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EDDIE SEAGLE: A different choice for landscaping

“Kind hearts are the gardens; kind thoughts are the roots; kind words are the flowers; kind deeds are the fruits.”

#— English Proverb

#Ornamental grasses offer an alternative to traditional landscaping choices and bring forward a new approach in landscape ideology. These grasses add value to the curb appeal of the site through their color and form which can’t be attained from traditional flowers and shrubs. Ornamental grasses are a different kind of choice in the landscape and provide a variety of seasonal exhibitions throughout the year. From their vivid vegetative qualities and resulting seedhead exhibition during the growing season to their attractive dormant stage in the winter months, they offer unique characteristics and value.

#Native ornamental grasses include:

#Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is an awesome, tough prairie native which exhibits gray-green leaf blades that turn strong shades of purple, red, and orange in the fall season. Reaching upwards to three feet tall, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is the beautiful blue color in summer and its effective fall coloration.

#Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a favorite grass to many horticulturalists with its airy plumes in the late summer and fall, its blue-gray foliage during the season, and its brilliant shades of gold or red in the fall. Reaching upwards to a height of five feet, it prefers full sun or part shade and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its beautiful fall color, shade tolerance, and wildlife goodness. Dallas Blues is an excellent cultivar.

#Fiber Opticgrass (Isolepis cernua) is an unusual tender perennial which is often grown as an annual in colder climates. It brings a fine texture and a low, mounding habit on target for container gardens to our landscapes. Reaching a height of 6-inches, it prefers full sun or part shade and moist soils. The value of this grass is its unusual appearance and small space friendliness.

#Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) is a fast-growing species with interesting seedheads that hang from the stems like wind chimes. Reaching a height of three feet, it prefers full sun or part shade and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its speed of growth (plant with care) and attractive fall seedheads.

#Those ornamental grasses that are introduced and not native but offer sustainability characteristics include:

#Feather Reedgrass (Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’) is a very popular ornamental grass offering a distinct upright growth habit which maintains its aesthetics throughout the winter season. Reaching a height of six feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its toughness and architectural shape.

#Fountaingrass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) is an attractive, mounding plant which exhibits beautiful shape and soft, feathery plumes that dance in the wind. Reaching a height of five feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is in its graceful, arching shape and attractive plumes

#Blue Oatgrass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) is a low maintenance grass with steel-blue color and an amazing mounded habit of growth. Reaching a height of four feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its attractive silvery-blue color.

#Purple Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is an extremely tough annual grass with amazing burgundy foliage and rich purple seedheads that look like fluffy cattails. These grasses are very beautiful and attract birds. Reaching a height of five feet, it prefers full sun or part shade and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its burgundy foliage and rich purple seedheads.

#Japanese Forestgrass (Hakonechloa macra) is a favorite low-growing species offering an excellent mounding growth habit. ‘Aureola’ and ‘All Gold’ are variegated selections exhibiting brightly colored foliage that work well in shady areas. Reaching a height of one foot, it prefers part shade and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is in its color attributes to brighten up shade gardens.

#Maidengrass (Miscanthus sinensis) is a very common ornamental grass which is very easy to grow. Its characteristics include narrow, arching foliage (many variegated selections are available) which add color to landscapes and silvery plumes that offer captivating appearances. Reaching upward to 8-feet tall, it prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soils. The value of this grass is in its attractive plumes and elegant arching habit of growth.

#Ravennagrass (Saccharum ravennae) is a gigantic, fast-growing perennial which produces tall silvery plumes making an effective impression in the fall landscape. Reaching heights of 12 feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is in its height and attractive plumes.

#Purple Fountaingrass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Purpureum’) is a gardening favorite exhibiting burgundy-red foliage throughout the season. It is a tender perennial and is frequently used in container gardens. Reaching a height of three feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is in its rich, deep purple color.

#Zebragrass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’) offers a bold color with each leaf blade featuring a series of bright yellow bands. Zebragrass offers strong focalization in the landscape with its color and upright growth habit that does well in a perennial border. Reaching a height of five feet, it prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its strong colors of the foliage.

#Purple Moorgrass (Molinia caerulea) is an ornamental grass offering attractive, mounding foliage that turns brilliant gold in the fall. Reaching a height of five feet, it prefers full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soils. The value of this grass is in its bold shape, effective fall color, and shade tolerance.

#Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa) is an evergreen, ornamental grass with airy plumes in shades of golden, silver, purple, and green with an effective mounding growth habit. Reaching a height of six feet, it prefers full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its shade and moisture tolerance.

#As you continue to research plants that you like, keep such factors as seasonal color, texture, size at maturity (height and width), speed of growth, exposure to sun or shade, potential pests problems, deciduous or evergreen, cultural practices, and potential invasiveness in mind. May the results of your immediate efforts be long-lasting so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor for seasons to come. Keep your hanging baskets and potted plants refreshed with water and food. Remember to feed and water the songbirds, and give your pets the care they need (do not leave them unattended in a hot car or tied to a tree all day long). Happy Memorial Day weekend to all!

#Many thanks to all who read this column which is an effort to provide each reader with timely and useful information. It is a small contribution on my part in “paying it forward” to my readers, as a means of sharing the blessings bestowed upon me. In keeping with this thought, many of you are aware that we are planning a mission trip to the Peru this summer. We are currently raising funds to help finance this discipleship journey. If you feel led to do so and would like to donate to this cause, please make a check payable to Heritage Church and mail to Eddie Seagle, Peru Mission Team, 108 Tallokas Circle, Moultrie, GA 31788. We would appreciate your prayers for a safe journey as well, and many thanks to each of you.