This page repeats the information and links found in the alphabetical section, but just gathers all the grasses and grass-like plants together.
last update January 2008
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photos: ...flower ... dried flower/seed ...
formerly named Stipa calamagrostis, also known as Agrostis calamagrostis; Lasiagrostis calamagrostis. Common names: Silver Spike Grass; Spear Grass. A mid-height to tall perennial grass, hardy to zone 5. Of Tufted habit, colonizing mainly by slowly creeping rootstocks. Moderately quick-growing and of lifespan. Height: to 3 ft. Native to S Europe into N Spain. Cool-season grass. Non-invasive, easily controlled. Showy; one of my favourites. Recommended site: sun to part shade. Soil: good, reliably moist but well-drained especially in winter. Tolerates minor drought. Foliage grey-ish green; of fine texture. Orangey-yellow in fall. Small flowers are borne as a moderate-size Panicle later in the summer. Flower colour: creamy white. Seed heads last into winter. Showy long-lasting flowers on arching stems, excellent dried. Some uses: Borders and Beds, in Shrubbery, Foliage, Rock Gardens, Dried Flowers, Steep Banks, Naturalizing, Naturalizing Woodlands.
photos: ... none taken yet ...
... Common names: Variegated Bulbous Oat Grass; Variegated Tuber Oat Grass; Onion Couch; Bulbous Oat Grass. A low perennial grass, hardy to USDA Zone3 or colder. Of Tufted habit. Moderately quick-growing and of long lifespan. Height: to 1ft. An attractive variegated foliage on a grass which increases at a modest rate by bulb-like structures on the root. Recommended site: sun to part shade. Soil: fertile, near neutral pH, loamy, reliably moist but well-drained. Dense, compact foliage, variegated; of fine texture. I haven't noted the flowers yet. Some uses: Borders and Beds, in Shrubbery, Foliage, Groundcover, Rock Gardens, Foundation plantings, Naturalizing.
photos: ...flower ... seed ...
Listed earlier as cv 'Karl Foerster' but then it looked like it wasn't: the flower colour was wrong when the potted ones flowered so then I listed it as cv 'not Karl Foerster'; then I eventually put a few in the ground and they flowered the right colour so apparently the there was a root environment issue affecting the flower colour while in pots... Common names: Feather Reed Grass. A really tall perennial grass, hardy to zone 4. LOW MAINTENANCE. Of Tufted habit, colonizing mainly by forming a very tight clump. Moderately quick-growing and of long lifespan. Height: to 5', and 1½' wide. 'Karl Foerster' is reported to be a natural hybrid of Calamagrostis epigerjos and Calamagrostis arundinacea. Ornamental upright form, nice feathery plumes in summer. The botanical name refers to the resemblance to reeds. Nicknamed the "perpetual motion grass", as the slightest breeze sets this grass into graceful motion (so don't park it in a corner, ok?). There is confusion in the trade over the flower colour of this cultivar; it is correctly described as tones of pink/ bronze/ purple. But in pots and until established in the ground it is white to greenish-white. And maybe it stays or reverts to the pale colour under some other environmental conditions? Recommended site: sun. Soil: good to rich, reliably moist but well-drained. Versatile and adaptable. Dense, compact foliage, deep green; of fine texture. Golden/ yellow in fall. Foliage 2-3' tall. Small flowers are borne as a long Panicle for a few weeks in summer. Young purplish flowers in narrow feathery panicles in July/ August; matures into narrow golden cylinders as the seed show continues into mid-September. Some uses: Accent, Borders and Beds, Specimens, Foliage, Mass Planting, Containers, Screen or Hedge or Windbreak, Cut Flowers, Dried Flowers, Decorative Seed Pods.
photos: ...flower ...plant ... and another ...
... Common names: Snowy Wood Rush. A low to mid-height perennial grass, hardy to zone 3. LOW MAINTENANCE. Of Tufted habit, colonizing mainly by slowly creeping rootstocks. Vigorous, fast-growing and of long lifespan. Height: to 1½-2', and 2' wide. Native to C Europe: N France/ Pyrenees/ C Italy/ N Yugoslavia. Delicate tufted texture. Arching flower stems and relatively showy flowers. One of my favorite grasses. Recommended site: sun to part shade. Soil: mildly acidic, largely organic, well-drained, moist to dry-ish. Naturally occurring in subalpine woods, scrub and shady slopes. Dry Shade tolerant; very adaptable; full sun if moist. Best in moist ordinary soil in shade. Can be invasive in fertile situations. Dense, compact foliage, of fine texture. Usually evergreen. Small flowers are borne in a moderate Umbel for a month in late spring. Flower colour: green-ish white shades. One of the few "grasses" of which the flower (quite showy!) is a main feature; the flower appearance is unlike most grasses. Some uses: Accent, Edgings, Specimens, Mass Planting, Rock Gardens, Cut Flowers, Dried Flowers, Naturalizing, Naturalizing Meadows, Naturalizing Woodlands. One author recommends against using this plant in Rock Gardens.
photos: ...plant ...another...in early winter ...
also goes by the name(s) Luzula maxima... Common name(s): Greater Wood Rush. A Low to Mid-height perennial grass, hardy to Zone 5 or colder. Of Tufted habit, forming colonies primarily by forming a very tight Clump or crown. Moderately quick-growing and of long lifespan. Height: about 1ft here but may achieve 3ft in some locations. Native to Europe: Brit Isles/ Spain/ Turkey/ the Caucasus. Robust, forming dense clumps. Kind of ordinary during the summer, but the foliage is marvelous and lush in late fall when almost everything else has gone dormant, and it is well worth growing just for that reason; for those who can see through snow it stays green through winter, and with snowmelt provides instant green also. Clumps reach about 1 foot across in 3 years here. Light required: Open/Dappled or Partial Shade in peaty soil, moist but not wet. Naturally occurs in shaded open woods, damp acid woods, and on rocky slopes in moorland. Tolerates dryish sites in shade, and more sun in damp. Unshowy (is that a word?) flowers on arching stems in late spring. Some uses: amongst Shrubbery, Foliage effect, Mass Planting, Rock Gardens, Dried Flowers(?), House Plant, Erosion Control, Naturalizing in Woodlands. Best massed. Reported to be compatible with spring bulbs but I haven't gone that route yet.
photos: ...flower ...plant ...
... Common names: Silky Spike Melic; Hairy Melic; Ciliate Melic; Eyelash Pearl Grass; Spikey Melic Grass. A mid-height perennial grass, hardy to zone 4. Of Arching habit, colonizing mainly by forming a very tight clump. Moderately quick-growing and of long lifespan. Height: to 1-2'. Native to Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia; naturalized in parts of NAm. The showiest Melic grass, with regards to the flowers, which form at the ends of long stems and fan into a canopy over the plant; relatively unknown and underused. Weak stems may be floppy. Recommended site: sun or light shade. Soil: fertile, largely organic loam, reliably moist but well-drained. Light shade is better; (part shade in southern climates?) Tolerates dry soil in sun at the expense of show. Open, sparse foliage, of fine texture. Deciduous. Flowers are borne as a moderate Panicle in late spring. Branched, narrow, spike-like inflorescence, almost like a small dense bottlebrush. Flowers silky, described variously as purplish tawny to bright brown to creamy-white to silvery... Some uses: Borders and Beds, Cut Flowers, Dried Flowers, Naturalizing.
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