The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Category Archives: Ornamental grass

Miscanthus Morning Light

Posted on by Posted in Ornamental grass .

This is an update to the original Miscanthus Morning Light post from over 5 years ago. I’ve learned and experienced quite a bit more since then and honestly, the photos are a hell of a lot better.

I recently put together a list of my top ten ornamental grasses and one of those included is Miscanthus Morning Light.

morning lt 12

 

I’ve had this grass in my garden since June of 2009 (yes, I referenced my plant spreadsheet to confirm the date). It has performed admirably since then, but admittedly, it has precipitously fallen off of my photography radar. Since 2012, I’ve taken very few photos of this grass and I’ve clearly gone out of my way a number of times to purposely avoid including it in photos.

And here is why.

Take a look at the photo at the top of this post. The grass looks nondescript and that is exactly how it appears during the majority of the year. It wasn’t always that way. When I initially planted it and for the next few years to come, it was upright and with a well defined shape.

morning lt 13

 

 

 

 

 

But this is what it now typically looks like in late spring/early summer each year.

morning lt 11

 

 

 

 

 

Not so appealing, eh?

As a means of contrast, take a look at the following photo.

morning lt 7

 

 

 

 

The grasses on the left side are Miscanthus Morning Light. The darker green grasses in the background towards the right side of the photo are Panicum ‘Northwind’. To me, there is no contest in terms of which draws in the eye more.

Now having said that, it does improve dramatically as we move into late summer/early fall and I actually have quite a few photos of it during that time of year. In my garden, I have three of them placed behind Joe Pye Weed and the two contrast and play off of each other perfectly.

morning lt 10

 

joe pye and miscanthus

 

clethra joe pye fall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They really do shine when they aren’t required to be the focal point.

While I have you, some Miscanthus Morning Light facts:

  • The leaves are very fine with a white margin – as a result it emits a silvery appearance
  • Survives in zones 4-9
  • It is a warm season grass – new growth emerges in Spring as the weather starts to warm up
  • Prefers full sun
  • Typically reaches 4′ – 5′ tall with another 1′ added on with the blooms
  • Typically 3′ to 4′ wide
  • Blooms in late Summer to early Winter – blooms are wine colored
  • Tolerates all soils from clay to sandy
  • Like all ornamental grasses it is deer resistant
  • Looks good as a contrasting specimen or in groups as an informal hedge

There was one additional bullet on the original list, but I had to delete it because it isn’t what I’ve personally experienced:

  • Miscanthus Morning Light holds up well in winter and looks fantastic.

IMHO, not so much. If it hasn’t already collapsed under the winter snow.

morning lt 5

 

It remains rather “eh”, especially when compared to other grasses like the aforementioned Panicum ‘Northwind’ (both photos taken current day).

winter morning light

Miscanthus Morning Light

 

 

 

 

 

 

winter northwind

Panicum Northwind

I can vouch for the great wine color on the Miscanthus Morning Light blooms which consistently appear in mid September in my garden.

miscanthus morning light

 

 

morning light and joe pye

 

 

 

 

They usually last until early to mid October before both the foliage and blooms turn a tan/buff color for the remainder of fall and all through winter.

Miscanthus Morning Light should be cut down to about 10″ in early Spring before the new growth emerges and I usually use a hedge trimmer to complete the job as efficiently as possible. Once the warmer temps hit, the new growth emerges and catches up to the cool season grasses rather quickly.

My goal this spring is to divide my three Miscanthus Morning Light grasses to see if that rejuvenates them and brings back that nice vase shape I experienced years ago. As usual, I’ll document the results along the way and would love to hear from all of you and your experience with this ornamental grass.

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Panicum Rotstrahlbusch

Posted on by Posted in Ornamental grass .

The very first ornamental grass I ever planted was a Panicum Rotstrahlbusch.
panicum rotstrahlbusch

I ordered these through an on-line catalog and they were about six inches high at that time. However, it didn’t take long for them to reach their mature size (about two years). And what beauties they are. Some quick facts:

  • It is a “warm season” grass so new growth doesn’t emerge until the weather warms up in Spring.
  • Survives winters as far north as zone 3.
  • Mature size is about five feet tall by three feet wide.
  • Prefers full sun and a consistently moist soil.
  • Should be cut down in early spring right before the new growth emerges (definitely use a hedge trimmer).
  • Pink wispy blooms emerge in July (will show you some shots of the blooms in a bit) and last until the middle of autumn.
  • Has tremendous burgundy color in the autumn (although the burgundy color starts to emerge as early as July).

Years ago, I successfully divided this grass by simply digging out three sections with a sharp spade; I never removed the grass from the ground. From there, one mature Panicum Rotstrahlbusch turned into three new grasses as seen in the photo below.

 

And only a few years later they looked like this.

aug

 

The Panicum Rotstrahlbusch blooms are fantastic come mid summer.

j1

 

And I have found that this grass mixes well with other shrubs and perennials in your typical mixed border. I have them located all over my garden and they work everywhere.

h13

e

 

These grasses are typically not found at your garden center but can be purchased online at a number of ornamental grass vendors. Trust me, even if you purchase them small you will see almost immediate results within that first year.

Or, if you are nice enough, I may send you a cutting through the mail because as you know, I am a man of the people.

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Top ten ornamental grasses

Posted on by Posted in Ornamental grass .

My garden is dominated by ornamental grasses. It started out of necessity as they could handle the poor draining clay soil, all day sun, harsh wintry conditions and were completely ignored by the deer. But is has since evolved into me simply loving the hell out of them as witnessed by my numerous posts on the topic. They are the backbone of my garden.

A friend recently asked me “Which grasses should I plant this spring?” and I told him I’ll do you one better, I’ll dedicate an entire post to my personal favorites. A handy little guide for those who are just entering the OG world or are looking to add a few to their existing collection. My recommendations are solely based on grasses that have resided in my own garden as I’ve had the time to watch them mature and adapt over the years. There are definitely others I’ve seen in other gardens that I would recommend as well, but until I have a personal experience with them, I cannot comment.

I’ve dedicated posts to many of these individual grasses, so simply click on the name of the grass to read in greater detail. I’ve also included a few quick tidbits below about each grass.

Here are my top ten ornamental grasses (in no particular order):

 

Panicum ‘Northwind’Top ten ornamental grasses

  • Grass remains completely upright all year long.
  • Reached full size (5′-6′) within three years after planting a tiny plug.
  • Underrated yellow fall color.

 

 

 

 

Panicum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’Top ten ornamental grasses

  • First grass I ever planted.
  • My favorite fall “red”of all the Panicums
  • I’ve divided this grass numerous times with ease.

 

 

Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’Top ten ornamental grasses

  • The biggest head turner in Fall with its foliage color of red/green/orange.
  • The silver blooms are a nice contrast.
  • Looks fantastic with fall perennials (Dwarf sneezeweed in the photo)

 

Sorghastrum ‘Sioux Blue’indian panicum sage

  • This towering native grass (middle of pic) reaches 7 feet when in bloom.
  • Took 2-3 years to establish, but now upright and stays that way through winter.
  • Individual blooms are interesting when viewed up close.

 

Pennisetum ‘Desert Plains’desert pennisetum

  • Only two years in with this one and it has already established itself well.
  • Great late summer/fall foliage color.
  • Tons of blooms starting in summer and they still look good into the winter.

 

Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’grass

  • Reliable performer year after year. 9 years in for me.
  • Doesn’t hold up as well in winter as the other grasses.
  • A bit weedy like most Miscanthus.

 

Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’og5

  • Yes, you can find them everywhere, but there is a reason for that. Care free and upright and buff blooms all summer and into fall.
  • I like to squeeze one in between perennials as a great contrast in texture and color.
  • I divide all the time with ease and nothing but success.

 

Schizachyrium (Little Bluestem) ‘Blue Heaven’k12

  • Great blue color in spring and then shades of pink and red in late summer.
  • Has handled early morning shade without issue.
  • Two years in with this one and I’m in love with it. Holds up all season including in winter.

 

 

 

Molinia ‘Skyracer’molinia

  • A slow to establish cool season grass but worth the wait. This one is all about the blooms as they get 4′ to 5′ tall and look killer at the back of a border.
  • Does not hold up in winter as the blooms break off.
  • Just planted ‘Cordoba’ for the first time which is allegedly even better than ‘Skyracer’.

 

Andropogon ‘Red October’andro

  • Another newcomer for me as we’re three years in. About 3′ to 4′ in height but should reach 6′ to 7′.
  • The foliage color is off the charts already. Red hues even in spring and then dark red in fall.
  • Seems slower to establish but it will be worth the wait. Only a few blooms to date.

 

And a few bonus “non-recommendations”:

Calamagrostis ‘El Dorado’ 030

  • The picture to the right is this cool season grass at its peak. Short lived though as it becomes nondescript the rest of the year.
  • Nowhere near as solid as ‘Karl Foerster’

 

 

 

 

Panicum ‘Heavy Metal’107

  • Maybe TBD is a better description. Nothing bad, just not as exciting as other switch grasses to date.
  • I haven’t seen much of a blue hue so far, just a drab green.

 

 

Northern Sea Oatssea oats fall

  • Just read this and you’ll understand why I gave up on it.

 

 

Rainy day garden photos

Posted on by Posted in Fall color, Foliage, Ornamental grass .

Two straight days of nothing but rain here in central NJ and so I did what every warm blooded middle aged man would do … I took rainy day garden photos. Always a fun time and proof positive that my garden writing/photography days are still hanging around.

Here’s how things are looking outside right now, all sorts of wonderfully brown and dreary and upliftingly depressing.

late fall garden 6

late fall garden

buckthorn fall

late fall garden 3

late fall garden 9

rainy day garden photos

late fall garden 5

grass rain droplets

crabapple fall

late fall garden 7

grass rain droplets 2

late fall garden 2

 

Frost photos from out in the garden

Ornamental grasses > PennEast

Indian Grass blooms arrive

Posted on by Posted in Ornamental grass .

We have had incredible weather this long weekend so most of it has been spent outdoors on our back deck. We’re milking this summer thing for as long as possible.

Breakfast listening to nothing but the birds, including our friends the Red-shouldered hawks.

Watering and deadheading the container plants and harvesting the tomatoes and peppers that are still thriving on the deck.

Watching the sunset turn the sky into an intoxicating pink melange.

This time of year also brings about the stellar blooms of Indian Grass (Sorghastrum) ‘Sioux Blue’ which emerge right at the deck’s edge.

indian grass blooms

As soon as you set foot out of my kitchen and onto the deck, you are immediately drawn to them.

indian grass blooms

I find myself constantly touching the upright flowering stems and really love how they look up close where you can appreciate the yellow stamens.

indian

Now having said that, Sorghastrum really shines (figuratively and literally) when planted among other grasses, shrubs and perennials.

Exhibit A:

indian panicum sage

Exhibit B:

joe pye indian panicum

All of this Indian Grass love has inspired me to widen an existing bed I can view from my deck, just so I can move additional ‘Sioux Blue’ that are located in other spots within the garden.

Operation “Kill the grass with cardboard and grow more plants” has entered into phase 1.

new bed

 

 

Oh yeah, the garden

Posted on by Posted in Blooms, Foliage, Ornamental grass .

It’s been three straight days of research, meetings, writing, stressing and presenting to boards on all things pipeline. I’m sure I’ll be writing about it all real soon (lucky you) but for now, I’m falling back on my comfort zone – my garden.

Here is the latest:

All of my spring planted Sneezeweed (Mariachi series) are blooming already and I had no idea until today.

l10

 

l6

 

l9

 

l8

 

Speaking of not knowing about blooming, same goes for Eupatorium ‘Wayside’ (Hardy Ageratum).

l4

 

All of the Lobelia are in full bloom. This is ‘Vedrariensis’.

l3

 

And Lobelia siphilitica.

l1

 

Chelone lyonii (Turtlehead) just started to bloom and fortunately they have nearly doubled in count over the past few years.

l5

 

The only surviving Boltonia is blooming and has yet to topple over. Maybe this one represents the survival of the fittest.

l11

 

I completely missed all of the blooming Clethra (Summersweet) the past few weeks and this is all that remains.

l13

 

What more can I say about Panicum ‘Northwind’?

l19

 

Great color on Panicum ‘Rots’ right now.

l21

 

Miscanthus purpurascens (Flame Grass) has got the silver blooming thing going on right now.

l18

 

A Grass Menagerie … cool or a mess? Don’t answer.

l16

 

Blooms fading on Pennisetum ‘Desert Plains’.

l14

 

Northern Sea Oats ‘River Mist’ looks nice and thankfully has yet to reseed.

l12

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bad ass ornamental grass

Posted on by Posted in Ornamental grass .

It just dawned on me recently that my ornamental grasses serve a purpose, other than looking awesome, that I never intended from the outset.

They are the protector of the garden.

A force so strong that the deer have retreated and said “Uncle”.

Even the rabbits are quivering in their little rabbit booties.

Case in point, the hydrangeas remain untouched.

k

k1

Just try getting through to that Joe Pye Weed.

k2

I swear to you, there is a raised bed in the middle of all those grasses. I’ll show you the positive results of said raised bed in a future post.

k5

An impenetrable wall of grass. A force field if you will.

k10

k7

Those blooms are like daggers and happily protect the Viburnum behind it.

k8

Never, ever f with ‘Northwind’. They are that bad ass, especially in groups of three.

k3

Some are bigger for their britches than others but we give them credit for trying. The phlox in the background is most appreciative of the effort.

k9

 

 

 

Dog Days of Summer

Posted on by Posted in Blooms, Foliage, Ornamental grass .

I forced myself out of bed this morning (translation – wife kicked me) to finally spend some time outside in the garden. It had been a long time since we hung out and the excessive weed population proved it.

Between vacation, soaring temps, the day job, child transportation to and fro and self exile from all of this pipeline nonsense,  I’ve been negligent in my garden upkeep and enjoyment.

And here is what I quickly learned … the summer has flown by.

Not only are we now in the dog days of summer, but so are the plants. The vibrancy of summer blooms have faded and we are now in that awkward phase between the sweetheart of summer and when autumn kicks it in to high gear.

Nowhere is this more evident then with one my personal faves, the Bee Balm. I love me some Bee Balm (Monarda), even the current day spent/faded Bee Balm.

j5

It reflects the time of year beautifully. Still some signs of that fantastic flower color, even from afar, yet worn from the pounding of the sun and the brutal heat.

j8

Without realizing it, I’ve allowed the Monarda to spread to its heart content and it is still behaving well with others. True garden interest for months on end.

With Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium).

j7

And with the ornamental grass.

j1

j4

Apparently the butterflies are still willing visitors.

090

While we are at it, let’s throw the Joe Pye Weed into the fading-summer-yet-enjoyable mix as well.

Those pink blooms aren’t as vivid as a few weeks ago, but are still holding up well.

101

093

Again, the critters aren’t holding any grudges.

089

I’m cool with staying in this well worn yet mellow phase for a few more weeks. I’m nowhere near ready for the fall yet and so this is the last I will discuss of it for at least another month or so.

Enjoy your weekend.