Fall is for grasses! I went out in the dampness to see if I could find an interesting plant to focus on for Wildflower Wednesday. There is very little flowering, and it was really hard to find a stand-out plant in the gray morning light. But many of my grasses are named varieties of native grasses, and their whip-like leaves and seedheads that catch the rain did make them stand out.
So, I thought I would focus on my grasses for Wildflower Wednesday. Not all of them are North American natives, but many are.
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| Native Chasmanthium latifolium/Northern Sea Oats |
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| There are three good-size clumps right at the front of the bed that runs along the south side of my garden, as well as loads of others scattered throughout. |
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| Another native grass, Panicum 'Blood Brothers' in the same bed |
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| The seedheads catch the raindrops, which makes them look like they are dripping with jewels. |
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| 'Blood Brothers' has the reddest leaves and stems of any grass I've seen. |
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| Stipa gigantea in the gravel garden on the other side of the driveway droops over a small pot with an Aloe. |
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| Bamboo, technically a grass, but definitely not a North American native, also leans over the same area |
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| Lots and lots of clumps of black mondo grass dotted throughout the edges of the gravel garden |
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| Black mondo grass is an ideal companion for just about anything. Here it is with ornamental oregano |
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| New offsets popping up amidst the hens and chicks |
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| With the very wet lamb's ear, which has rather taken over the gravel garden in spots. I'm not happy with its wet cat look and its aggressive spreading, and I've started removing it. |
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| The sharp bright orange blades of Libertia peregrinans makes a nice corona behind a blue Mexican-style sun face, mixed with more Northern sea oats. |
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| I have three clumps of Sesleria autumnalis/Autumn Moor Grass, a European native |
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| It's got great brown seedheads that arch over other plants in the bed. |
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| Technically not really a grass, Carex elata 'Bowles Golden' works well as a companion to Heuchera |
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| The eyebrow-like seedheads of Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition,' a named variety of a native Western grass, hang over the lawn |
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| The orange blades of Carex testacea work well with reblooming Spanish lavender. Many sedges are native. |
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| Nasella tenuissimia/Mexican feather grass, a native of southwestern North America with companion plant Agastache |
Aren't ornamental grasses great? On this gray rainy day, they make a statement that is so very autumnal.
Check out Wildflower Wednesday on Gail Eichelberger's blog
clay and limestone, and see what plants she and other bloggers are writing about today.
