Has handled early morning shade without issue.
Two years in with this one and I’m in love with it. Holds up all season including in winter.

Molinia ‘Skyracer’

A slow to establish cool season grass but worth the wait. This one is all about the blooms as they get 4′ to 5′ tall and look killer at the back of a border.
Does not hold up in winter as the blooms break off.
Just planted ‘Cordoba’ for the first time which is allegedly even better than ‘Skyracer’.

Andropogon ‘Red October’

Another newcomer for me as we’re three years in. About 3′ to 4′ in height but should reach 6′ to 7′.
The foliage color is off the charts already. Red hues even in spring and then dark red in fall.
Seems slower to establish but it will be worth the wait. Only a few blooms to date.

And a few bonus “non-recommendations”:

Calamagrostis ‘El Dorado’

The picture to the right is this cool season grass at its peak. Short lived though as it becomes nondescript the rest of the year.
Nowhere near as solid as ‘Karl Foerster’

Panicum ‘Heavy Metal’

Maybe TBD is a better description. Nothing bad, just not as exciting as other switch grasses to date.
I haven’t seen much of a blue hue so far, just a drab green.

Northern Sea Oats

Just read this and you’ll understand why I gave up on it.

Rainy day garden photos

Posted on December 2, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in Fall color, Foliage, Ornamental grass .

Two straight days of nothing but rain here in central NJ and so I did what every warm blooded middle aged man would do … I took rainy day garden photos. Always a fun time and proof positive that my garden writing/photography days are still hanging around.

Here’s how things are looking outside right now, all sorts of wonderfully brown and dreary and upliftingly depressing.

Frost photos from out in the garden

Posted on October 19, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in Fall color, Foliage, Ornamental grass .

Bit cold out there this morning. Enjoy some frost photos from out in the garden.

Ornamental grasses > PennEast

Posted on October 8, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in Ornamental grass, PennEast .

Deep breaths.

Deep f’n breaths.

First there was this clown show:

Then this heart warming story:

PennEast ignores Indian tribe through technicality.

And then this little gem you may have seen today on your Facebook sidebar:

Gibson Pipeline gas explosion.

If anyone is looking for me, I’ll be hanging with my grasses.

Indian Grass blooms arrive

Posted on September 7, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in Ornamental grass .

We have had incredible weather this long weekend so most of it has been spent outdoors on our back deck. We’re milking this summer thing for as long as possible.

Breakfast listening to nothing but the birds, including our friends the Red-shouldered hawks.

Watering and deadheading the container plants and harvesting the tomatoes and peppers that are still thriving on the deck.

Watching the sunset turn the sky into an intoxicating pink melange.

This time of year also brings about the stellar blooms of Indian Grass (Sorghastrum) ‘Sioux Blue’ which emerge right at the deck’s edge.

As soon as you set foot out of my kitchen and onto the deck, you are immediately drawn to them.

I find myself constantly touching the upright flowering stems and really love how they look up close where you can appreciate the yellow stamens.

Now having said that, Sorghastrum really shines (figuratively and literally) when planted among other grasses, shrubs and perennials.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

All of this Indian Grass love has inspired me to widen an existing bed I can view from my deck, just so I can move additional ‘Sioux Blue’ that are located in other spots within the garden.

Operation “Kill the grass with cardboard and grow more plants” has entered into phase 1.

Oh yeah, the garden

Posted on August 20, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in Blooms, Foliage, Ornamental grass .

It’s been three straight days of research, meetings, writing, stressing and presenting to boards on all things pipeline. I’m sure I’ll be writing about it all real soon (lucky you) but for now, I’m falling back on my comfort zone – my garden.

Here is the latest:

All of my spring planted Sneezeweed (Mariachi series) are blooming already and I had no idea until today.

Speaking of not knowing about blooming, same goes for Eupatorium ‘Wayside’ (Hardy Ageratum).

All of the Lobelia are in full bloom. This is ‘Vedrariensis’.

And Lobelia siphilitica.

Chelone lyonii (Turtlehead) just started to bloom and fortunately they have nearly doubled in count over the past few years.

The only surviving Boltonia is blooming and has yet to topple over. Maybe this one represents the survival of the fittest.

I completely missed all of the blooming Clethra (Summersweet) the past few weeks and this is all that remains.

What more can I say about Panicum ‘Northwind’?

Great color on Panicum ‘Rots’ right now.

Miscanthus purpurascens (Flame Grass) has got the silver blooming thing going on right now.

A Grass Menagerie … cool or a mess? Don’t answer.

Blooms fading on Pennisetum ‘Desert Plains’.

Northern Sea Oats ‘River Mist’ looks nice and thankfully has yet to reseed.

Bad ass ornamental grass

Posted on August 10, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in Ornamental grass .

It just dawned on me recently that my ornamental grasses serve a purpose, other than looking awesome, that I never intended from the outset.

They are the protector of the garden.

A force so strong that the deer have retreated and said “Uncle”.

Even the rabbits are quivering in their little rabbit booties.

Case in point, the hydrangeas remain untouched.

Just try getting through to that Joe Pye Weed.

I swear to you, there is a raised bed in the middle of all those grasses. I’ll show you the positive results of said raised bed in a future post.

An impenetrable wall of grass. A force field if you will.

Those blooms are like daggers and happily protect the Viburnum behind it.

Never, ever f with ‘Northwind’. They are that bad ass, especially in groups of three.

Some are bigger for their britches than others but we give them credit for trying. The phlox in the background is most appreciative of the effort.

Dog Days of Summer

Posted on August 7, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in Blooms, Foliage, Ornamental grass .

I forced myself out of bed this morning (translation – wife kicked me) to finally spend some time outside in the garden. It had been a long time since we hung out and the excessive weed population proved it.

Between vacation, soaring temps, the day job, child transportation to and fro and self exile from all of this pipeline nonsense, I’ve been negligent in my garden upkeep and enjoyment.

And here is what I quickly learned … the summer has flown by.

Not only are we now in the dog days of summer, but so are the plants. The vibrancy of summer blooms have faded and we are now in that awkward phase between the sweetheart of summer and when autumn kicks it in to high gear.

Nowhere is this more evident then with one my personal faves, the Bee Balm. I love me some Bee Balm (Monarda), even the current day spent/faded Bee Balm.

It reflects the time of year beautifully. Still some signs of that fantastic flower color, even from afar, yet worn from the pounding of the sun and the brutal heat.

Without realizing it, I’ve allowed the Monarda to spread to its heart content and it is still behaving well with others. True garden interest for months on end.

With Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium).

And with the ornamental grass.

Apparently the butterflies are still willing visitors.

While we are at it, let’s throw the Joe Pye Weed into the fading-summer-yet-enjoyable mix as well.

Those pink blooms aren’t as vivid as a few weeks ago, but are still holding up well.

Again, the critters aren’t holding any grudges.

I’m cool with staying in this well worn yet mellow phase for a few more weeks. I’m nowhere near ready for the fall yet and so this is the last I will discuss of it for at least another month or so.

Enjoy your weekend.

A return to the garden

Posted on July 21, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in Blooms, Foliage, Ornamental grass .

This may sound a bit ridiculous, but a week away from the garden is a really, really long time for me. We’re talking serious separation anxiety. Then again, if you are reading this blog, you probably aren’t surprised as you are more than likely just as obsessed as I am.

We were on vacation all of last week and just returned home. As exhausting as the drive home was to NJ and as tired as we all were as a result of the 5:42 A.M. daily awakening from the seagulls who thought they were roosters, my heart warmed up when we pulled into the driveway. Even from a distance I could tell that the garden had transformed significantly in only a week’s time.

Let’s take a closer look at all of the activity.

There were newly emerged flowers filling the air with a killer scent that screams “sweetheart of summer” as seen with these Clethra (Summersweet) blooms.

Here is a fully blooming hydrangea that has never looked this good in three years of existence.

It was as if the Mountain Mint waited until the minute after we left for vacation to spread it’s wings.

The summer blooming Allium arrived and the bees can’t get enough of them.

Almost all of the Panicum (Switch Grass) are blooming and damn if those wispy blooms don’t light up the garden.

The only Northern Sea Oats I haven’t killed off in self defense is in full blooms and the oats on ‘River Mist’ are swaying with even the slightest breeze.

Many perennials are now showing their first signs of blooming, as seen with the two different Lobelia below.

Others perennials are slowly fading away but still lending a “look” to the garden. Like Allium ‘Drumsticks’.

… and Astilbe.

Others seemed to have bloomed and turned for the worse in the course of only a week as seen with Coneflower ‘Sunrise’.

Even some unexpected and sweet flushes of new growth appeared.

Speaking of new growth, the Red Twig Dogwood is up to 6 feet tall confirming that a pruning to the ground is the way to go as it has never looked better.