Hi @Gwenr, excellent news, you'll be hooked once you start growing hardy, deciduous grasses! I notice you are in Kent. Knoll Gardens, in Dorset, is worth a day trip. The owner, Neil Lucas, is the UK's ornamental grass guru and there's a well stocked nursery and online shop. His book, "Designing with Grasses" is well worth putting on your Christmas list!
I agree about Knoll Gardens if you can get there. I've also found them to be extremely helpful with any email queries. I have a couple of Miscanthus Adagio and at this time of year through to February they are real eye catchers.
Hi @Gwenr, excellent news, you'll be hooked once you start growing hardy, deciduous grasses! I notice you are in Kent. Knoll Gardens, in Dorset, is worth a day trip. The owner, Neil Lucas, is the UK's ornamental grass guru and there's a well stocked nursery and online shop. His book, "Designing with Grasses" is well worth putting on your Christmas list!
We have knole Park and knole house NT locations and the gardens to the private part of the house is wonderful and ha a large selection of grasses, but I never gave them a second thought for our garden, now I'm getting quite excited at the prospects of a selected few to add to our patch around the cascade, I'm sure our many birds will be quite impressed, as will we.
I have anemanthele which was mentioned earlier, sometimes called pheasant tailed grass, and it's a glorious grass when looking it's best but like all evergreen grasses they look tatty if you don't do maintanence on it and remove the dead blades. The beauty of deciduous grasses is that you renew them every year when you give them their spring cut back, so they always look fresh. I also think they tend to die nicely over winter which makes them more striking than species that always look the same all year.
I have panicum, deschampsia and some miscanthus all mixed in to the borders and they add really structure during winter and look great this time of year.
I've been so busy I've not had a chance to get back onto the site and keep everyone up to date, but I'm here now. I took on board what everyone advised and finally got a chance to go out to our local nurseries to search for grasses. Everyone was right, deciduous grasses were a much better choice and where exactly what I was looking for, so visiting three nurseries within close location I managed to pick up these and would like your opinions please. Deschampsia Goldtau Pennisetum 'Setaceum Rubrum Pennisetum 'Hameln' Miscanthus Sininsis 'Ferner Osten' I've also seen one called 'Red Rocket' but I can't remember which group it was in, but the leaves are lovely autumn colours, so hope to get time to go and get that tomorrow. Apologies for the bricks laying about, hubby is redoing the water feature and there are bricks everywhere. The boxes by the fence are the protectors for the clematis.
Hi @Gwenr, you've done well, they look like good quality plants. Your Miscanthus will make the best statement in your garden as it is the tallest, growing up to 1.8m. The others are all relatively compact, growing up to 90cm, but they will all give you that soft, wavy feel with attractive flowers/seedheads. Just keep an eye on the Pennisetum Sataceum Rubrum, it is tender, so keep it in a pot and move it into a frost free place such as an unheated greenhouse, shed or garage over winter. Same for the Red Rocket which I think is a Pennisetum species. The Pennisetum Hameln and Deschampsia are both hardy in the UK, like the Miscanthus, and don't need winter protection. Enjoy your new plants!
We have had Miscanthus Ferner Osten in our garden for about 8 years now. It took a while for us to find the right spot for it, and for us to realise that it looks it's best when well watered. It is only about 4ft high, so one of the more compact hybrids. We love it, it looks great for many months, and through Winter too.
I have the same combination in my garden @KeenOnGreen. Your timing with your photo is perfect, showing how stunning they can be when the sun hits them!
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I have a couple of Miscanthus Adagio and at this time of year through to February they are real eye catchers.
I have panicum, deschampsia and some miscanthus all mixed in to the borders and they add really structure during winter and look great this time of year.
I took on board what everyone advised and finally got a chance to go out to our local nurseries to search for grasses. Everyone was right, deciduous grasses were a much better choice and where exactly what I was looking for, so visiting three nurseries within close location I managed to pick up these and would like your opinions please.
Deschampsia Goldtau
Pennisetum 'Setaceum Rubrum
Pennisetum 'Hameln'
Miscanthus Sininsis 'Ferner Osten'
I've also seen one called 'Red Rocket' but I can't remember which group it was in, but the leaves are lovely autumn colours, so hope to get time to go and get that tomorrow.
Apologies for the bricks laying about, hubby is redoing the water feature and there are bricks everywhere. The boxes by the fence are the protectors for the clematis.
Partnered below with Calamagrostis Karl Foerster.