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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

A Few Grasses in My Garden on a Wet, Gray Day

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.

Native Chasmanthium latifolium/Northern Sea Oats

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.

Another native grass, Panicum 'Blood Brothers' in the same bed

The seedheads catch the raindrops, which makes them look like they are dripping with jewels.

'Blood Brothers' has the reddest leaves and stems of any grass I've seen.

Stipa gigantea in the gravel garden on the other side of the driveway droops over a small pot with an Aloe.

Bamboo, technically a grass, but definitely not a North American native, also leans over the same area

Lots and lots of clumps of black mondo grass dotted throughout the edges of the gravel garden

Black mondo grass is an ideal companion for just about anything. Here it is with ornamental oregano

New offsets popping up amidst the hens and chicks

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.

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.

I have three clumps of Sesleria autumnalis/Autumn Moor Grass, a European native

It's got great brown seedheads that arch over other plants in the bed.

Technically not really a grass, Carex elata 'Bowles Golden' works well as a companion to Heuchera

The eyebrow-like seedheads of  Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition,' a named variety of a native Western grass, hang over the lawn

The orange blades of Carex testacea work well with reblooming Spanish lavender. Many sedges are native.

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.