Morningsun Herb Farm

 

Every year the mantra to rip the lawns out and replace them with drought tolerant plants grows larger, especially here in California.  For many of us, our vision is to replace the lawn with a vast array of flowering perennials that are beautiful to look at and bring in honeybees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other birds and beneficial insects.  Beautiful ornamental grasses are now taking their place among the exciting choices to expand the garden.  Some add radiant colors from blues and silvers to fiery reds and oranges.  Others are less brightly colored but add lovely textures and architectural interest as well as long lasting flowers and a sense of movement and wildness in the garden.  Many grasses have interesting foliage throughout the year, adding color and contrast (and a place for birds to hide!) into the winter.  Ornamental grasses also add appeal because they require very little maintenance, with minimal staking, spraying and deadheading, and are generally long lived in the garden. This fall at Morningsun we have added many new ornamental grasses to our selection.  Although many are not truly herbs (but some like lemon grass and sweet grass are!) we find that the grasses are really terrific additions to an herb garden or a border garden. 

 

What is a grass?  Sounds like an easy question, but many consider grasses to be just attractive weeds.  Ornamental grasses include members of the Gramineae family, which includes lawn grasses, bamboo, cereals like rice and wheat, and popular ornamentals  such as Pennisetum and Miscanthus.   Other popular grasslike plants are in the Juncaceae family (rushes) and the Cyperaceae family (Sedges).   Between these 3 families, there are choices for very wet and dry locations, for full sun and shade, for groundcovers and for huge specimen plants, for demure gardens and to cover huge hillsides to prevent erosion!

 

Probably the most common ornamental grass seen in the home garden is Pennisetum  setaceum ‘Rubrum’, or Purple Fountain Grass.  It certainly deserves its popularity, with long purplish/red leaves on a 4 ft tall bush, topped with plumes of deep red blooms all fall.  It is very hardy in central California, requiring only a hard pruning at the end of winter.  Pennisetum orientale ‘Karley Rose’ is another stunning choice, very upright and neat looking with long pink flower spikes developing from mid summer until mid fall.  Although growing to 3 feet tall, its neat upright habit makes it very attractive in large containers, where it can be mixed with cascading geraniums or trailing herbs such as thymes or germanders. 

 

One of my favorite tiny ornamental grasses is Deschampsia caespitosa ‘Northern Lights’.  It is considered a ‘cool season’ grass, not putting on much growth during the hot summer months.  It only grows to 14 inches, with slender leaves that are variegated with creamy white, and in the fall, winter and early spring cold weather the leaves are tinged in pink.  Great for mixed containers, especially in a bit of afternoon shade, this plant is hardy to -30 degrees F.

 

Muhlenbergia rigens, or deer grass, is a real work horse in the California native garden.  We have it growing in the hottest areas possible, close to the road with very little water.  For a softer look though, I love Muhlenbergia capillaris, or pink muhly grass, which is 1 ½ to 3 feet tall, and is covered with tons of purplish/pink flower spikes from late summer through fall.  Native throughout the Midwest and northeastern U.S. it is very tolerant to both high and low watering, so long as drainage is good.  This is a spectacular plant in masse. 

 

If I were a beginning gardener with grasses I would start with some of the members of the Miscanthus genus, which tend to be easy to grow and very rewarding.  Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus nana’ is a dwarf version of the most popular maiden grass.  This plant has deep green leaves that will turn brilliant red as the nights turn cold, and spikes of tan flowers that open to extravagant fluffy spikes.   Miscanthus sinensis ‘Hinjo’ is a much improved version of Zebra Grass, but it only grows to 5 feet, does not flop over and is an excellent specimen plant, especially in a large lovely container.  It can grow in some light shade, where the horizontal yellow stripes on the leaves look sharp and  unusual.  Miscanthus sinensis ‘Dixieland’ is a dwarf (4-5 feet) grass with long leaves with wide edges of white.  The result is quite stunning in the garden, especially when grown in a bit of afternoon shade and mixed with brightly blooming perennials. 

 

Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ is described as a ‘vertical masterpiece’.  If you are looking for a big stunning upright grass that will look good even in early spring and bloom summer and fall and look good in winter, this is your plant.  When flowering the plant can easily reach 7 feet, but is a well behaved columnar clump grower.  Flowers range from brilliant pink to soft red, depending on the season, and the plant is very adaptable, growing in bogs but also thriving in dry conditions.  In general, the more water, the taller the plant!  This plant won the honor of Perennial Plant of the Year in 2001. 

 

Don’t forget the Festuca, or blue fescue grass, for hot dry gardens and rock gardens.   A less common variety, Festuca glauca ‘Boulder Blue’, is extra blue in color, extra drought,heat and cold tolerant, and an extremely heavy bloomer.  This is a great selection for the xeric garden.

 

Hierochloe odorata, or sweet grass,  is native to the Midwest, and is a rather rare and unusual plant.  Spreading underground by rhizomes, the leaves from this plant are often braided and dried for use as incense.  It needs well drained, porous soil to thrive, and will be enjoyed not only by humans but by cats and dogs.

 

Lastly, don’t forget one of our more common culinary grasses, Cymbopogon citratus, or lemon grass.   Planted early in the fall and protected with a bit of mulch in areas that will drop below freezing, this is a very sturdy, useful and fragrant grass to add to an ornamental garden or large container as well as the herb and tea garden.  It grows in full or part sun, and can be 2 to 3 feet tall and as wide.  It is a fun plant in children’s gardens, and be sure to plant it where the dogs can graze on it!  It is a mild nervine, so it will calm the nerves of both humans and our pets!