Home » Misc » When is the best time to plant ornamental grasses

When is the best time to plant ornamental grasses


Planting Ornamental Grasses | Bioadvanced

Looking for plants that stage a strong, multi-season show with minimal input? Consider adding easy-growing ornamental grasses to your yard. Hearty perennials, many withstand bitter winter cold and sizzling summer temperatures. Learn more about summer-proof ornamental grasses.

Review these basics of growing ornamental grass to decide if these low-maintenance plants belong in your landscape.

What does an ornamental grass bring to the garden party?
These perennials are unequaled for introducing texture to garden plantings. Many also provide outstanding winter interest. Grasses offer two things to the garden that many plants cannot: movement and sound. A gentle breeze rustles stems against one another and creates a ripple of motion that steals the show. Grasses also offer an array of colors, including vibrant gold, fiery red, dusky black tones and variegated patterns.

Do grasses need full sun to grow?
Most grow best in direct sun and tend to become floppy in lower light. Full sun (6 to 8 hours) is ideal, but you can always try in 4-5 hours and see what happens. Some grasses thrive in low light, such as Japanese forest grass or inland sea oats.

What kind of soil do grasses require?
You can find a grass to suit any soil type. Many grasses prefer well-drained soil, but some thrive in moist soil or heavy clay. Some demand fertile soil; others grow gangbusters in poor, rocky soil. Do your homework, and choose the right grass for your conditions — or amend your soil to suit the grass you want.

When is the best time to plant?
In mild climates, you can plant grasses year-round, whenever they're available for sale. In zones where the ground freezes, spring and early fall offer ideal planting windows. Avoid planting within four weeks of the first fall frost.

When do I fertilize?
Feed established grasses in spring and late summer. Scratch a granular slow-release fertilizer into soil around plants.

Do grasses have pests?
Rarely. You may occasionally have an Aphid or Mite attack. Squirting the grass with a strong spray of water dislodges insects. Rabbits and deer tend to leave ornamental grasses alone.

How often do ornamental grasses need division?
Most grasses can grow for many years without division. That's part of their low-maintenance charm. Divide when the clump dies in the center. The best time to divide is in early spring, before new growth begins. Some grasses develop thick root masses that may require a chainsaw to separate.

Do I need to prune?
For most grasses, cut them back before new growth appears at the start of the growing season. In warmer zones, some grasses are evergreen and don't really require pruning, unless dead leaves collect around the base of the clump. Remove those.

Are there any tricks to make pruning easy?
For small clumps, use hand pruners or shears. Electric hedge trimmers offer a quick pruning option, especially with large clumps. For easy clean-up, wrap a bungee cord around large clumps and cut beneath the cord. Wear gloves for protection, particularly when working with grasses that have razor-sharp edges.

Are ornamental grasses invasive?
Some species are in certain regions. Miscanthus has become a large problem in the Northeast. Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum) has invaded parts of the West. You can limit the invasive potential of some grasses by removing seedheads before seeds mature. Cut just beneath the seedhead, and you'll still have tall stems to linger through winter. There may also be seedless varieties available.

To determine if a grass is invasive in your region, check with your local native plant society or state Department of Natural Resources, or consult the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.

 

More Lawn Solution Articles for You

Ornamental Grasses That Take the Heat

Ornamental grasses that can survive the heat. Many ornamental grasses, such as tall grasses and perennial grasses, boast a tough-as-nails...

read more

Effective SpiderMite Killing Techniques

Control spider mites with a spider mite killer before it’s too late. A spidermite usually survive typical insecticides and spider mite spray...

read more

How To Trim A Tree

Using the right pruning tools to cut tree branches can keep trees healthy. There are a number of pruning tools to trim tree branches....

read more

Copyright © 2022 bioadvanced.com All Right Reserved.

How to grow ornamental grasses: Easy-to-grow grasses

(Image credit: Future / Annaick Guitteny)

If you're wondering how to grow ornamental grasses in your garden, they are an easy way to add excitement to any planting scheme.

They are the ideal solution to early-fall doldrums: as summer flowers fade, their subtly colored foliage and sprays of tiny flowers will take centre stage.

An environmentally friendly garden idea, they need no staking, dead-heading or spraying, so footfall levels throughout the borders are kept low and new wildlife habitats can develop safety, while the seeds feed the birds.

And whatever the conditions in your garden, you can find a species that thrives. Anemanthele lessoniana, for instance, will flourish in dry shade and never needs watering. Bothriochloa Bladji likes well-drained soil in full sun, while Deschampsia can cope with heavy clay.  

Grasses are a lovely choice if you're looking for flower bed ideas with a difference, as they create a variety of wonderful effects. From the tall, arching Calamagrostis, which evokes the atmosphere of a cornfield, to the smart, ground-hugging Hakonechloa, which is ideal for shade, pots and formal schemes.

For transparency, choose Molinia or, for a small patch of ornamental lawn or even a roof, look at the unassuming, Sesleria ‘Greenlee’, which is a new hybrid of S. caerulea and S. autumnalis.

(Image credit: Future / Annaick Guitteny)

How to grow ornamental grasses

Spring is the season to sow grasses from seed. They can be sown directly in open ground where they are to flower. They will perform best in an open, sunny position.

In order to rejuvenate grasses it’s a good idea to divide them, but it’s important to do this at the right time of year.

If you’re buying plants directly from garden nurseries, try getting them around spring so they can be planted directly into the ground. Fall is also a good time to plant ornamental grasses. This will allow the seeds time to adapt to the conditions before the worst of the winter weather arrives.

Why choose ornamental grasses? 

(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton)

The grass isn't always greener, particularly when you look at the amazing ornamental varieties that are available.

They come in vibrant colors and sumptuous textures that delight throughout the year. Many develop into ground-hugging hummocks, making them great weed suppressants.  

Consider adding them to a rock garden, or replacing a tired lawn in a small backyard, for example, with a no-mow carpet of shorter ornamental grass. 

Evergreen varieties give year-round cover and little room for the unwanted plant invaders to squeeze through. Ornamental grasses not only add movement but also bring a pleasing musical note to the garden as they rustle and gently sway in the breeze. 

Are ornamental grasses easy to grow? 

Ornamental grasses are surprisingly easy to grow, no matter the condition of your garden. 

The unfussy form of ornamental grasses has made them a stalwart of the contemporary garden designer’s plant palette. They provide a seemingly endless variety of color and texture. Plus they have see-through, wispy growth and swaying flowers that take on a magical quality when gilded with spider’s webs and frost.

(Image credit: Future)

In the depths of winter, ornamental grasses like Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Molinia caerulea ‘Transparent’ and evergreen Stipa gigantea also become eye-catching ice sculptures when covered in a foggy mist, or ice and snow.   

You’ll find perennials, such as verbascum or mulleins, poppies, day lilies and red hot pokers work best when planted in among a river of swaying grasses, just as you’d see in the American prairies. This ‘natural’ style is a brilliant solution for linking formal parts of the garden to the surrounding countryside.

Traditional gardeners like ornamental grasses too, mainly using them to stretch the interest in their cottage-style borders into fall and beyond.

For the best effect, and to update your flower beds, simply weave them alongside sedums, asters and heleniums, so that their spiky flowers contrast with the flat heads and daisy blooms of these late-flowering perennials.  

Make sure you use the best-behaved clump-forming ornamental grasses, such as fountain grass or Pennisetum. Another good choice is Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’, producing blood-red spikes that fade to bright green at the base and become translucent by late summer.

Plant it alongside the white-edged Hosta ‘Francee’ for good effect. Always be wary of vigorous spreaders, such as ribbon grass, which can take over.

Do ornamental grasses like sun or shade? 

Ornamental grasses are split into two main groups. Firstly, taller deciduous varieties, which thrive in the sun and have lovely seedbeds.

Secondly, shorter evergreens, including carex varieties, grow well in damp, shaded conditions, and Hakonechloa macra, cope in dry shade, making them a great choice if you're looking for garden shade ideas.

The other group includes tall grasses such as Molinia, Miscanthus, Stipa and Panicum, which flourish in sunny, open spaces, looking their best from late summer, when they erupt into a haze of burnished spikelets.  

What are the different types of ornamental grasses?

(Image credit: Unsplash)

Coming in different shades or blue, gray, buff and gold, there’s an ornamental grass for every situation.

Taller varieties are ideal for fall borders, adding body, highlights and rhythm. Place them in the middle of a border if the grass is untidy, like the elegant Calamagrostis brachytricha. Shorter ones will spill casually over the edges of containers, making them a great choice if you're looking for raised garden bed ideas. 

Most are tough, provided they don’t become waterlogged, coping well in a sunny spot, in light soil.

Medium-sized varieties like tufted hair grass (Deschampsia ‘Goldtau’) or pheasant’s grass (Anemanthele lessoniana) form fountain-like mounds of golden seedbeds.  

Adding body to herbaceous borders, the grassy clumps also support summer’s slender-stemmed plants – verbascum, or astrantias, for example. However, by fall, the fully developed seedbeds add an ethereal haze between bright perennials such as asters, rudbeckias, and sedums, creating cohesion between contrasting elements.

How do you care for ornamental grass? 

Ornamental grasses add a light, airy touch to garden borders and, in summer, provide a beautiful foil for more colorful and vivacious plants. 

Many can be left alone when winter comes, as their elegant fronds and seedheads give interest when there is little else about, and they also look wonderful when touched by frost on clear, freezing mornings.  

However, if they are starting to look a bit bedraggled and battered by winter weather, they will need cutting back in order to grow well and look their best this summer.  

Remove the seeded stems with sharp, clean secateurs, taking care not to damage any new growth. Then cut the rest back to a few centimetres from the ground, leaving just a hairy tuft.  Weed around the clump, and mulch well to feed the plant as it comes back into growth.  

(Image credit: Future / Annaick Guitteny)

Some deciduous species, including Deschampsia and Calamagrostis, should be trimmed before new growth emerges, whereas later-shooting Penniselum can be cut back in late April.  

Late pruning is also beneficial for Miscanthus, whereas the deciduous Stipa tenuissima can be treated as you would an evergreen grass, and be cut back now.  

Evergreen grasses such as blue fescue (Festuca glauca) just need a trim, so snip off brown tips and remove dead leaves from the base.  

Larger evergreens, including pampas grass, should be cut back hard in spring. It used to be a common practice to burn pampas grass, but this is no longer recommended as it can damage new, emerging growth.

What not to do with ornamental grasses

The key to success with ornamental grasses is not to move them too much. 

This is a common mistake with ornamental grasses that can send them into shock, although some do transplant better than others. Celebrity gardener Monty Don advises not to divide or move any grasses in March. 'They must be growing strongly to have the best chance of surviving, so wait until late May or even early June.' 

Some ornamental grasses, especially the larger Stipas, really hate being moved at all, so leave them. However, as an exception to the rule, pheasant grass doesn't mind being moved, so you can divide it later in spring. 

How to use ornamental grasses in your garden

Have you always thought grass was just for the lawn? Let us introduce you to some stunning ornamental grasses that’ll provide great impact in any garden.

1. Use ornamental grass in a small garden

(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton )

You might be forgiven for thinking that ornamental grasses are only suitable for large gardens. Piet Oudolf’s much-praised schemes of naturalistic planting would surely not work in a smaller plot? 

‘The principles used in this style of planting can be transferred to a tiny garden. The trick is to use just a few types of grasses and perennials,’ says Knoll Gardens grass expert Neil Lucas. 

For very small garden ideas, grasses are successful in containers. They’re an instant way of adding height and are so much cheaper than buying large shrubs. 

2.

Instil a sense of privacy in your garden with grass

(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton)

Being overlooked is the daily reality for most people living in built-up areas with houses on either side, or immediately backing onto an outside space. 

If this is the case for you, then consider investing in containers of wavy, tall grasses, for garden privacy ideas that will allow you to create a more secluded feel.

Add a ‘boundary’ by arranging a row of tall containers and plant with densely tufted blue-grey Festuca glauca and Cortaderia selloana to add height, interest and drama. 

Planters can be moved around to change the mood (especially if you choose ones on wheels) or put where you most need them to add to a sense of privacy. 

3. Zone areas of a garden with ornamental grasses

(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton )

As well as being perfect for garden privacy and small gardens, ornamental grass is also a wonderful choice for zoning your garden.

To differentiate between the contrasting areas or levels in your garden, create a layered effect using ornamental grasses. We recommend the Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima) for this particular task.

This ornamental grass is a great deciduous option for a sunny border, combining easily with many perennials and adding movement with its swaying flowerhead that appear from June right through to September.

They can grow up to 2ft (60cm), and spread 1ft (30cm) so are the perfect choice for creating privacy and seclusion for each zone.

4. Edge a path with ornamental grasses

(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton )

Not only do they add charm and character to your backyard landscaping, ornamental grasses are extremely practical too, separating weeds from flower beds and mulch from lawns. They also provide a clean line for extra-efficient mowing and trimming. 

While traditional means of creating a garden border, such as stones, bricks and sleepers, are still hugely popular, ornamental grasses are having something of a moment.  

And, for those of us who no longer yearn for the 'tidy' look, we couldn't be more thrilled to welcome these hardy species back into our gardens. This time, we predict, they are here to stay.

Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.

Grass garden - tips for selecting and caring for plants

With the fashion for the naturgarden style, ornamental cereals have come to our gardens. Exquisite compositions of herbs, delightfully contrasting with the candy beauty of garden flowers, imitate the corners of ennobled nature, sung by such eminent landscape designers as Piet Oudolf, Rosemary Weiss, Sarah Price and others.

blindly copying the author's compositions, but it's quite possible to single out a piece of the garden for them. And to make it easier for you, we have prepared recommendations for choosing herbs, planting and caring for them, and combining with other plants.

In the photo - the author's garden of cereals and perennials by Piet Oudolf

Follow us:

How to choose plants

About 1000 species of various cereals grow in Russia, more than 200 of them are highly decorative and are widely used in landscape design. How to navigate in this diversity and what to consider when choosing?

  1. Climatic conditions.

Herbs that will not freeze in the conditions of the Russian winter can be safely attributed to lightning, miscanthus, reed grass, soddy pike, fescue, grate, falaris, ryegrass . In the southern regions, you can also sow more heat-loving cereals - pampas grass, ornamental millet.

Chinese Miscanthus. The contrast of upward-pointing inflorescences and arching leaves makes it especially beautiful.

If it is in the shade or on the north side of the house, shade-tolerant forest-type grasses are needed - various varieties reed grass, blue lightning, oak bluegrass .

Steppe and alpine grasses will feel great in the sun - gray fescue, grate, feather grass, maned barley, cylindrical imperial .

sedge, cattail, soddy pike, reed falyaris, miscanthus will take root on the shore of the reservoir.

An openwork lightning creates a transparent veil, especially effective in the rays of the setting sun.

  1. Decorative features.

When choosing, take into account the height and habitus of the bush, the rate of its growth, the shape of the inflorescences, the period of the highest decorative effect.

So, if you need low cereals for an alpine hill or for decorating a border, gray fescue, bulbous ryegrass, gray keleria are suitable.

cortaderia, miscanthus are used to create accents and solitary plantings.

If you plan not to cut flower stalks for the winter, you need those that will not break under the first gusts of winter wind. Various varieties will perfectly cope with this task.0019 miscanthus, sharp-flowered reed grass (Karl Foerster variety), spreading rush, reed.

Due to the red foliage of the emperor, cylindrical is suitable for creating accents in the composition

When and how to plant, what to combine with each other

Most ornamental grasses are perennial plants, therefore once grown from seeds, they are subsequently propagated by dividing the bush. Heat-loving cereals ( Imperata cylindric, pinnate, African millet ) we grow it as an annual crop or cover plantings for the winter.

Hybrid forms are purchased in nurseries and planted as seedlings, species can be grown from seeds on their own. Since the seeds need long-term stratification, they are sown in autumn in boxes and left in the cold, for example, they are dropped into the ground and covered with peat on top. In the spring, the peat layer is removed and the grains are allowed to germinate. The grown seedlings are planted in a permanent place in early summer.

You can divide the bush both in spring and autumn. To do this, they dig it out, divide it into parts of 7–10 sods each, and transplant it to the chosen place.

The site for planting is prepared depending on which soil the plant prefers. If necessary, drainage is poured into the bottom of the landing hole, the soil is loosened with sand or peat.

Cereals do not need highly fertile soil. On the contrary, in order for the root system to be powerful, it is better to keep them "from hand to mouth"

Herbs are combined with each other, primarily based on agrotechnical preferences. So, you can select several groups with similar queries.

The better the combination of grasses, the more natural the composition will look

Caring for ornamental grasses

In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, it is necessary to remove last year's grass residues, thereby accelerating the start of new greenery. Otherwise, care for cereals is the same as for other garden plants - timely weeding, loosening, if necessary, watering.

To keep weeds from sprouting and preserve soil structure, we recommend mulching plantings with decorative gravel or pebbles.

In the second or third year, the plants can be fed with complex fertilizers at the rate of 30–40 g/m². They are dissolved in water or embedded in the soil in the root zone.

In autumn, the brittle flower-bearing stems are cut off so as not to spoil the winter landscape, and the strong and decorative ones are left until spring.

Mountain sedge bushes under the snow

How to use in the garden and what plants to combine with

Ornamental grasses are not by chance so popular in garden design. They create an atmosphere of lightness and naturalness in the garden, add volume to compositions, balance large inflorescences and bright colors. Consider options for their use.

Monogarden from cereals

Monogardens are such compositions in which plants of the same type occupy at least 80%. When creating a cereal corner, combine high ( miscanthus, cortaderia ), medium-sized ( maned barley, pinnate, feather grass, soddy pike ) and low ( fescue, ryegrass ) grasses.

Select the other 20% of plants to add shape and color. Umbrellas go well with cereals yarrow and stonecrop , spherical inflorescences monarda, burnet, mordovnik , candles foxglove and delphinium , "chamomile" echinacea and rudbeckia .

Do not allocate more than 15–20 m² for a grass corner, otherwise it will look boring and monotonous.

Different types suitable for rock gardens and rockeries fescue, mountain sedge, faliaris, maned barley . They will make a good combination with conifers , they will be perfectly complemented by wild plants and perennials - wormwood, bluebells, subulate phlox, stonecrop , sedum .

In rockeries, cereals are planted in such a way that after pruning for the winter, the emphasis shifts to beautiful monoliths, trees and there are no bald spots in the composition.

In large flower beds, it is recommended to use large structural cereals - Sugarflower miscanthus, blue lightning, pennisetum bristly, erianthus . delphinium, sage, veronica, liatris, peonies , astilba will suit them as satellites.

If you love roses , fescue, oats, maned barley, mountain sedge will help to emphasize their beauty and grace.

In country flower beds with dahlias, crocosmia, rudbeckia , Phloxes perfectly match ornamental millet, soddy pike .

Large cereals create the volume and rhythm of the composition

By the pond

There are many cereal crops that easily tolerate flooding and love moist soil. These are various types of reeds , cattail, sedge . The water also likes to grow miscanthus, reed falyaris, filamentous rush .

Decorate the shoreline with Siberian irises, marigolds, bruners and other water-drinking herbs

In containers

Lately it has become fashionable to plant grasses in containers. They can be used to fill a flower garden, create a background, or, arranging in height, color, create independent compositions.

Container plantings are a great decoration for a terrace or patio

Landscaping project
plot by Sad-dizain

More details

As you can see, creating cereal arrangements is not difficult at all. It's even easier to take care of them. And even a small corner of grass will give your garden a special charm - it will fill it with a pleasant rustle of grass, play with sunlight, create natural and expressive accents.

Video about types, planting and care of cereals

varieties, rules for planting and caring for plants, composition

Ornamental cereals have recently been used to decorate gardens. Fluffy panicles, shaggy bushes of various colors and shapes can really make your garden original and memorable. In order to competently use cereals for decorative purposes, it is worth learning more about this type of garden herb.

Benefits of grasses in landscape design

Grasses as an ornamental were introduced in the 1930s by breeder Carl Foster. His ideas were immediately approved and further developed, however, cereals gained the most popularity in the 1970s. It was then that this type of grass began to be used for landscaping cities and in the design of gardens and parks.

Today, cereals are often found in modern balls, mixborders and other corners of any garden. They are valued for a number of advantages:

Grasses are attractive in all seasons. In spring, it is fresh greenery that covers the lawn. In summer - fluffy and intricate inflorescences. In autumn, some grasses change their color, which gives a peculiar charm to the garden. Even in winter, cereals will not leave you indifferent: when the grass is covered with frost, it is impossible to take your eyes off it.

The variety of colors and shapes of cereals is amazing . Among the plants there are both grass 2 centimeters long and one and a half meter giants. The color palette varies from bluish-green to red. As for the forms, here you will find panicles, spikelets, brushes, and fluff.

Cereals decorate not only flower beds, flowerbeds and mixborders. Closer to autumn, when it's time to cut flowers into bouquets, you can use cereals to decorate them. And needlewomen can find use for cereals in various floral panels and other compositions.

Varieties

Low-growing grasses for the garden

Low-growing grasses (up to 50 centimeters high) are mostly perennials, but there are also annuals among them. Such plants are used to decorate lawns and low flower beds.

Haretail . The inflorescences of the haretail really resemble hare tails. They are small, fluffy and round. The plant tolerates penumbra perfectly, grows up to a maximum of 50 centimeters.

Mane Barley is an undemanding ground cover perennial. However, it is often grown as an annual, as it can freeze during the cold season. The plant is a short stem (20-50 centimeters), on top of which is an inflorescence-spikelet. The inflorescence changes its color depending on the season. Maned barley can propagate by self-sowing. It harmoniously looks in carpet flower beds or in the design of paths, borders, slides.

Blue Fescue is a small, bright blue shrub that looks quite exotic. Looks good as an independent plant, and in flower beds. Often, garden paths are framed with blue fescue or planted next to a pond. It tolerates winter well and grows quickly. 2 years after planting, the bushes will have to be divided.

Medium-growing species

Medium-growing grasses include plants with a height of 50 to 100 centimeters. These are mostly feather grasses that look like rippling waves when the wind blows. Used for multi-tiered mixborders and free-standing lawns. Feathers look unusual and elegant with wildflowers: daisies, cornflowers, poppies.

Feather grass is a plant that has quite a few varieties. But always his plumage looks very gentle. In height reaches 80 centimeters. This plant lives in one place for up to 10 years and does not tolerate transplanting.

Hairy chamois . The golden spikelets of the pinnate bristles are surrounded by bristles, so the inflorescences look fluffy. The height of such grass is from 30 to 60 centimeters. It is necessary to create barriers for bushes, as they grow rapidly.

Italian Setaria is a medium-sized herb that forms yellow and green panicles hanging down. The plant is drought-resistant, but with abundant watering it blooms more magnificently. The Italian setaria does not lose its shape for a long time after cutting, so florists quite often use it to decorate bouquets.

Tall species

Tall species of cereals attract attention in multi-tiered mixborders, become screens or territory dividers, look great along the banks of reservoirs. They can create a colorful background, because panicles and inflorescences come in various colors and shades.

Faliaris is quite often used in landscape design. It draws attention to itself because of the narrow leaves of green, white or cream. It tolerates both sun and heat, and shade. The plant is drought-resistant and winter-hardy. If desired, faliaris can be sheared, giving the desired shape.

Molinya blue is a grassy plant whose tassels are lilac in summer and turn yellow-orange in autumn. Flowerbeds, flower beds, and reservoirs are decorated with moliniya. The plant is absolutely not whimsical to care, it grows well in any conditions. In dry form, it is used for bouquets and flower arrangements.

Hasmanthium broadleaf is not as bright as other representatives of tall cereals, however, its presence in the flower garden gives the garden a special touch. The inflorescences on the stems resemble catkin plates. The plant requires sun and high humidity. In growth reaches 1.5 meters.

Rules for planting ornamental grasses

In order to facilitate further care of cereals, everything must be accurately calculated before planting them. First, you need to make sure that the soil is poor: cereals love soil that is poor in substances. Fertilizers can only do harm, as this contributes to the growth of curtains, and cereals (especially tall ones) cease to hold their shape.

Secondly, the landing site must have good drainage. Most grasses prefer dry soil. If moisture stagnates, then will suit you the following types of landings:

Fescue, reedgrass, grate do not tolerate high soil moisture when choosing plants, you should not be guided only by appearance. Consider the influence of the soil, tolerance of bad weather conditions, unpretentiousness in care.

Tip . If you have never dealt with cereal plants before, get 2-3 types of low-growing, unpretentious annuals. So you will understand whether you really expected this result or whether it is better to change something.

Before planting, prepare the site: clear the soil of weeds and debris, dig up the soil. We remind you that fertilizers do not need to be applied. Then, make your markup. The marking is carried out with the help of sand, it is necessary to delineate the contours of the future bush. Apply the markup taking into account the growth of the shrub. After marking, you can plant seedlings or seeds.

In order for the bush not to grow too wide in the future, it is necessary to come up with measures to restrain its growth. For these purposes, sheets of plastic or slate dug into the soil are most often used. The second way is to plant a bush in a large plastic container, then dig the plant into the ground right with the pot.

Some grasses at the initial stage of their growth may not feel good next to other mature plants. In this case, do this: plant young cereals separately from the flower bed, and when the bushes grow up, transplant them into a common flower garden.

Further care

Grass plants are among the most undemanding to care for. It is not unknown that the main trend of modern landscape design is ease of care . If you have chosen cereals for your garden, you have not lost. Most of these plants are perennials. It is worth planting them once, soon they will begin to grow on their own. They do not need to be replanted year after year. Such grasses are characterized by high growth rate, adaptability to any weather and natural conditions. Diseases rarely affect them, and pests bypass them.

However, it is worth remembering that if you do not artificially limit the growth of cereals, then soon they can fill quite large areas.

Combination with other types of plants

The ability to adapt to any conditions allows you to mix cereals with many types of flowers and ornamental plants. For example, cereals look great in the background of a mixborder, and long spikelets go well with narrow-leaved plants.

Irises, crocosmia, daylilies look wonderful in the middle of a cereal bed.

Learn more