It’s About Thyme
by CHRIS WINSLOW
Besides being a great time to locate and identify fall color trees and shrubs, a quick drive up Brodie Lane this month offers a wonderful display of fall blooming ornamental grasses.
The entrance to Brodie Springs, Randall’s shopping center, apartment complexes south and north of William Cannon, and the shopping centers in Sunset Valley, all have this in common.
These grasses have been promoted during the last few years because of three common attributes: they give multiple seasons of color; they are drought tolerant; and they are virtually free of insect and disease pests.
In addition, they provide three distinct seasons of color.
Starting in late winter and early spring their new growth provides shades of green to grey to blue to purple.
During their bloom season in late summer to late fall, their showy bloom stalks exhibit colors ranging from white to tan to brown, purple and pink.
Their last color change occurs when the first hard freeze turns their foliage to bronze, straw, and rust colors – great for winter.
Here are my top five favorites that are showing their colors this month:
1. Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis)
This has fine, green leaves with a silver center strip. Maiden grass can grow to a height of 4 to 6 feet and can tolerate light locations from full sun to bright shade. Its wavy flower tops are light tan.
2. Big Muhley Grass (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri)
A clumping blue-green grass native to the Texas Hill Country. It grows 3 to 4 feet in height and width and its feathery seed heads are tan.
3. Bamboo Muhley (Muhlembergia dumosa)
A tough, graceful grass, 4 to 5 feet tall. An Arizona native, it produces bamboo-like foliage (not invasive) that moves gracefully in the wind. After the first hard freeze, it changes to a straw color, adding a new season to the landscape.
4. Coastal or Gulf Muhley (Muhlenbergia capillaries)
Grows to about 2.5 feet in height and width, with green foliage. It produces cloud-like pink feathery seed heads, looking like a mist. Outstandingly beautiful!
5. Dwarf Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides)
Creates white seeds on foliage that rarely grows to 2 feet. Its larger cousin – purple fountain grass – grows to 4 feet with burgundy foliage and bloom stalks. This plant is less hardy and has been known not to return after a cold winter. Mulching and the proper location are crucial to its success.
My favorite way to use them in the landscape is to mass plant them, placing lower grasses in front of the taller ones.
If you have an unused flower bed and are wondering what to do with it, try planting, in a mass, 3 to 4 Gulf muhley grasses in front and place 3 to 4 maiden grasses behind. They will grow thick and help to keep the small weeds at bay.
There are dozens of ornamental grasses that are suitable for our climate that you can experiment with.
The maiden grasses come in a variety of mature sizes and leaf and flower colors. There is one to look for that has stripes in the foliage called zebra grass.
There is another one that has variegated foliage called cabaret. Then there is adagio and morning mist.
Ornamental grasses can make your landscaping easy!
Happy gardening everyone.
