The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 17 Winter 2017 Low res | Page 6
trendy grasses
Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses are becoming a must in today’s gardens. Use
them in variety of ways to add soft sweeps to informal gardens,
and to add shape and structure to contemporary ones.
These days, there are so many interesting
grasses to choose from. However, it is
a good idea to find out if the plant is
water thirsty or not, if it requires a shady
spot, the best way to use it in design and
finally, is it too invasive for your garden?
Designing with grasses
Not only are most grasses easy to
maintain, but they can also be used in
most informal and formal contemporary
gardens. In fact, ornamental grasses are
becoming extremely trendy worldwide
and can create quite an impact if
landscaped correctly.
Plant en masse
To get a natural grassy look that blows
in the wind, plant grass in clusters; they
rarely occur in isolated clumps in the
wild. Another good reason to plant them
en masse is because the grass is more
water wise when the soil is covered
and it can act as natural mulch. Mondo
and liriope, in particular, are less water
hungry when planted in clumps than
when they are planted singularly.
fillers
The easiest way to use grass in the garden
is as a filler. The smaller grasses are
attractive when they are placed at the
front of the bed and blend into a lawn.
The height of the sedges allows them to fit
merrily into the middle of the bed, while
the taller grasses anchor and complement
the bed at the back with their height. Just
remember to plant several plants together
in odd numbers, and not one on its own.
Get that contemporary look
If you have a modern house, it is best
to keep the garden in the same context.
Planting ornamental grass in straight lines
keeps it simple, and is also a very popular
trend in contemporary gardens.
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The New Zealand flaxes act as focal points in this bed of ornamental grasses: variegated
lirope and plain liriope at the back, acorus in the middle with a mix of festuca and carex at
the front.