RIBBON GRASS
Hello fellow gardeners,
i have just found this site and i'm so happy. I have read many topics on the forum and i have found very valuable information. i do have one question though. I'm a relatively newbie at gardening and I love it.
I was just given several ribbon grass plants. i love them but i'm told it is a plant that is very invasive. i was planning on planting it with some hostas that i have in a partial shade area but i would also like to plant some in my flower garden that i have just started and that includes dhalias, gladiolous, iris, zinnias, etc.
Would you plant some ribbon grass in a garden or is it better that I find a spot for this plant to grow on its own. I'm looking forward to your responses and wish to thank you in adance for your help.
Posts
Hallo Linda,
The RHS says the following:
"A vigorous spreading grass with blue-green foliage, this grows almost anywhere and is particularly valuable for shady areas under trees or in a semi-wild garden. Use it as tall, weed-smothering ground cover, or blend it with other vigorous plants such as self-seeding annuals and perennials for a low-maintenance, cottage garden-style border. It can be invasive, so restrict its spread in more formal surroundings, by treating it like mint and grow in a large pot sunk almost to its rim in the ground. Tall, pinkish flower-heads are produced in summer."
Keeping it in a pot sounds like good advice to me!
I agree with SwissSue - keep it in a pot unless you have a large area where it can spread uncontrolled!
There are lots of other grasses far more suitable for mixing in flowering borders.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you so much for your responses.
Yes, I definitely will be putting the ribbon grass in a pot in the flower garden. But there is an another area where i think it will be planting it directly in the ground with hostas.
What other grasses do you suggest could be mixed in flowering borders? So far, I've planted a few plants of camomile and I believe some tyme as ground covers. I don't want to have crushed rocks or woodchips in the garden, so I'm looking for some type of ground covers that would look good.
I thank you so much for your advice.