Grasses, Restios & Sedges

(Pictured: Stipa arundinacea in flower.)

The beauty and elegance of ornamental grasses are a sight which, until just about a decade ago (or so), would be something you would be more likely to see along the roadside, rather than in gardens. Until recently, perhaps a dozen or so grasses were found in gardens, but now, with awareness of their merits by growers, breeders and collectors around the globe, hundreds of grasses are now available. Why are grasses so popular? It’s not just because most of them are low maintenance and easy to grow, it’s also that they add a certain understated beauty to a garden, with their graceful, flowing lines, subdued colors, and their light transmitting qualities.

“Ornamental grass” is such a broad term, as there are true grasses, (including bamboos), sedges, cat tails, restios and rushes. There are grasses for lawns, ground covers, borders, accent plants, ponds, screens, and even for hedges. Perhaps grasses are not quite as vivid and spectacular as many other flowering types of plants, yet they whisper and dance in the slightest breeze, they shimmer and glow in the sun, and arch and bow gracefully when laden with dew or frost.

Maybe you’ve got some pots you’ve needed to fill, or maybe there’s a wet or a dry spot in your garden where nothing seems to want to grow. Perhaps you’ve got a focal point needing a dramatic accent... With their year-around interest and ease in cultivation, ornamental grasses might just be the answer!