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Ornamental Grasses

what grasses look good together?

16 years ago

Hi all--

I have a 20 foot privacy fence that runs parallel to our driveway. I'd like to plant some grasses in a long row in the space between the privacy fence and the driveway. Since my front garden is sort of a hodgepodge of groundcovers and low-growing perennials, I'd like to keep with that informal look and do a mix of grasses, rather than a row of a single variety. But...I don't want it to look too much "seat-of-the-pants" casual; I'd like it to have some logic behind my design.

My question for you all is: What grasses look particularly good together? OR--is this just a plain old bad idea--i.e., stick with a single variety? (I have been known to spend beaucoup $$$ on plants, only to rip them out and give them to my sister & friends, so I know I have the potential to have some stunningly bad ideas.)

I'm in Wisconsin, so I'd like to stick with plants that are in zone 4-5 range at best.

Thanks for any ideas!

philosopher

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Comments (4)

donn_
16 years ago
How deep is the space between the fence and driveway?
philosopher
Original Author
16 years ago
About two feet. Pretty narrow. Which is why I am trying to include a variety; I don't want the visual impression of "soliders standing at attention."
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It might help to approach it with a theme in mind. Cordyline is a tropical plant from Hawaii while switchgrass is a prairie plant and I can't see mixing prairie with tropical myself. Also consider your zone. Switchgrass grows native in the plains and grasslands much further north in the cooler part of the country and goes through seasonal changes which zone 9 South Texas doesn't have. If you want a grass I'd suggest a Texas native like Muhlenbergia dumosa or M. lindheimerii which will stay evergreen for you. You can grow much more exotic plants than you are suggesting. It might be a good idea to take a ride around where you live and search for plants that appeal to you and get a visual picture to work from when you find a combination you like. Consider some zone 8 or 9 plants, Mexican Red Bird of Paradise for example, would not grow further north and many of us would love to be in your zone where we could grow some of the fabulous plants from Mexico but it would grow well for you. Crepe Myrtle is a safe choice but they are over used, common work horse plants and I see them in just about every median and yard around here in Oklahoma. It definitely wouldn't be my choice if I moved to zone 9 when there are so many exotic plants to choose from. That is plenty of sun in zone 9 by the way, you can grow just about anything in an east exposure.
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donn_
16 years ago
Well, you'll be limited in your choices. Virtually any taller grass, like over 2' tall, will overhang the driveway by a good deal if it is properly stood off the fence. If you plant a grass that matures to 2' in diameter, it must be at least 1' off the fence in order to mature properly. Most ornamental grasses are wider at the top than at the bottom, and a plant with a 1' diameter crown at the base could easily be 3-4' in diameter at the top. It's the diameter at the top, in bloom, that must be accounted for in both stand-off from the fence and overhang of the driveway. Even if you don't mind the grass's foliage and plumes overhanging the driveway, the strip is so narrow you'll have trouble properly installing any large grasses.

That said, there are lots of small clumping grasses which will fit the space. Look at the smaller cultivars of Festuca, Sesleria, hardy varieties of Carex, like C. plantaginea, Koeleria varieties, Helichtotrichon sempervirens and Eragrostis spectabilis.

For more vertical interest, maybe consider additional plantings in pots, mounted to the fence above the grasses.
achnatherum
16 years ago
I love grasses planted in a row! Several of a single variety look especially good.
You might try planting groups of four or five of the same grass. Then you could change up the height as you get closer to the house. Even just three different grasses would give you a less formal look.
Donn's suggestions are all good. I'm sure you could get away with some taller grasses & I would definitely go with grasses that give you that soft flowing look ~ no stiff soldiers that way.
Grasses that I have used in a similar way.
Any of the Fountain grasses (Pennisetum spp.)
Panicums ~ I have P. virgatum 'Rehbraun' lining a narrow path and it looks great.
Chasmanthium latifolium
Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' & Calamagrostis brachytricha
You might even get away with a single Miscanthus cultivar at the top. Look for one that has a stiffer more upright form like Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus' This you might have to divide every couple of years to keep it in bounds.

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