GRASSES PROVIDE WINTER INTEREST

FOUNTAIN GRASS, VERY EFFECTIVE FOR WINTER INTEREST

PAMPAS GRASS JUST NORTH OF WASHBURN ON HWY 13

Tuesday, 9:00 AM.  33 degrees F at the ferry dock, 32 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm, the sky overcast and it is snowing and sleeting, the humidity 94%.  The barometer is steady at 29.87". The ten day forecast calls for more of the same with a few sunny interludes, the temperatures in the twenties and low thirties.  The roads are slick and won't improve very fast.  I put on my Yak Traks this morning so I could stay upright.

   Tall grasses, such as the ornamental grasses above, are very effective in the winter landscape if they reach above the snow.  They can be very architectural, and often retain their flower heads as well for winter interest.  I am a little rusty on their names but there are a number of them that are readily available.  They often provide good fall color of dark browns, tans, even purples and reds.  

   Native prairie grasses can also be used to good effect in the garden as they are clump forming and usually don't escape and become aggressive, as some ornamental grasses do. 

Native grasses are usually better used in restoration work and larger landscapes, although tall grasses such as big bluestem and Indian grass can make a statement individually in the garden.

   Pampas grass can be very invasive and should be used with caution, as it can spread by seed and compete with native vegetation.  I remember driving along California's coastal Route 1 and seeing pampas grass taking over large areas of  the California coastline.