by Audrey Smith

Created on: March 12, 2009

What perennial garden would be complete without ornamental grasses? I know that I would not want a garden without them, but I did not always feel this way. I used to think that growing grass in a flower bed seemed a little silly, especially since everyone spends so much time mowing the grass in their lawn. Once I tried one, however, I was hooked!

Liriope muscari was the first ornamental grass that I ever purchased, and it has been a mainstay in several of my perennial beds for many years since. I love the yellow and green varieties whose leaves are approximately one foot tall and inch to inch wide. They brighten up shady spots as well as liven up sunny spots that may start looking a little tired after hot summer days have taken their toll. These tough little evergreen plants never fail to give their all, and they require so little from me that I can't help but love them! I've planted them from spring through fall, and they always take off easily. They are remarkably pest-free (unless you count the furry pests that come for a little snack on them from time to time), require little watering once established, and do not require any regular or special fertilizing. They send out pretty purple flowers in summer that further add to their appeal. I leave them standing throughout winter in my zone 5 garden, and I only cut them back right before the new growth starts poking through the ground in early spring because weather here tends to turn the edges brown and makes them a little unsightly. Liriope maintains nice clean clumps (I have some that are around one foot wide at the base after 6 years). They are easily divided and transplanted throughout the growing season. I admire these plants so much that I've planted them at my parents' houses. You can't beat them!

Another reliable ornamental grass that I highly recommend is a dwarf fountain grass called pennisetum alopecuroides named Hameln". This hardy grass has narrow graceful green blades up to two feet tall that move easily with the slightest breeze. I've got a couple of four year old clumps around one foot wide in my perennial bed at the front of my house that never fails to draw the eyes of visitors. My mother likes them so much because of their size and habit that she is trying to find them at one of her local garden centers this year. These little plants are also pest-free, require little watering once established, and do not need special fertilization. In late summer and fall, buff-colored flower plumes appear.

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