Top ten Grasses by Charlie PinderCharlies web site
I am an ex-grower of ornamental grasses working along side a current grower of ornamental grasses, both of us still sharing the passion. We recently put together our top ten favourite, most practical, yet ravishingly gorgeous grasses.
So without further ado, here is our rough guide:
Calamagrostis x acutiflora Overdam
A slender, clump-forming grass with upright, creamy-white and green variegated foliage. Long, slender pinkish plumes are produced in late summer. A reliable little number; ideal for borders and superb in large swathes.
Ht 60-90cm. Deciduous. Prefers sunny position.
Carex buchananii
An excellent, upright arching ‘brown’ grass with curly leaf tips, often considered the best of the browns. Its form is quite unique and it colouring is a good strong copper-bronze. Well suited to containers and en-masse planting.
Ht 60cm. Evergreen. Prefers sunny, well-drained position.
Carex testacea
Make no bones about it, this is a classic. A loose, clump-forming grass with orange-green foliage, changing with the seasons. Sometimes a richer green other times a rusty, fiery orange. I love this grass, because it comes through the winter stronger and bolder in colour, a truly great performer.
Ht 50cm. Evergreen. Prefers sun or semi-shaded site and can tolerate a moist position.
Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’
Arguably still the best blue fescue, unrivalled as an impulse ‘dot-planted’ grass. A versatile plant, ideal for containers, sunny rockeries and borders. The striking blue foliage forms spiky mounds with silver flowers produced in summer. It is however, debatable how well Festucas come through a damp, cold winter.
Ht 20cm. Evergreen. Requires a sunny, well drained position.
Miscanthus sinensis
Ok, I have cheated slightly on this one. I love Miscanthus and there are loads of superb varieties out there, most flowering in late summer. They really need a sunny site with well drained soil and despite being deciduous, Miscanthus give the garden superb colour throughout the winter. Traditionally they were used as container plants, but taller, more floriferous varieties are best in mixed borders or planted en masse. ‘Zebrinus’ is the zebra grass, with yellow-banded foliage and copper tinted flowers, but I’m quite partial to ‘Strictus’ (the porcupine grass) which is of similar foliage colouring, but the quills (foliage) are more upright. The flowers are pinky-red and both varieties reach about 2 metres. If traditional, creamy-white edged foliage is your thing, then ‘Variegatus’ will suit nicely. A solid, upright grass, with a strong foliage colour, reaching 1.5-1.75 metres. For larger, broader foliage, with a more distinctive creamy-white margin ‘Cosmopolitan’ will surely fit the bill. This variety will reach 2 metres, but is a more open grower, with large copper-red flowers. For a good, silver flowering varieties ‘Graziella’ is ideal. A more narrow growing variety, but very floriferous with a good show of autumn colour. One last variety and a personal favourite of mine is ‘Malepartus’. This is a cracker! Large purple-red flowers and larger, distinctive silver-veined foliage, reaching 2 metres.
Panicum Heavy Metal
There are some great ‘blue switch grass’ varieties available, but I’ve gone for the blue-green, upright ‘Heavy Metal’. I’m sure the success of this variety is in its name, but it is a good performer. Flowers are borne on blue, upright stems, opening into large, airy flower panicles. ‘Heavy Metal’ won’t give you the best autumn colours, like so many other panicums, but planted in groups, they look simply superb from mid-summer through until the winter.
Ht 120 cm. Deciduous. Prefers sunny, open position and well drained soil.
Pennisetum Hameln
This is the popular, compact form of ‘fountain grass’. It produces soft, silver-spined, bottle brush-like flowers in summer. The foliage is deep green and very dense, turning golden in the autumn. ‘Hameln’ is a very popular grass, due to its toughness, reliable flowering and its attractive flower-heads. Ideal for containers, but awesome in mixed borders.
Ht 60cm. Deciduous. Prefers sunny, well-drained position.
Stipa arundinacea
The best Stipa for foliage colour, with deep green foliage, tinted with orange, red and yellow through the seasons. The flowers are pink with an arching habit. A hugely popular variety and rightly so! Ht 70-80cm. Evergreen. Ideal in sun or shade.
Stipa tenuissima
This hugely popular ‘feather grass’ has soft green foliage and fluffier grey-green flowers. A supremely elegant, clump-forming grass, which sways beautifully in the wind. An absolute dream when planted en-masse, but ideal for gardens in borders and containers.
Ht 60cm. Evergreen. Prefers sunny, well-drained position
Stipa gigantea
The ‘Giant Oat Grass’ has one of the most dramatic flowers of all grasses, yet the foliage is relatively dull in comparison. When I say dull, I mean narrow, silvery-green needle-like foliage in clumps, which is actually not that dull at all. In summer the flowers arrive and what flowers! Golden-brown oat-like seed-heads on tall panicles. Once seen, never forgotten.
Ht 2m. Evergreen. Prefers sunny, well-drained position.
These are just a few of the many hundreds of ornamental grasses being grown in the UK. However, for a garden project in need of some structure, movement and sound, a selection from the varieties listed above will create the right feel and experience.
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