The benefits of ornamental grasses in your garden
Have you given any care to your grass yet this year? I don’t mean your lawn, as the middle of March is the time to start thinking about your show piece . I’m actually talking about ornamental grasses.
Over the past few years , ornamental grasses have become massively popular in Britain . From humble sedges (such as i.e. Carex Frosted Curls ) and Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon) to the big boys like pampas grass (Cortaderia), you will usually find at least one if not a cluster of grasses in the average garden. Gardeners have realized that carefully picked grasses are a wonderful way to add structure, theme and colour to their gardens without a great deal of ongoing maintenance .
Other benefits of popular ornamental grasses are :
- Resistance to pests and diseases.
- Hardiness to frost & cold weather
- Fast growth
- Adaptability to a wide range of soil types
- Their ability to provide movement
But probably the biggest incentive for any gardener, especially a cost consious one, is the fact that ornamental grasses can be divided to produce more specimins . No need to grow from seed, just divide and multiply .
Grasses from cool climates include Carex, Festuca, Helictotrichon, Stipa, Chasmanthium, Deschampsia, Calamagrostis, Hakonechloa, and Molinia. Dividing these grasses every three years not only provides you with free plants, but prevents overcrowding.
How to split ornamental grasses
Carry out all division on a damp day with damp soil and no strong winds. This is because your first task is to carefully dig up the grass clump, exposing it to the air.
minor, soft rooted grasses can be pulled apart simply by using your hands. If the clump is tough use two garden forks inserted back to back in the middle of the cluster, then lever them apart. On a very tough root you may even have to chop with a knife .
Make sure each division has several healthy buds or shoots and a reasonable amount of root attached. Select larger divisions (12.5cm/5in or larger) for replanting throughout your garden. You should use a half topsoil and half compost back-fill mix for transplanting.
Your smaller divisions can be potted up for growing on, then planting out later. Water the transplant heavily and ensure you water well for its first year.
Other Grasses including Cortaderia, Miscanthus, Phalaris, Arundo, Imperata, Panicum, Pennisetum and Spartina. Grasses from warm climates are divided in the exact same manner as the cool climate grasses. However, extreme care must be exercised when handling pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) as it has razor -sharp leaves.
