In the beginning the
meadow was a disappointment. So it was a lucky day for me when I
discovered that I could put the lawn mower blade on the highest setting
and cut a path through the tall grass that, at a stroke, transformed
that sorry patch of grass and weeds into something altogether different
-- into a meadow I don't know exactly what it is, but that sharp,
clean edge changes everything; it makes a place where there wasn't one
before.
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If you see a good-sized patch of
grasses as a weedy mess, Pollan's suggestion of cutting a pathway
through them may permanently change your mind about grasses in the
landscape. Pollan goes on to explain the transformation, to turn the
mown pathway into a reassuring metaphor: "In a path is the beginning of
narrative, that sure and welcoming sign of human presence." |
Whether you love
them or not, ornamental grasses stand on their own in winter. Even the
heaviest snow can't permanently bend them to the ground and the low
angle of winter light enhances their beauty and
appeal. In the minimalist landscape of winter, grasses shine.
Few other plants offer such
a huge variety of textures, forms, sizes and cultural adaptations as
grasses. Most ornamental grasses grow
to mature size in just one season, and there's a grass to fit any
landscape, even the narrowest strip of soil between walkways and
buildings.
For sustainability, it's
hard to beat them. They're drought-tolerant once established; largely
unaffected by pests or diseases; work well in containers; provide
habitat and food for birds and other wildlife; their deep root systems
stabilize banks and discourage gophers and other "tunnellers"; they can
grow in almost any type of soil; and they
actually improve rather than harm soil quality and fertility. They
require little maintenance other than an early spring cutback -- at a
time of year when most gardeners are eager to get outside.
Here are some wonderful
grasses for the home landscape, with shorter grasses listed first (*
denotes native):
Blue grama*, Bouteloua gracilis
Chinese pennisetum, Pennisetum
alopecuroides ('Hamlin', 'Karley Rose')
Little bluestem*, Schizachrium
scoparium ('The Blues', 'Blue Heaven', 'Blaze')
Prairie dropseed*, Sporobolus
heterolepis
Sedge, Carex, grass-like plants that can thrive in shade and wet soils (Carex grayi, C. muskingumensis)
Sideoats grama*, Bouteloua
curtipendula
Tufted hairgrass, Deschampsia
caespitosa
Taller grasses,
larger than
3 feet tall:
Big bluestem*, Andropogon gerardii
('Pawnee', 'Silver Sunrise')
Giant sacaton, Sporobolus wrightii
Graybeard grass, Spodiopogon sibirica
Indiangrass*, Sorghastrum nutans
Maidenhair, Miscanthus
Ravennae Grass, Saccharum ravennae
Reed grass, feather and Korean reed grass, Calamagrostis brachytricha
Sand lovegrass, Eragrostis trichodes
Switchgrass*, Panicum virgatum
('Dallas Blues', 'Northwind',
'Shenandoah')
Source: Karma Larsen, Nebraska Statewide
Arboretum; (402) 472-7923
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