Grasses



RtoL: Panicum 'Shenandoah', Miscanthus 'Malepartus', Calamagrostis 'Brachytricha' and Calamagrostis 'Avalanche'



The incredible rise in popularity of ornamental grasses has been no surprise.  They offer forms and textures that are hard to accomplish when just using other herbaceous or woody plants.  Grasses provide interest during the fall and winter season as the rest of the garden is winding down. 

Most of the grasses we grow in our gardens are warm-season grasses.  They prefer warm temperatures, and often come up fairly late.  I've found the best time to plant them is early June.  Planting earlier is ok, but there isn't much advantage since they don't grow much when the temps are cooler.  Planting late in the fall can be even more problematic, the cooler temperatures in fall slows the grasses down and signals dormancy.  They don't have enough time to establish a root system before winter, and often frost-heave out of the ground or die altogether.  This is especially true for grasses such as Miscanthus sinensis, which often times when planted too late in the season can be pulled out with no effort in the spring after they've died. 

Some grasses are cool-season grasses and can be planted in early spring or fall.  The various Calamagrostis varieties fall under this group, and represent the most popular of the cool-season grasses.  Festuca, Chasmanthium, Koelaria, Molina, and some Carex (I know, they're sedges not grasses) species also fall under this group.

I don't have a favorite, but I do like some better than others.  Calamagrostis 'Brachytricha', Panicum 'Northwind', Chasmanthium latifolium, Hakonechloa macra (all varieties), Sporobolus heterolepis, Schizachyrium scoparium,  Koeleria glauca 'Blue Sprite', Miscanthus sinensis, and Andropogon gerardii.







Calamagrostis 'Brachytricha'

 






Panicum 'Northwind'

 


Miscanthus 'Silberfeder'

 



Chasmanthium 'River Mist'

Whatzat?

Here's this month's mystery plant.  Any guesses?

Who am I?

What a beauty!(berry)

Beautyberry is an often overlooked plant at the garden center all season.  It's just a green bush most of the season.  You might notice some minuscule pink flowers in late July to August if you pay attention when you're standing or working next to it, but they certainly don't stand out.  As soon as mid-September hits, those flowers have turned to berries that quickly mature to a beautiful amethyst color.  There's nothing quite like it for fall fruit effect. 

There are a number of Callicarpa species (over 40) but only 4 are readily available.  The best species for us in the north is C. dichotoma, which is also becoming the most readily available.  The cultivars 'Issai' and 'Early Amethyst' are readily available to gardeners and have both performed well in zone 5.  In my gardens they reach 4' or less with a nice arching habit, and die back to the ground each winter.  There is also a white-fruiting form, 'Albofructa', and a selection which leafs out gold and changes green with the obvious name 'Spring Gold'; neither of which I have seen. 

C. japonica will also possibly grow in the north similarly to C. dichotoma.  There is a fantastic variegated selection that I will growing next season.  Similar size, habit, and hardiness to C. dichotoma.  C. japonica also dies back to the ground.

C. americana is the only US species I can find information on.  This one is less hardy, to zone 6, and I have not tried it.  I'm all for native plants though, and will give it a try some day.

C. bodnieri is represented in the trade by the variety 'Profusion'.  Though some attribute this variety to C. giraldii.  Either way it is also listed as zone 6 and I would like to give it a try some time.  This variety has larger leaves than the others, and great fruit set.  (another obvious name)

Give a beautyberry a spot in your garden, it's a great choice if you want to move beyone viburnums and crabapples for fall fruit effect.

C. dichotoma 'Issai' with Penstemon 'Dark Towers'

Run for your lives!!! It's... a MINT!

Mints have a reputation for being weedy thugs that don't belong in any garden.  While I'll agree that many species of mint are horribly invasive, there are a number of them that are great garden plants.  However it's nearly impossible to convince many gardeners of this fact.  One of the best mints for the garden is Calamintha nepeta.  We've grown this plant in our display garden at the garden center for 10 years now, and it doesn't run and we haven't seen any stray seedlings from it.  It isn't a huge plant, growing about 15" tall and 24" wide in full sun.  It's a great butterfly and bee plant, and blooms non-stop June until frost.  It isn't horribly picky about soil as long as it isn't too wet and is hardy to zone 4.  The fragrant foliage is glossy and isn't susceptible to many pests or diseases.  I don't know what isn't to love about this plant, but the average person runs when they hear "Calamint".  I propose a name change to something more appropriate that can't be confused with mint.  Like Superawesomefreakishlylongbloomingcoolplant.



Calamintha nepeta 9-26-10



Has it really been almost a month?

I'm afraid it HAS been nearly a month since I've posted anything and summer is now 2 days away from being officially over.  It's been a busy month full of projects both personal and professional, with little time for taking pictures or even having a good idea of what to write about!

For customers of the Flower Source, a couple of quick news items.  Nearly all plants are marked down at least 50%, some as far as 80%.  Mums, Asters, and Pansies are ready and finally showing color.  Corn stalks, gourds, and firewood are in.  Pumpkins should be in by the end of the week.  We've been working on giving the place a facelift, with new paint all over.  We're not quite done yet, but our garage is now Geranium Red and is AWESOME looking!!!  Also lots of new bright colors in the garden center.  In somewhat sad news, my trusty sidekick Jess is leaving us this week to start as a horticulturist for Milwaukee County.

I've been working on a number of other projects outside of work.  The main one of interest here is that my wife and I are starting our own small mail-order nursery.  we'll be concentrating on plants for shaded and partially shaded gardens, and we should be ready for business Feb. 1st.  We've been busy clearing an area for a 13'x80' hoop house, which I should be putting up tomorrow if the weather cooperates.  It will be an adventure balancing 2 jobs in retail horticulture!

Enough late-night non-plant babble.  Regular plant posts will resume tomorrow!

Name That Plant

Any guesses?

New Aquisitions

Salvia Fuji Snow

Every year, I aquire a number of new and unusual plants that we don't carry at the garden center to try out in the gardens. It's what makes gardening fun. This year for a number of reasons (such as starting a small mail-order nursery, and the closure of 2 great nurseries: Asiatica and Seneca Hill) I've managed to get quite a few more than normal. I won't go into detail with this post, as I'm sure I'll write about a number of them at some point next year.

Amorphophallus atroviridis
Amsonia elliptica (both white and blue flowered forms)
Arum italicum Chameleon
Arum italicum Gold Rush
Arum italicum Ghost
Atractylodes japonica
Atractylodes ovata
Buxus koreana Sunburst
Chelonopsis yagiharana
Croton alabamensis
Deinanthe bifida
Deutzia Nikko Dawn
Disanthus cercidifolius Ena Nishiki
Eupatorium fortunei Pink Elegance
Eupatorium fortunei yellow margin
Hosta Appetizer
Hosta Dixie Cups
Kirengeshoma palmata Magic Touch
Leucosceptrum japonicum Gold Angel
Leucosceptrum japonicum Mountain Madness
Leucosceptrum japonicum Silver Angel
Leucosceptrum stellipilum October moon
Lycoris sanguinea
Mukdenia rossii Starstream
Orixa japonica Summer Sunshine
Rabdosia trichocarpa
Salvia glabrescens Momobana
Salvia glabrescens Shi Ho
Salvia nipponica Fuji Snow
Smilacina stellata Blue Dune
Solidago virga-aurea var. lelocarpa
Taxus baccata Amersfoort
Tofieldia nuda var. furusei
Tricyrtis hirta Golden Gleam

Uvularia sessilifolia Cobblewood gold

Taxus Amersfoort

Atractylodes japonica

Leucosceptrum Silver Angel

Leucosceptrum Gold Angel