Re: Lawns
Aren't the big grasses wonderful? i suggest any miscanthus- rubra is super
backlit, calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster", which blooms in June in the Pacific area,
molinias galore- Skyracer, Moorehexe and Stralanquelle in particular, also Heavy
Metal. have a marvellous seed-grown Ampelodesmos mauretanica, perfectly hardy on
Vancouver Island. Evergreen, blooms early. very graceful- should be in a lot more
gardens than it is. Seed from Chilterns.
Darrell & Evonne Benedict wrote:
> A couple of years ago we had our entire front lawn taken out. I was
> so tired to battling the weeds by hand (We don't do sprays here). We spent
> a couple hundred dollars for a professional design, and this year we
> finally planted it. The lawn (if you can call it that) we have now is
> about the size of a large bathroom. My husband can mow the entire thing
> with a push mower in five minutes. And its just enough green to set off
> the wonderful plantings the designer choose for us (which we just planted).
>
> The really good thing is -- we will never have to water it, because
> even if it goes dormant in the summer who cares if we have one tiny patch
> of brown, it will just go well with all our grasses. And if it gets too
> weedy we will just dig it up and start over (it grew very fast from seed)
>
> Heres a question though -- has anyone used that corn based weed
> killer/fertilizer? We are tempted to get some through Gardens Alive.. but
> of course even the smallest package will likely last us the rest of our lives!
>
> And one other thing: I love these grasses in our design so much I'm
> tempted to plant more in the backyard. I would love to hear what
> everyone's favorite ornamental grasses are, and what the culture is. Right
> now we have Miscanthus Sinesis Gracillimus, helictorichon sempervivens, and
> phormium tenax bronze (I know this is actually a flax, but is that
> considered a grass too? What a fantastic plant!)
>
> Thanks,
>
> Evonne
>
> (zone 8/ rainsville Pacific Northwest -- I know it rains all the time, but
> I still want a drought resistant garden!!)
