Making the most of grasses

Hordeum jubatum is a good choice for raising from seed

Mary Payne recommends grasses for various sites and situations including:

Pennisetum ‘Purple Majesty’.

 

Containers

Carex ‘Evergold’; Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’.

 

Cut flowers

Briza maxima; Lagurus ovatus; Typha latifolia; Oryzopsis miliacea.

 

Damp sites

Carex elata ‘Aurea’; Carex longus; Carex muskingumensis; Schoenoplectus lacustris subsp. tabernaemontani ‘Albescens’; Spartina pectinata ‘Aureomarginata’.

 

Stipa tenuissima is easy to raise from seed and works well in gravel

Gravel gardens

Carex comans; Carex flagellifera; Chionochloa rubra; Stipa tenuissima.

 

Ground cover

Festuca glauca; Molinia caerulea.

 

Hanging baskets

Carex ‘Frosted Curls’; Eragrostis airoides.

 

Herbaceous borders

Helictotrichon sempervirens; Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’.

 

Hot, dry sites

Elymus magellanicus; Festuca glauca; Helictotrichon sempervirens; Koeleria glauca; Pennisetum orientale.

 

House plants

Cyperus alternifolius; Isolepis gracilis.

 

Making a statement

Ampelodesmos mauritanicus; Cortaderia richardii; Cortaderia selloana ‘Gold Band’; Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’; Stipa gigantea.

 

Carex 'Evergold' is good in pots and also tolerates dense shade

Prairie-style schemes

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’; Miscanthus sinensis; Panicum virgatum; Stipa calamagrostis.

 

Raising from seed

Hordeum jubatum; Lagurus ovatus; Pennisetum ‘Purple Majesty’; Pennisetum villosum; Stipa tenuissima.

 

Screening

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’; Miscanthus sinensis.

 

Shady or woodland sites

Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’; Luzula nivea; Luzula sylvatica ‘Aurea’; Melica iniflora; Milium effusum ‘Aureum’.

 

Subtropical effect

Arundo donax; Miscanthus x condensatus ‘Cosmopolitan’.

 

Winter gardens

Deschampsia; Miscanthus