Sunday, September 09, 2007

celebrating grasses

I'm joining a number of fellow bloggers in the celebration of ornamental grasses. When Shirl started this topic, my initial feeling was that I just don't have enough of them. I love grasses-- the way they catch the light and move in the breeze-- but I tend to feel that they look best in big, natural looking drifts, and I just don't have that much room. I do however have this:
which I've only known as Mexican Feather Grass, and a google search shows to be 'stipa tenuissima'. An enthusiastic re-seeder, its offspring have been escorted to various bare spots around the yard, from which it may be removed when something else comes along.
Growing on the deck, in two big beautiful blue pots given to me by Tony's mom, Alice, is this: possibly Stipa arundinacea?


And below, catching some late afternoon rays. (with 'creeping jenny' & a bacopa).

... it turns a beautiful orange in the winter, but it hasn't been as vigorous this year as last..



Next, I believe is an orange sedge, or carex testacea; and below that, it appears with a bluish grass clump to the left of it (a fescue?)





But wait-- isn't bamboo a grass?
We have a few clumps of this-- growing in big half wine-barrels (so it doesn't take over the yard & cause trouble with the neighbors).
That wraps up my round-up of grasses.
I'm starting to suspect I may be able to find room for a few more...

Be sure to visit Shirl's Scotland garden blog, and other celebrations of grasses on other blogs, through her comment section.

6 Comments:

At 12:27 PM, Blogger Shirley said...

Hi there, Lisa

Great post on the grasses showing how well they look in pots too – thanks for joining in :-)

We have quite a few grasses in common including stipa tenuissima – it does look give a soft dusky feel to any area doesn’t it? The bonus is that when it gets too big or messy there are always others to take its place :-)

 
At 4:46 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Lisa - Thanks for visiting Blithewold! Contained bamboo is an excellent idea - especially if you like your neighbors! And we grow Stipa too (my pictures of it weren't very good so I didn't include it...) I think it looks like electrified hair (and I love it for that!)

 
At 5:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lisa: Good idea with the bamboo inclusion! Love your blue container and the stipa is so pretty! Stop by and visit my grasses if you have a chance! Thanks!

 
At 7:38 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

How lovely... and I can't believe I forgot my bamboo. Thanks for reminding me.

I am having Mexican Feather Grass envy after seeing your pictures! I have grown it from seed each of the last two years and can't get it to grow more than 4 inches. I don't believe that it's hardy here, so maybe I need to suck it up and buy established plants to get the height I want in just one year. *sigh*

 
At 7:46 PM, Blogger Connie said...

Thanks for the interesting post on grasses. I like the looks of the one in the blue pot.

 
At 10:57 PM, Blogger LisaBee said...

Thanks all-- it's sort of fun to have an 'assignment', isn't it, to focus our thinking on a topic.

Blackswamp Girl-- wish I could dig up some of that grass to give to you-- I always have some new clumps coming along that need moving. And the sun coming through it is definitely the key to its beauty.

 

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