A nice looking ornamental grass – Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’ to be exact.
Until you pull back the curtain and see that only the front half of the grass is actually growing.
The blame falls squarely on my underachieving kids as I let them cut down most of the ornamental grasses this past spring.
So your lesson for today – don’t trust kids with power tools, they will only disappoint.
You want to know what is awesome?
Beyond a fried egg on a pizza or cheeseburger.
And beyond the current version of my Excel document that lists every plant I own. That thing is closer to “really awesome”.
And beyond the fact that I have planted over 100 bulbs the past two days … as the sun was rising each morning. No, that screams “utter determination”.
Today’s “awesome” story is shockingly about … ornamental grasses. But we’re not talking about another endless photo shoot from yours truly. Nope.
I wanted to share the fact that I recently received close to 75 new grasses in the mail from my friends over at Hoffman Nursery (full disclosure, they were provided free of charge).
Upon opening the box, I fainted and had to be revived by my daughter. She is used to this type of reaction by now so it was no biggie for her. I like her ability to handle herself under pressure.
After coming to, I actually found myself pumped up and a nervous wreck at the same time. I couldn’t wait to find a place to plant them all. And I was terrified thinking about finding a place to plant them all. We all garden to relax, right?
After I carefully removed my skirt and put my big boy pants on, I came up with a plan for just about all of the grasses. Although I will ask you for the right to change my mind within the next 24 to 48 hours.
I won’t bore you (as if that has ever stopped me before) with all of the details since the grasses are still only little pups, but I have to show you some of what I did. If only to use as the “once upon time” portion of a future post that shows just how damn awesome these grasses really are.
For true visual impact and knowing that they would be planted in a “moist” area, I planted 10 Carex grayi as a ground cover along one of the beds in my backyard.
This is my first exposure to this sedge and I am most excited about the unusual looking seed heads that are produced. To see a good shot of those seed heads, click here.
Staying with the groundcover and sedge theme, next up are the ten Carex appalachica I planted underneath a River Birch tree.
These sedges prefer a much drier soil and based on what I had researched, can withstand root competition with trees. I’ve struggled to keep anything alive under my Birch trees so I’m hoping I’ve finally found the solution.
The next two pics are of Sorghastrum ‘Indian Steel’ (you can read more about it here). I found a few locations for these natives and look forward to the their upright and deliciously blue stems.
This spring, I planted a Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ (Blue Grama Grass) and I’m just now seeing the horizontal seed heads it is known for.
And guess who now is the proud owner of 7 more of these? I added a bunch of them around my existing grass, hoping the massing will make quite a splash for summers to come.
OK, technically I haven’t planted all of the grasses yet, but I am doing my best to keep them watered until I can find them a semi-permanent home.
I would love to hear from you if you have had any experiences with any of these grasses mentioned above.
I also planted Panicum ‘Squaw’, Panicum ‘Thundercloud’ and Calamagrostis brachytricha.
And yes, I rule.
I
JUST
CAN’T
STOP
Little Bluestem ‘Blue Heaven’
Little Bluestem ‘Blue Heaven’
Flame grass
Flame grass
Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’
Pennisetum ‘Karley Rose’
Pennisetum ‘Karley Rose’
Flame grass and Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’
Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’
Miscanthus ‘Variegatus’
Miscanthus ‘Cabaret’
Molinia ‘Sky Racer’
Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ and Joe Pye Weed
Panicum ‘Northwind’
Panicum ‘ Rotstrahlbusch’
Pennisetum ‘Desert Plains’
Pennisetum ‘Desert Plains’
Pennisetum ‘Hameln’
Sorghastrum ‘Sioux Blue’
Zebra Grass
Views from the deck in early evening:
The Indian grass (Sorghastrum ‘Sioux blue’) is in full bloom at about 7′ high: 
Another view of that same Indian Grass looking out towards a Switch Grass (Panicum): 
‘Karl Foerster’ grass lit up by the sun: 
Another Switch grass (Panicum): 
And a Milkweed seedpod opening up and releasing the goods: 
Breaking ornamental grass news in my garden:
Pennisetum ‘Desert Plains’ just started blooming after only having been planted this spring:
Panicum ‘Ruby Ribbons’ with fantastic color even though it has been a struggle to get this one established: 
Andropogon gerardii ‘Red October’ a color-palooza right now: 
Helictotrichon ‘Sapphire’ (Blue Oat Grass) also with phenomenal color when exposed by the sun:
The stately blooms on Molinia ‘Skyracer’ (Tall Moor Grass) continue to put on a show for weeks now:
The blooms of Panicum (Switch Grass) intertwined with Lobelia vedrariensis: 
And if they haven’t proven their worth enough, ornamental grasses even provide support for taller blooming perennials, like this Helenium (Sneezeweed) supported by Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’: 
With all of the deer that roam my property, I have struggled to grow my own vegetables, outside of some container grown tomatoes on my deck. Yes, I could fence in an area to keep them out, but that is assuming:
A) I have the initiative
B) The time to do so.
Not so much.
I was smart enough to create a raised bed and amend the soil in this bed a few years ago. I am not a complete buffoon. A variety of herbs from basil to rosemary to thyme to oregano to parsley have thrived here. All that was missing were the vegetables. And all I needed to do was find a way to keep the herds out. It seems simple enough but the task eluded me for years.
This spring I bought a bunch of Panicum ‘Heavy Metal’ because … well … that’s what I do. I had no plan for where they would be planted so I circled the house 3 to 4 times before settling on a spot surrounding my raised bed. That is when the light bulb went off:
I love grasses
Deer don’t like grasses
Why don’t I hide my raised bed behind grasses
It was a win/win/win.
I’m not sure why it took me so long to come up with this simple concept but it is what it is. No time to look back and lament.
Here is what the raised bed looks like today:
And all of the tomatoes I planted this year have yet to be touched:
I even harvested a ton of seed grown green beans for the first time:
And I have been eating kale right off the plant for weeks now.
I think I am on to something here.
I plan on adding some cool season grasses as well so there is coverage while the warm season grasses are coming into their own. I also have a bunch of boxwood in the area so it is a garden filled with anti deer venom.
I know, you don’t have to say it … I’m a genius.
And by the way, be on the lookout for an upcoming post from my wife who will tell you about her favorite tomato (you’re welcome hon) and a recipe that includes said tomato.
I wouldn’t be here today without these tireless workers.
Any success I’ve had to date I truly owe to them.
When I’m down and ready to give up, they give me a lift.
When things look bleak (like the weather) they stand tall and remind me of what was and what will be.
They never ask for anything in return.
When everyone else is all like “What about me?” or “I need some attention”, they stay quiet and do their job.
Today, I’d like to recognize the ornamental grasses and let them know how much I appreciate them. They are unsung heroes in my garden and deserve some praise to be heaped upon them. You will always be in my heart and I will never forget all that you’ve done. Thank you.
Some thoughts as we head into the weekend:
I am now realizing the ornamental interest with Baptisia seed pods:
The grasses are starting to make their presence known:
Miscanthus ‘Variegatus’:
Panicum ‘Northwind’:
From left to right – Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’, Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’ and Calamagrostis ‘Eldorado’:
Panicum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’:
I planted Veronica ‘Royal Candles’ in mass this spring and the color blast is most welcomed right now:
Daylily ‘Little Grapette’ is still chugging away and I am enjoying the blooms for the first time in three years as the deer have stayed away. Like I’ve always said, daylillies are the greatest:
And finally, Salix ‘Hakuro Nishiki’ is kind of liking its space. Looking at a severe pruning next winter:
Have a great one.
Even though they are just youngn’s and maybe 1/10 of their eventual size, I am already in love with my newly introduced and recently planted :
Amsonia hubrichtii (I had tabernaemontana only):
As well as Andropogon gerardii ‘Red October’:
Much more to come on these two stallions.
UPDATE 8/24/17: I am writing this 3+ years after the original post. Just wanted to let you all know that the divisions are thriving and you can see how they look now by clicking here.
Thanks,
John
I am still in the process of recovering from all of the plants that were lost over this past harsh winter; specifically trying to replace said plants. I have purchased some new shrubs and moved some other plants around to fill the voids. It’s a pain in the ass but I love it. The challenge of pulling it all together keeps me going at 200 mph day and night.
Now we all know that plants are not particularly cheap these days. So one of the ways I significantly cut down on those costs is by dividing my existing plants. With a little bit of elbow grease, one plant becomes three or four new plants.
Recently, I identified a few open spots in my front bed that could accommodate relatively narrow plants with a decent bit of height. The exposure is about half sun/half shade. I consulted the plant inventory in my brain and had the perfect option within seconds … ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass.
I have had a bunch of these in the same location for four years now and they have never let me down. They look good as early as April (they are cool season grasses so start emerging pretty quickly in the spring) and hold up all through summer, fall and even winter:
It was dividing Karl Foerster grass time . I had yet to divide them but knew it would be an easy task.
So out came the shit kicking boots and I was ready to do the deed:
The grasses have shown signs of life the past week so I knew now was a good time to divide them before they grew out any more and became less manageable:
I decided to dig out one completely from the ground and placed it in the lawn. It couldn’t have been easier to dig it out:
With a few quick and strong daggers into the grass with my shovel, one easily became four. Dividing Karl Foerster grass is fun!:
One of the divisions went right back into the same hole:
And another filled in a bare spot between this Boxwood and Ninebark:
I eventually settled on adding all three of the divisions into the same garden bed for some repetition and nice contrast with their surrounding plant brethren. Dividing Karl Foerster grass is like super fun yo:
The entire task took no more than twenty minutes and very little physical labor. I immediately watered all of the divisions and it was a wrap. Dividing Karl Foerster grass is easy and way way super fun.
Next time you are looking to fill in some bare spots in your own garden, think about dividing some of what you already have. It couldn’t be easier as witnessed by my stellar dividing Karl Foerster grass process above.