Architectural style in the border or pots
I’ve grown to love grasses and Phormiums (New Zealand flax). Like many children of the ’70s, I hate pampas grass stuck in the middle of a lawn. They remind me of flares, vinyl car seats on a hot day and Spangles.
With the influence of designer Piet Oudolf’s prairie planting, grasses became THE plants to have. Trouble was, that you needed a prairie-sized garden to get the full impact. I’ve lumped grasses and phormiums together because they are both architectural, with strap-like leaves and grow under similar well-drained (mostly) conditions. Like all good things, there’s a middle way. You can easily introduce the odd tall grass, like Stipa gigantea, for vertical interest and movement. I find the small evergreen grasses (40-60cm) most useful in winter. They give shape, structure, and colour on the grimmest of days. You’ll find more information on growing grasses in pots.
Carex oshimensis Evergold (Japanese sedge)
An evergreen grass that forms low hummocks of green leaves with a central cream strip. Brown flower spikes on long stems in spring. Height 30cm.
Grasses and Phormiums – Carex Frosted Curls
The blades are silvery green and catch the breeze. Forming a dense tussock, blades become curled towards their tips. Produces tiny, green flower spikes in summer. Very low maintenance. Height 40cm.
Carex dipsacea Dark Horse (bronze sedge)
Clump-forming sedge, with hair-like foliage in bronze and olive-green, tinted pink and flushed deep bronze-red, in winter. Black flower spikes during summer. Evergreen. Height 75cm.
Grasses and Phormiums – Carex morrowii Variegata (Japanese sedge)
Low mound-forming sedge. Arching, glossy leaves have a green central stripe bordered by a creamy margin, which takes on an orange glow in winter. Inconspicuous brown flower spikes in spring. Semi-evergreen. Height 30cm.
Elymus magellanicus (blue wheat grass, Magellan ryegrass)
A dense clump of vivid blue, almost metallic leaves, with flower spikes in summer. Groom in spring. Deciduous. Height 50cm.
Festuca glauca (Blue fescue grass Elijah Blue)
Stunning blue-leaved grass, with spikes of blue-green summer flowers, fading to beige. The compact form is ideal for a gravel garden. Plant in full sun for the best foliage colour. Height 30cm.
Grasses and Phormiums – Hakonechloa macra
This deciduous Japanese native is a slow spreading grass which builds into gently cascading hummocks of bright green. Fine, light sprays of lime-green flowers appear during June and July. The minimalist style of this grass makes it a good choice for formal courtyards, urban planters or Oriental-style planting. Height 35cm.
Helictotrichon sempervirens (blue oat grass)
Tightly rolled, blue-grey leaves form a neat mound. Golden blooms in summer. Height 1.4m.
Juncus effusus Spirilis (corkscrew rush)
Curly, corkscrew-like, dark green, leafless stems and insignificant brown flowers in summer. Ideal for pond margins. Evergreen. Height 60cm.
Luzula sylvatica Aurea (great golden woodrush)
A loose clump of narrow, glossy leaves, bright greenish-yellow in winter and spring, becoming greener. Tiny brown flowers are borne in late spring. Evergreen. Height 1m.
Grasses and Phormiums – Miscanthus sinensis Kleine Fontäne
Narrow, silvery leaves with a white stripe down the centre. It flowers right into autumn when its new, reddish-brown, tassel-like flowers are a foil for the faded, silvery older ones. Excellent for winter presence. Height 2m.
Miscanthus sinensis Morning Light (silver grass)
Slim green blades with narrow cream margins arch at their tips. Reddish-brown flowers open in October and last through the winter. Deciduous. Height 1.2m.
Miscanthus sinensis Zebrinus (zebra grass)
This plant takes its name from the horizontal cream bands on the leaves. Striking, silky, finger-like flowers bloom in late summer and stay on during winter. Height 1.25m.
Ophiopogon planiscapus Nigrescens (black lilyturf)
Strappy, almost black leaves. Spikes of pale mauve flowers appear in summer, followed by spherical, dark blue fruit. Evergreen. Height 20cm.
Grasses and Phormiums – Pennisetum alopecuroides Hameln (fountain grass)
Compact mound with pinkish, brush-like flowers in late summer. Green leaves turn yellow in autumn and then brown during winter. Semi-evergreen. Height 1.2m.
Phalaris arundinacea Picta (variegated ribbon grass)
Another useful variety, taller at about 1.5m, However, it spreads quickly and can be invasive. It will thrive in just about every garden situation. My plant has thrived in both the border and now as a marginal in the pond.
Stipa tenuifolia (S. tenuissima, pheasant grass, angel hair, pony tails)
Pale yellow-green leaves topped with silver-green flowers, maturing to buff. Fluffy flower heads and foliage billow in the slightest breeze. Hardy. Semi-evergreen. Full sun. Height 60cm.
Grasses and Phormiums – Stipa gigantea (giant golden oats)
Nothing rude here, I’m talking about Stipa gigantea (giant golden oats), one of the largest feather grasses. I’ve got one in the border, with a bit of added grit for drainage. They flower from June to August, and the panicles hang on well into winter. Plants are hardy to at least -15°C. Once growing well, you just need to cut back the foliage during the winter to tidy it up before the new flush of growth appears. I haven’t read anywhere that Stipa gigantea leaves are addictive to cats. They are to George anyway. When the big one was young, as fast as it grew, he nibbled them off. Height 2m.
Phormiums – beware of the large varieties!
If you’re considering planting any Phormiums in your garden, please check the variety and avoid the bog-standard Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax). They get to be huge and quite invasive. The fibres in the leaves make them very difficult to cut back. There are wonderful dwarf varieties suitable for pots. My favourites are Platt’s Black, Maori Sunrise and Pink Panther.
However, its flower spikes are superb – 8ft or so high, with exotic, dark-red blooms like small bunches of pink bananas. Bees and other pollinators love them. The best thing about these flower spikes is that they’re on tough, woody stems. These snap off at the base and make ideal bean poles, or plant supports – very strong yet lightweight.
New Zealand flax (no relation to the European kind) has been used for thousands of years by Maoris for cloth, rope and baskets because of its strong fibres, and that’s what makes it so damn hard to cut back!
A sharp pruning saw just goes through the pulp of the leaf, leaving the fibres nearly intact. The best solution with living leaves is to cut them with anvil secateurs. The raw, cut-back stumps are unsightly, so I’ve solved this by growing a variegated ivy around their base. You can pull dead leaves out from the crown, but beware – some come away easily, some don’t. It puts a massive strain on your lower back.
For an excellent selection of grasses and Phormiums, visit www.crocus.co.uk.
