I challenge anyone now to say that they don’t like grasses @LunarSea! What a fantastic collection you have, in a delightful garden! Your photos really show how grasses and light can elevate the whole garden. I’ll have to add Stipa gigantea to my list. I had one for several years and now need to find a place for another.
Thankyou @Plantminded & @Woodgreen for your kind comments. I've also got Miscanthus 'Starlight' (a Knoll Gardens cultivar, which has done really well in its first year) & Miscanthus 'Morning Light', which I picked up as a tatty specimen for £2.70 earlier this year. Last year I added Pannicum 'Prairie Skies' to one of my island beds where it did precisely nothing. Being impatient I dug it out and put it in a pot and it has been really lovely this year (but no photos I'm afraid).
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I don't have any in my garden, but this time of year I really enjoy pink muhly grass (muhlenbergia capillaris). I see them in highway medians frequently (which isn't usually a complimentary thing to say), but they are quite striking planted en masse.
Some really lovely photos here of your beautiful grasses. I only have one raised bed border that has herbaceous plants so I can't grow them. However, your potted ones are spectacular and movable with a sack truck so I'm thinking I could squeeze one or two in here and there. I know nothing of their likes and dislikes though so I'll need to learn from you and tips would be welcome please.
I have a lot of grasses, mainly Sesleria autumnalis. It plays more of a supporting role for other plants. Semi-evergreen but starts looking tired by February, at which point I cut it right down and starts into fresh growth rapidly.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
For a starter @Uff, I'd try either Stipa (now known as Nassella) tenuissima or Hakonechloa macra aureola in a container. They are easy to grow and undemanding. Both are relatively slow growing and won't need to be repotted every year. The Stipa is semi-evergreen and needs no pruning, just a comb through with your hand in Spring to remove any dead leaves. It prefers a sunny site. The Hakonechloa needs to be cut to ground level in March. It prefers shade but can be grown in sun or semi-shade. Use either good topsoil or a soil based compost, mixed with about 50% MPC and some grit to aid drainage (@LunarSea may have a better recipe!) No need to feed but keep the soil moist during the growing season. This list may also help you:
I've only recently started thinking about ornamental grasses in my gardens, and after purchasing a few different miscanthus I'm completely hooked! @SYinUSA - I love the look of pink muhly grass but unfortunately, I'm in zone 4 and all signs point to it not surviving up here.
I love the looks of that molinia Skyracer from your first post, Plantminded. Very happy to find it would do well in my zone. That's one I'll definitely be looking for next spring!
New England, USA
Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
Good to hear we have grass fans in the USA too @SYinUSA and @CrankyYankee! I got the Molinia in late summer this year @CrankyYankee so am looking forward to seeing it growing in all seasons next year. It just fits in that space in the border.
This is Miscanthus Kliene Fontane, it is about seven foot tall. It is at it's best against a moody November sky . Also looks stunning in the dark with the help of a dim street light.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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Thankyou @Plantminded & @Woodgreen for your kind comments. I've also got Miscanthus 'Starlight' (a Knoll Gardens cultivar, which has done really well in its first year) & Miscanthus 'Morning Light', which I picked up as a tatty specimen for £2.70 earlier this year. Last year I added Pannicum 'Prairie Skies' to one of my island beds where it did precisely nothing. Being impatient I dug it out and put it in a pot and it has been really lovely this year (but no photos I'm afraid).
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
Calamagrostis brachytricha - Horrible self-seeder though
Miscanthus Ferner Osten and Calamagrostis Karl Foerster
Five great grasses for containers - Richard Jackson Garden (richardjacksonsgarden.co.uk)
Your photos are stunning @Loxley, Sesleria autumnalis is now a resident in my garden, thanks to you!