Designing With Ornamental Grasses

Molinia c. ‘Skyracer’ ( Tall purple moor grass) is a grass I highly recommend for your landscape.  The mounded green, basal foliage grows only about 2′ tall, allowing it to be placed almost anywhere within your beds.  The show begins in summer, when the 7-8′ tall seedheads appear.  Although they are commanding in height, the stems are not dense, offering a see-through quality.  Their stately upright form waves in the slightest summer breeze,  adding graceful movement to your garden.  Skyracer is especially dazzling when it is planted in front of a solid background, or backlit by the sun.

At the Oregon Garden in Silverton, Skyracer is utilized as a drift on a hillside along the path, drawing your eye to the golden seedheads with a clear blue sky background.  (Unless it’s raining, of course)  In a stiff breeze, the seedheads dart in unison like a flock of sand birds.

Skyracer grows well in  containers, and can be moved around the garden to fill in gaps as the season wears on.  The foliage turns a lovely, rich golden color in the fall.

Tall purple moor grasses are native to moist, sunny, open habitats in Eurasia and are hardy to Zone 4.  Although they prefer regular water,  they are quite drought tolerant once established.

Skyracer is a grass that is not only spectacular but durable as well,  gracing your yard for many years.  And,      since it is a relatively slow grower, you won’t need to divide it for several years. The only yearly maintenance is shearing it about 3″ above the ground in early spring, when the new green growth emerges.

So much pleasure, so little work!

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Ornamental grasses compliment perennials in magical ways.  In designing gardens, its wise to choose grasses and perennials that bloom at the same time for maximum impact. Here we have a Pennisetum (Fountain Grass) ‘Red Bunny Tails’ which blooms from late May through the summer.  As the inflorescences emerge, they are distinctively burgundy,  gradually changing to a tan color.  They will remain upright most of the winter, depending on your climate.  Even the slightest breeze sets them dancing and adding movement to the garden.  By contrast, the Echinacea is stationary and acts as the grounding element.  For this particular combo, the grass reaches 3′ high in bloom, while the coneflower is slightly taller, giving the grass a ‘filler effect’ like baby’s breath in a bouquet.

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