Plant ideas (again)

Hi,

Once again I am making a change to the garden instead of focusing on keeping it tidy and pristine. It's just not as interesting, is it?

I am conscious that I have asked for plant suggestions a few times already in this helpful forum - please let me know if it's getting a bit tedious.

I thought I had decided to plant a "Tiny Pampa" in the area shown below, but I realised that even with the plumes it only gets to 60 cm tall, which I think is a little too short.





Prior to that, I was actually thinking a calamagrostis Karl Foerster - I love them, but I already have 2 and I am not sure the three of them would work together.





One easy option would be to move this berberis that I have in the front garden, but I think it might make the border too yellow & I don't think it excites me.



I have been looking at grasses with aren't Calamagrostis. I did like Stipa Ichu for instance, based on photos online:



Then another idea is to plant a small upright rose, as there is already a rose on either side of that area. I think that to break it up a bit though, I would go for a pink one. These days I am more enamoured with grasses than roses, but if a small rose would be the best option overall, I would still go for it.

Finally, I did consider that a statue could work instead of a plant, but the very few that I don't mind tend to be quite expensive...

What do you think?

Thank you.

 

If you want to go down the grasses route (and I must admit I do love them at this time of year), have you considered Miscanthus ?

Miscanthus – Knoll Gardens – Ornamental Grasses and Flowering Perennials

There are so many other varieties of grass on this website, but I'm going on personal experience .

 

Thanks @AnniD!

I had saved a miscanthus in my bookmarks to consider (Miscanthus Sinensis Kleine Silberspinne) but I will have a good look at your link after work

 

A grass that always catches my eye is stipa gigantea. The are more open/loose than miscanthus, so you can see through to the jasmine.

 

Thank you @Thevictorian

If only I had the space for it. If I was starting a new garden now, I would make sure there is more room for grasses.

 

Have a look at Calamagrostis brachytricha @CostasK. Nice tall flowers, not too wide at the base. I need to move mine so that I can see it better .

 

Thank you @Plantminded Looks like a great suggestion, just had a quick look (slow work day).

 

Your garden is maturing very nicely @CostasK . A good combination of sizes, shapes and colours .

 

Thank you very much @Plantminded It's not a patch on yours, which is seriously impressive, but I do find it more interesting compared to a year ago I definitely don't regret removing half the lawn and replacing with slate chippings and plants. I am looking forward to the trees at the back of the garden growing and providing more screening, but that requires patience.

 

I've a grass planted this year and it's very striking. Dwarf variegated Arundo donax.

 

Thank you @kindredspirit, I'll look it up

 

Sorry, it's hard to judge the space. It looked quite big and the ones locally don't seem to take up much room but they might be young.

 

It's difficult to tell from a photo @Thevictorian and it is a lovely suggestion nevertheless. Possibly one to take forward to my next garden rather than this one. Unless I "accidentally" kill another sizeable plant and replace it

 

Thanks for your suggestions again.

@kindredspirit , the variegated Arundo Donax is indeed quite striking. It is borderline hardy in my area though and also prefers a sheltered position, whereas the spot I have isn't so sheltered.

@AnniD I loved the Miscanthus grasses, especially Adagio. It came close.

But in the end, the winner for me was ....(drum roll )... Calamagrostis Brachytricha, that @Plantminded suggested What won it over the Miscanthus Adagio for me is the fact that the flower spikes will have more contrast with the Karl Foerster ones, that I already have in the garden.

I ordered one a few mins ago.

 

I don't grow large grasses now as they get trashed too easily, but the one I have which is very reliable is Spartina. It can spread to being a pretty large plant, but I keep it in a bottomless pot, which prevents too much sideways growth.
It's a coastal grass, and therefore copes with all sorts of weather, and can withstand drought and salt spray. It also manages very wet conditions, and heavy soil, so it's suitable for almost any location, and is very reliable for me due to that versatility.
The foliage is green with a fine yellow margin. The overall height of the main plant is around a metre or so, and the seed heads/stems are tall - quite similar to many Miscanthus.