Their culture and Uses

By Barry Fugatt

Ornamental grasses began their meteoric rise in popularity in the 1980's when Wolfgang Oehme, a German born landscape architect began to showcase their many garden attributes in public gardens in and around Washington, D.C.

Today, ornamental grasses have become a staple in well-designed gardens. Home gardeners and professional designers love the soft natural look and the trouble-free nature of this large, versatile group of plants.

Grasses seem to magically lend a natural, relaxed feel to gardens. This occurs partly because of their graceful and fine-textured forms. Their appeal is further  heightened by the unique manner in which their fine textured foliage seems to

catch light and breezes, providing interesting color and

        Grasses soften look of a garden         movement to the garden. It's a wonderful treat to view sunlight streaming through the soft, fluffy plumes of Maiden Grass in the early morning or late afternoon. Likewise, it's a lovely experience to witness the gentle swaying of super soft Mexican Feather Grass foliage being swayed by the slightest breeze.

Add to this their freedom from insects and diseases, plus their ease of culture and it's easy to understand the growing appeal of ornamental grasses.

Ornamental grasses fit into the herbaceous (non-woody) category of earth's vegetation and they are divided into two categories: cool-season and warm season. As the name suggests, cool season grasses make their best growth during the spring and fall and usually become dormant or semi-dormant during the heat of summer. Feather Reed Grass and Blue Fescue are prime examples.

Warm season grasses make their best growth during long summer days and go dormant during the winter. The popular Maiden Grasses are examples of warm season grasses.

Perhaps no group of plants is more adaptable and less fussy in Oklahoma gardens than ornamental grasses. With few exceptions, they thrive in virtually any moderately well-drained and slightly acidic soil. They tend to be highly drought tolerant, requiring only a weekly watering to survive the hottest summers.

Most, but not all, grasses prefer full-sun in order to produce lots of plumes (flowers) and beautiful foliage. (See list for sun and shade tolerant grasses at end of article.)

Spring through early summer is the ideal time to plant container grown grasses. It's also the best time to dig and transplant grasses in your garden. However, healthy container grown grasses usually can be successfully planted into early fall.

Ornamental grasses generally benefit from periodic division. There are exceptions, however such as Hakone Grass. Dig and divide grasses every three to five years. Division is a great way to get new plants to share with friends or to replant in your garden. March through early May is the prime time to dig and divide grasses.

Dividing grasses is simple. After digging up old plants, divide the clumps into four or more divisions. A sharp axe, machete or shovel works well for chopping through tough, fibrous grass clumps.

Refresh the soil before replanting. Work generous amounts of compost, peat or a commercially packaged steer manure into the planting site. After planting use several inches of organic mulch to hold down weeds and conserve moisture.

Grasses benefit from a yearly fertilizer application. Use a slow release product such as Osmocote in April or May. Organic fertilizers such as finished compost or animal waste also work. If a granular fertilizer is used, scatter about one cup of material in a six inch band around the base of plants. Grasses should be pruned back to or near the ground each spring. It's best to cut them back in March or April before new growth begins. It's a tedious process, but removing old spent foliage allows a plant to more quickly grow healthy new foliage and flowers.