Panhandle Plantings: Ornamental Grasses
What provides year-round gardening interest, is virtually pest- and maintenance-free, 99.9 percent drought- and (freshwater) flood-tolerant once established, comes in sizes six inches to 14-feet plus, has colors ranging from lime green to blues, silvers, red and variegations, and isn’t concrete? Obviously the answer is ornamental grasses – and living in Northwest Florida has never been better! Why? Because our choices of ornamental grasses is better than for any other part of the state. Ain’t it about time?!
Unfortunately there isn’t room in this column for pictures of all the ornamental grasses that are available to us. Those of you with Internet access have the advantage here, and I hope that you will indulge in a surfing frenzy finding the ones you like the best. For those of you without Internet access, the best I can do is recommend a couple of books: Grasses, by Nancy Ondra; Ornamental Grasses, by Rick Darke; and The Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses, by John Greenlee.
Before going into listing mode, keep in mind that there’s homework to be done before purchasing or planting an ornamental grass. First, determine how you want to use the grass – specimen/accent plant, ground cover, in conjunction with blooming annuals or perennials, or as a border, edging or screen. Once you've crossed that hurdle, think about size.
Obviously you aren't going to use a 14-foot grass clump to edge a foundation planting, but neither do you want something like this as part of a condo container garden – at least I wouldn't think you would.
The final bit of homework is to determine whether the grass is a clumper (increasing in circumference with age, requiring division every few years) or a runner (rhizomatous, spreading by underground stems).
Runners have a tendency to become invasive. The best example is Imperata cylindrica var rubra – "Red Baron" Japanese Blood Grass – a relative of Cogon grass and a Category 1 invasive that shouldn’t be grown anywhere in Florida. Virtually all of the Arundo variety grasses have the same problem. Clumpers are friendlier to the environment and the home landscape – which is more than can be said for a lot of things in our lives.
OK – we’re at the point of listing ornamental grasses that are good for Zone 8 Northwest Florida. Here goes:
Acorus "Ogon", Calamagrostis "Karl Foerster", Carex "Bowles Golden", Chasmanthium latifolium (Wild Oats), Cortederia selloana "Silver Comet", Deshampsia vivipara, Dierama pendulum – Angel’s Fishing Rods, Elymus (leymus) magellanicus – Wild Rye, Festuca glauca "Elijah Blue", Hakonechloa macra "Aurea", Miscanthus sinensis "Cosmopolitan", Miscanthus sinensis "Zebrinus", Paspalum quadrifolium – Crown Grass, Panicum (not such a good idea if you’re in a fire danger area), Pennesetum messiacum "Red Bunny Tails", Pennisetum alepecuroides "Little Bunny"
Obviously these are only a few of the many ornamental grasses available. Going back to the Internet, check out this Web site for a great reference guide – www.gramineae.com/plant.htm. A couple of mail order sources for purchasing ornamental grasses are www.earthlypursuits.net and www.ornamental grasssociety.org
I can’t resist an "I told you so" here – Pampas Grass and Loriope are the two most OVERUSED landscape materials in Florida, creating pockets of monocultures that are becoming more and more susceptible to disease. Now that you know that so many other beautiful and intriguing alternatives are available – aren't you ashamed of yourselves?
Val Ford is a Holmes County Master Gardener. If you have a gardening question or problem, contact your local County Extension Office or e-mail Val at FLSnowflake7592@aol.com
Page created and maintained by West Florida Electric Cooperative, Inc. © 2001.
designed by embryo design