The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Posted on by Posted in Ornamental grass .

Hello, my name is John (audience responds: “Hi John”) and I’m addicted to growing ornamental grasses.

It all started a few years ago when I moved into my current home and quickly realized three things:

  1. My clay soil drains very slowly
  2. My property has very little shade   
  3. Deer will always be on the prowl

I tried to fight my conditions at first but it didn’t take long to accept that it was a battle I could not win. I would have to accept what I had if I wanted to remain a sane gardener.

One “type” of plant overwhelmingly fit my growing conditions … the ornamental grass. It was a match made in heaven and I have never looked back.        

And here’s the thing, I will continue to feed my addiction for the foreseeable future. Bank on it. There are so many options out there and a lifetime to try them all out.  
Anyways, for today’s OG lesson, I will discuss Pennisetum ‘Karley Rose’ (oriental fountain grass):

Some good bits of info to share with your friends:

  • Size – roughly 3′ x 3′
  • Survives in zones 5-9
  • Like most OG’s, prefers full sun but will do OK in partial shade
  • KR is a warm season grass so it will begin to grow as the temps warm up in mid to late spring
  • Starts to bloom in July which is earlier than most warm season grasses
  • Blooms are a pink/mauve color that eventually turn to a tan color as the season progresses
  • Foliage holds up reasonably well in rough weather and rebounds quickly after a rain and/or snow
  • While I’ve never grown the species, KR has a much deeper green foliage and longer lasting and pinker flowers       

And some pics for your viewing pleasure:

In a combo with Sedum ‘Matrona’:

Blooms slowly fading from pink to tan:

In my mixed border fitting in well as a “sort of” focal point:

Still holding up well in mid-Fall (with Panicum):

Your lesson for today is now done. We’ll talk more OG’s soon.

John

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15 Responses

  1. I’m going to “borrow” some info on grasses from your chapter and see if I can grow them here. we have alot of shade so I hope they’ll grow but because of insane amount of deer that strip anything that is green I really do hope the new grass will survive.

  3. Hi John, I’ve been enjoying your posts about grasses. I have a beginners question. Do you find you need to split your grasses often and if so how do you do that easily? The previous owner of our home planted zebra grass and I ended up having to call a friend (big burly friend!) to help me dig it up as I couldn’t do it. We ended up taking an ax to the hole and to the plant. I decided to get rid of it since there was no way I was going to be able to keep that up. Do you have some suggestions for grasses that do not need splitting?
    Thanks
    Sharon

  6. I have been trying to order this grass for two years – my wholesaler is always out of stock. Very jealous – you are so lucky and Karley Rose is gorgeous!!

  7. I love ornamental grasses and I always recomend every new gardener I encounter to incororate them into their gardens. Thanks for sharing.

  9. Thanks for visiting me today. I do love seeing ornamental grass in other yards, but go a different direction in my own. There is a university nearby where I often walk and they have the most beautiful ornamental grasses, I love the contrasts in colors I see there. One day I must photograph and share them.

  10. John, thanks for stopping by and following. I love gardening too but focus more on flowers than anything else. No grasses in my yard. In the last few years I’ve planted about 20 hydrangeas and are loving those. We just got 21 inches of snow at the cottage in northern Michigan this weekend, so gardening feel far away. Now following, Laura

  13. ive been thinking about planting some pennisetums, how long in to the winter do the flower plumes last?

  14. I found some KR at Lowe’s…super excited as I’ve been researching this grass for a year or so..

  15. how long do the flowers last for before they disintegrate? im guessing they dont last throughout the winter :/
    pennisetum macrourum is the best i know, it lasts all winter in to spring with not too bad disintegration of the flower heads.

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