Perennial Focus

The world of ornamental grasses in not immune to innovation, so new cultivars are being introduced to us (thankfully not as many as in the perennials world). Grasses are greatly esteemed in the landscape for their form and texture as well their winter interest, but they are particularly invaluable in deer infested areas since their foliage seems to be immune to deer depradation.

I first became acquainted with Chasmanthium latifolium 'River Mist' a few years ago, thanks to samples sent to me by a Georgia friend, Bobby Itsaul, of Itsaul Plants. This cultivar of Northern Sea Oats has leaves that are vertically striped green and white and its mid to late summer blooming oats are white instead of beige. This grass is a standout in partially shaded areas. The literature says that it will also grow in full sun, but I have only grown it in partial shade for fear that it would scorch in full sun.

Like the species, it is hardy in zones 5 to 9 and grows approximately 2 ½ feet high and wide. So far, it has shown no tendency to seed but I am told that it will seed, once it is better established and that the seedlings will be green. This grass prefers average to damp, soil but will do quite well in dry soil once established.

Koeleria glauca (Blue Hair Grass) is not commonly used in Northeast Ohio, probably because it does not like heavy clay soil or wet soil. However, it is very drought tolerant and does quite well in amended soils or in containers with good drainage. Hardy to zone 3, 'Tiny Tot' is a selection made by Brent Horvath of Intrinsic Perennials in the Chicago area. He selected it for its shorter stems.

The species can grow eighteen inches tall and wide but 'Tiny Tot' will only grow ten to twelve inches tall. As the common name implies, the narrow foliage is steel blue while the inflorescence is a dense creamy white plume. I like it as an alternative to Festuca 'Elijah Blue' because the foliage is not as stiff.

Three years ago, I planted 'Tiny Tot' in leaf humus in two different containers that remain outside during the winter. They get full sun and water only if it rains. As a cool season grass, I would have expected it to bloom in June or July but it usually blooms in early August and on into fall.

I'm a big fan of Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem). This grass is usually only three feet tall, has blue foliage that acquires red and purple tinges during late summer becoming more prominent as temperatures drop, and wispy/feathery inflorescences in the fall that start white and become coppery red. Unlike most other ornamental grasses, the foliage is bronze rather than beige during the winter. Brent Horvath has also introduced a shorter, two foot selection named 'Jazz' that also has the virtue of being more upright. I have also found that, in general, Little Bluestem stays more erect if it is grown in very lean, well-drained soil. Rich soil guarantees floppiness.

This past winter, I saw a picture of and read about Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition'. I've been growing the species, known as Mosquito Grass because of the shape of its flowers, since 2008 . It's an interesting plant but 'Blonde Ambition' is much larger and the flowers are also larger and are nearly white, thus the sobriquet blonde. This cultivar will ultimately grow denser and taller to three feet, but in its first year is still two feet high. The flower stems are quite stiff and I expect the flowers to last well into winter. As a native prairie grass, it tolerates a wide range of soils and moisture levels, happy almost anywhere except in wet soil, and is very drought tolerant. If planted in our heavy clay soil, I would amend the soil with Turface to improve the drainage.

The world of ornamental grasses has always been a wide one with a bounty of choices, but now we have some new ones to try.

Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD, owner of Bobbie's Green Thumb in Shaker Heights., Ohio, is a landscape designer, consultant, free-lance writer, and lecturer whose specialties are perennial gardens and four-season landscapes. She is an active member of the Perennial Plant Association (PPA). Bobbie is a Past President of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), and currently serves as chair of the ONLA Plant Selection Committee. Bobbie can be reached at (216) 752-9449.