|
| Ok, here's the thing - I have been busy building new gardens at the new house AND since I already have more grass cultivars than any sane person would need :o).... I am about 3 years out of touch with what is the newest & most popular in the OG world. I'm giving a OG talk in two weeks & I would like to mention whether or not OG popularity is growing or waning. This, I think, would be demonstrated by how many new grasses have become available.
Please help me out!
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Say Hey, A! Good to see you back on the forum. I haven't been following it as closely as I used to either, but it seems there are always newbies in Miscanthus, Hakonechloa and Calamagrostis. I like the fairly new variegated Chasmanthium; 'River Mist.' There are at least a dozen new Carex varieties each year, but many of them just don't vary much from earlier cultivars. As to popularity...Going only on what I see in my neighborhood, and from clients who are buying from me, it's still increasing. I'm glad, too, because it gives me more ground to use for growing them. I install plants for folks, and replace them as they get too big. Then the larger models go to larger gardens. I'm taking care of some plants I've sold 4 times. |
|
- Posted by achnatherum z4or3 Ontario (My Page) on Fri, Apr 13, 12 at 9:23
| Donn, Thanks for the response :o) Love your idea for 'recycling grasses. What a hoot! I am really pleased by the variety of grasses that I can grow up here. Even Arundo donax is having absolutely no trouble - my plant reached a good 8 feet last year. I haven't tried any of the variegated 'evergreen' carexs - I suspect that they wouldn't be happy...... Miscanthus are fine although I have to stick to the early bloomers to get reliable blooming. Other grasses do even better in this cooler climate. Calamagrostis, Molinias, Deschampsias, Panicums & Little bluestem, all LOVE life in the 'near north' With regards to new cultivars. I managed to pick up a couple of new plants. Hakonechloa macra 'Sunny Delight' and Calamagrostis 'Eldorado' So .... I am getting back in the loop :o) |
|
| I love 'Eldorado.' I have a grouping of five of them. They arrived as tiny plugs, and are going into their 3rd year in the ground, so I expect great things of them this year. |
|
- Posted by scottyboipdx 8 (My Page) on Wed, Apr 18, 12 at 10:48
| The one "new" grass I'm super-excited about this year is Schizachyrium 'Blue Heaven'. From what I've heard, it gets a bit taller than normal Little Bluestem (around 4') and has AMAZING fall color. The nursery I get most of my grasses gets their shipment in June...so excited! The other new grass, which I put in last year, was Panicum 'Blood Brothers', which has the MOST amazing coloring...I posted a bit about it on my blog (link below). I'm really looking forward to seeing how its first full year in my garden goes :-) |
Here is a link that might be useful: My Blog
|
| Scott..you'll be interested to know Acnatherum, the member who started this thread, introduced 'Blood Brothers' to the world. I haven't been able to find it yet. I bought a flat of 15 'Blue Heaven' quarts from Kurt Bluemel last Spring. I potted them up to trade gallons, and they did great. Now I'm waiting to see how they come back this year, before I install them. They've just started to put on some new foliage, and it looks like the crowns are expanding nicely. It's a great grass. I look forward to getting them into the display beds. |
|
| I planted three Blue Heaven last summer I got from Santa Rosa Gardens. The have all come back and about a foot tall now. I also planted a Panicum virgatum 'Cheyenne Sky' last summer I found locally and it was beautiful. It is also about a foot tall now. It will be interesting to see another years growth on these. I am trying to find another one of these. |
|
- Posted by scottyboipdx 8 (My Page) on Fri, Apr 20, 12 at 11:21
| hahahaha...OMG, you're totally right, donn! I didn't even look at the name of the op! I think I actually e-mailed him last year when I bought them to tell him how beautiful I thought they were! Grassboro, can't believe your Panicum as so big already, most of mine aren't even showing a sign of life yet...then again, we've had a really cool, rainy spring. I'm trying another Panicum this year as well, 'Huron Solstice', I think it's called...we'll see how it compares to 'Shenandoah' and 'Blood Brothers'. |
|
- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Sat, Apr 21, 12 at 12:21
| Scott, I enjoyed reading your blog. You've inspired me to get some taller grasses, I've concentrated on little ones for years having a little yard. 'Karley Rose' got huge and flopped for me in partial shade. I'm hoping 'Pennstripe' will do better in that site. I haven't tried many of the grasses you grow here in Portland. I don't love red flowers but I do love red foliage so I'll keep my eyes open for that gorgeous grass. |
|
- Posted by scottyboipdx 8 (My Page) on Tue, Apr 24, 12 at 13:23
| Tha'ts great, buyorsell! 'Karley Rose' flops for me in partial shade as well...some just need full sun to be upright. I've had good luck with Calamagrostis staying upright, even in quite a bit of shade. Panicums can also stay pretty upright, especially the shorter varieties, like 'Shenanodah', although the color won't be as intense as it would be in full sun. |
|
- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Mon, Apr 30, 12 at 17:59
| full sun is more of a suggestion than reality in my yard...I haven't tried any Panicums nor Calamagrostis. I have multiple Miscanthus, Pennisetums, Carex, Fescues and Hakonechloas |
|
- Posted by achnatherum z4or3 Ontario (My Page) on Tue, May 15, 12 at 6:09
| I have enjoyed reading this thread! My grass talk went really well - it was rather nice to get back to talking about grasses after taking four years off. Right now I am trying to get my head around using grasses in my more northern garden with a forest for a backdrop. Well, 'get my head around' isn't the only problem - I also have to 'build' the gardens! Scotty, the grass pictures on your blog are Fabulous! I really enjoyed reading that section! I am delighted that some of you have & are liking Panicum Blood Brothers. This is my next NEW favorite - A direct descendent of Blood Brothers. Sorry ... won't be on the market for another year or two :o( What do you think??? A. |
|
- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Mon, May 21, 12 at 18:30
| ooh blue and red together, like it! |
|
- Posted by scottyboipdx 8 (My Page) on Thu, May 24, 12 at 12:29
| Love it...then again, I'm a sucker for Panicums :-) |
|
- Posted by glaswegian 5b, Ont (My Page) on Mon, May 28, 12 at 19:48
| Hello all...No one has mentioned zebra grass yet...they love full sun or partial shade even here in Ontario Canada. They get real tall too. |
|
- Posted by mary-in-toronto (My Page) on Thu, Jul 5, 12 at 10:44
| I planted Panicum "Northwind". I love it. Very upright and vertical. |
|
- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Wed, Aug 1, 12 at 11:20
| I have three of the smaller "zebra" Miscanthus cultivars. 'Little Zebra', 'Puenktchen' and 'Stardust' no room for the big ones. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Ornamental Grasses Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.