Re: Lawns and grasses
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).
Evonne, I did the same thing about 3 years ago in my postage stamp size front
garden. I planted lavender, cistus, arbutus unedo and grasses. Up in the center I
planted a thyme lawn. Even though the archetecture committee had approved my
plans, after the garden was in, I received several Community Association letters,
citing violations, demanding changes, removals. I persevered, answering each
demand, citing Association rules ( which said nothing about plant choices) I keep
all neat and mulched. One day a woman board member approached me while I was
working out there. She said, "the board does not like your Yard! We WANT GRASS!
And we have the power to make you RIP ALL THIS OUT! I am not an assertive person,
so tried to placate her. Then wrote another of my numerous letters answering all
charges. So it has gone, off and on for all this time. My garden has matured and
now people stop to say how they like it; but not everyone!
I tell you all this to demonstrate how many people are threatened and unhappy
when they see something different, how emotionally attached people are to grass
lawns.
> 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!)
I grow Helictotrichon sempervirens too. I like the more common Pennisetum
setaceum 'Rubrum' for the way it waves in the breeze, Stipa tenuissima for its
silvery shine between other plants in the garden, and Muhlenbergia capilaris most
of all, for its fall bloom which looks like a great poof of rusty smoke above the
plant.
The Pennisetum and Muhlenbergia do not seem to re-seed here in dry Southern
California, but look out for the Stipa! I must pull out the volunteers as they
appear where not welcome.
> (zone 8/ rainsville Pacific Northwest -- I know it rains all the time, but
> I still want a drought resistant garden!!)
These dry garden grasses will probably be in "hog-heaven" in the Pacific
Northwest. My guess is they will get very large (wide) very fast. Or else they
will die in continually moist soil! You should watch. If getting wide, they
require frequent division in order to look their best. Think about it every other
year. Your Phormium too!
Good luck to you with all this. How I wish I could grow the lovely things from
your climate.
Isn't this the way? All gardeners wish to grow what they can't , and shouldn't?
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Jan Smithen, gardening teacher
California Arboretum Foundation
jansmithen@earthlink.net
Sunset zone : 19
USDA zone : 10
Visit the California Arboretum homepage at :
http://www.arboretum.org/
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