Controlling the spread (width) of grasses

Hi,

I have cleared an area of around 1m in the main border at the front of my house and I am looking to add a tall grass, as the border needs a bit of height for contrast (the border mainly has roses and lavenders).

Most of the options I am considering can grow slightly wider than 1m but I am assuming that since clump-forming grasses can be divided, it should also be possible to restrict their width with a similar technique (i.e. removing part of the rootball). Unless there are issues with this idea that I haven't thought of - what do you think?

I keep changing my mind on what grass to go for, right now it's between Stipa Gigantea and a Miscanthus (probably "Memory"). I also found
Cortaderia Richardii interesting, but that one definitely grows too big and trying to tackle the rootball of a pampas grass does not sound very appealing...

Thank you.

 

I think I mentioned that I have Spartina @CostasK , and it can get quite 'keen' so I have it in a bottomless pot in this garden. It works very well like that, but I don't know if it would be the same for other large grasses.
I'd avoid any pampas grass like the plague. As bad - or maybe worse, than bamboo IMO! There's a bog standard one in the pavement near me - a little area that's possibly had a tree at some point as this was all woodland at one time, and the ground has just been left as ground rather than being tarmacced over. There are other things in it, but the grass is huge and in summer it droops over the road, which isn't very wide anyway, and isn't helped already by the ars*hole, sorry - resident, whose house it's outside of, with his various large, parked vehicles which already cause a visibility problem.

 

Yes, @CostasK, most grasses can be divided easily to keep them a suitable size, just like perennials. The centre can die out over time so lifting them up to divide them and remove the centre maintains their vigour. I divide my Calamagrostis Karl Foerster about every three years. Stipa gigantea is lovely but the base foliage can get quite wide and messy, but it’s fine if you have space. That pampas grass you mentioned is the best variety if you have room for it as it gets enormous but they are difficult to contain and divide. Miscanthus malepartus is an old variety which has the best coloured flowers in my opinion, burgundy red to begin, fading to light shades of beige.

 

Thank you @fairygirl Oh yes, I remember the Spartina now that you mention it. I believe it likes quite a bit of moisture. Regarding that pampas grass, I did like the look of it (plus my partner is called Richard) but I did remember that pampas grass is thuggish and also it can grow really big. I don't mind managing the size of a grass a bit, but I don't want to be completely working against its nature.

Thanks for the information @Plantminded Hmm.. Prior to your comment I had pretty much decided on the Stipa Gigantea but now I will step back and re-assess. My first option regarding Miscanthus was indeed Malepartus but then I saw some videos praising Memory and loved it. With Stipa Gigantea, I wasn't sure about the relaxed airy feel - normally I am more drawn to denser more sculptural ones, like the Miscanthus. It might still work though, considering there will be plants like roses in front of it and it does have some further advantages:

• Its dimensions match the space I have available the most.
• It's evergreen - not a key consideration but it should mean there's more to look at in Spring.
• It starts flowering earlier than the Miscanthus.
• It's considered even more wind tolerant than the Miscanthus.
• The airy / less dense growing habit may be beneficial in relation to not blocking as much light at specific times of the day.

EDIT: I have just taken a couple of photos of the border (which needs a bit of love). I plan to also take out the lavender on the right side (in the second photo).

 

The Stipa should be fine there @CostasK. There's no doubt that it has the most impressive flowers of all the grasses I have grown. They do take a while to establish and flower well, so try to get a largish plant if budget allows. I've just looked up Miscanthus Memory and like it a lot! I think it would be more contained in that space. Although Stipa gigantea is evergreen, the foliage is unimpressive. I was always tempted to prune it and it looked unnatural, so out it came . I think that @LunarSea and @lizzie27 grow it and have nice plants though.

 

Thank you very much @Plantminded As I haven't seen the plants in real life, I hadn't considered that.

Regarding Miscanthus, I remembered you praising Malepartus. I nearly ordered one, then ran into the videos on YouTube of "Up At Grassy Bottom", such as this one: and loved Memory (mind you, it looks pretty big there). I believe that the guy in the videos said that he has around 20 Miscanthus varieties and in another video called out Memory as his favourite, with Malepartus a safe second. He also called out a variety which is extremely difficult to find (Chejuensis, if I have spelled it correctly). That one is particularly dense.

 

I think you'd love either of those grasses @CostasK but of course they peak at totally different times of the year. Either one I fear might block your view of that rose but hey it's all an experiment isn't it and moving stuff around is half the fun. Stipa gigantea though really demands a pride-of-place location. As @Plantminded says they take a while to reach maturity (I grew mine from seed!) but they're well worth the wait.

This is Stipa gigantea in early June with its flowers just emerging




And here a month later in early morning light




And it has yellow flowers that you can actually appreciate





I really like that Miscanthus 'Memory' variety you've found. But if you've not already done so check out Knoll Gardens. They have the best selection IMO, including some of their own creations. I wanted a particularly short one for a new bed I'd created so I bought their 'Starlight' variety. This is it back-lit.





The other two Miscanthus varieties I have (Morning Light & Purple Fall) are in pots. That's an option for a couple of seasons whilst you get to know them.








And @Plantminded you're a very naughty boy. Fancy digging out Stipa gigantea

 

Thank you very much @LunarSea!

My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw the photos, especially the second one of the Stipa Gigantea. Gorgeous

Regarding obstructing the view of the rose, presumably you mean the orange one (Lady of Shalott), which would be next to the grass, not Penelope Lively (the pink one) which would be in front of it. Knowing how I use the front garden, and the fact that there is a window behind Lady of Shalott with a good view of it, I am OK with that

I have looked at Knoll Gardens indeed - as a matter of fact, it's the only place I could find that sells Miscanthus Sinensis Memory. They do have a wonderful collection. I actually have an order coming from them (2 erigeron) this week. When I placed that order, I hadn't come up with the idea of the grass.

Before I arrive at a decision that I am completely confident in, I tend to change my opinion around 50 times That's my normal process. So, I don't commit to it definitely being my final decision, but right now I am back in the Stipa Gigantea camp.

 

Shock, horror @LunarSea, I’ve actually dug up two of them . I really don’t have the space here for them, but I wish I did. Yours looks fantastic! I had a memory flash earlier that Stipa Gigantea doesn’t like being divided, is that true? If so, it’s going to be difficult to control in that space @CostasK. I like the look of Miscanthus Memory but at 6 to 7 foot it would be trashed here in the winter wind and wet. I recently removed a Miscanthus Zebrinus for that reason.

I also have a M. Morning Light in a pot @LunarSea, in fact two pots of them to replace my caterpillar ridden box. They certainly catch the morning light.

Seeing the grasses in reality helps @CostasK. I have a Botanic garden nearby that grows lots of grasses which helps, plus a few local garden centres stock them. If you are becoming a grass enthusiast, I recommend that you get a copy of Neil Lucas’s new book, “Designing with Grasses”, it will tell you all you need to know! He owns Knoll Gardens. The Gallery photos on the Knoll Gardens website have also helped me when choosing grasses. I’d think about the potential size of the grass to appreciate its full splendour rather than pruning it to fit a less than ideal space. Hope that helps .

 

Thanks again @Plantminded

I have just looked it up and Stipa Gigantea can be divided. I agree, I don't want to make the grass look unnatural. It doesn't seem that Stipa Gigantea is that far off from the space I have available and if it begins to outgrow the space significantly, another option is to tweak the arrangement in the border to give it more space.

You know what, I am actually tired of my own indecisiveness I will order the Stipa. Probably a 3L one - couldn't see bigger ones with immediate delivery instead of pickup.

Visiting a botanical garden would be a lovely day out. I have seen other Stipas and Miscanthus in garden centres - I like Stipa Tenuissima and there was a Miscanthus Lady In Red that I was enticed by (it was a particularly good specimen), but I think there are quite a few differences between the variants. That book sounds lovely.

 

Go for it @CostasK, you can make space for a plant that you love! I had a fantastic S. Gigantea in my previous garden.

 

I've never divided Stipa gigantea @Plantminded but I dug it up and moved it 2-3 feet into it's current prominent position and it's fared well ever since. I'm perfectly resigned now though to giving it pride of place and moving other things from around it. But maybe I'll be forced to divide it one day when it fails to perform. Each year I rejoice at the sight of all those stiff flowering stems emerging in May. I couldn't be without it!

But talking of digging grasses out, I'm just as guilty as you. I did that with one of my Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster'. I couldn't bear to throw it away though - it's still in several big tubs at the side of the house but at the moment I've got nowhere to put it.

Has your Morning Light ever flowered? I've raised mine from a baby plant but over the 4+ years it's never flowered, even when it was in the ground for one year.

 

I only got my M. Morning Light a couple of months ago @LunarSea, inspired by a photo in Neil Lucas’s book. I read that they don’t flower often, but I like the look of them with the variegation and upright habit.

My garden is a danger zone for plants, if one fails to deliver or gets out of hand, it goes . This policy seems to help new recruits prosper .

 

May I just add my penny's worth in? As @Plantminded says, I have a Stipa Gigantica and now approx ten years later (may be more) it is truly gigantic, easily exceeding 1 m in width and probably 1 m high without the flowering canes which are easily 1.5m high in full spout.

The only maintenance is yearly in early spring as soon as new canes start sprouting, when the old canes need cutting out (they can be sharp so I always wear gloves). Now it's old, the overhang makes a perfect, very dry hiding space for the local cats who snooze in there for hours but also lay in wait for the nearby small birds.

I only ever once managed to hack out a chunk of the rootball when it was younger, now it's so dense you'd need a digger!

I absolutely love it, we get the evening sunlight on it, it's just magical.

I liked Knoll Gardens very much and found it very useful to see all the grasses in various locations and habitats. I've also got the book although I found it more of a dictionary type and I didn't feel it gave enough planting and maintenance guidance.

Hope you enjoy yours @CostasK.

Sorry, forgot to say love your garden @LunarSea and your Stipa pics.

 

I remember seeing a photo of yours @lizzie27, it is truly spectacular