I can't tell the bed dimensions from the photo, but the bed looks too narrow for large grasses, or even medium size grasses.

Donn is right. It looks too narrow for big grasses. What are the dimensions? I would bring the whole thing out to the round pavers, actually, I would have the pavers go through the center of a garden area as a garden path.

When planning a garden you need to think in terms of tall, with medium, and then small, mixing various textures and sizes for interest and depth. Typically as a rule, you need to have something to serve as the "bones" of a garden and then build around it. This is usually shrubs or some kind of permanent larger plant. But this is not what you are asking.

The problem you now have is three same sized large grasses, spaced evenly apart and one is a different kind but will pretty much have the same form and texture as the other two. Instead of complimenting each other, they will simply compete for attention equally. This is not a good start for a garden and just leaves a person wondering what to do next to help it.

Think in terms of tall straight plants (for height interest) mixed with rounded lower sized medium plants of a different form and then smaller ones to tie it together as a whole. Gradation of size and interest of texture. There are many different ways to accomplish this and many choices but always keep in mind sizes, textures, colors and form that will compliment each other, not compete equally as these three grasses will do.

As an example, on that bit of space expanded as I suggested, with the gravel, I would consider, for a rustic look, maybe a group of a tall Muhlenbergia Lindheimeri, (grey) a grouping of something like Silver King Artemesia (nearly white and lacy looking, large rounded "shrublike") and a large rock somewhere, leave some gravel area exposed for a feeling of air and space and then add a big bang with a cold hardy agave (blue, symmetrical and spikey) or if you want to be more discreet, quite a few small tussock type grasses like blue gramma (dull green) or P. Hamlyn (white seed heads) and perhaps some small native plants here and there for color. Keep the plants spaced out enough to show the gravel and build out the garden from there.

Thanks. That was one of the things I was considering because I need to do something with the walkway. We park just off camera to the right and the steps are at the left side of the front border. The picture is a little deceiving, its actually 3.5' at the narrowest point.

My problems comes in that I don't have much money to buy more plants. With me being a full time student, we are on a really tight budget. If I can find a short term fix for this year, then next year I can add some more plants to the mix. I probably can spend another $100 this year.

I'd really like to work in the Mexican Feather Grass somewhere.

Here is a picture of the bed along the front of the deck. There is purple fountain grasses in between the support posts (4 total), a Hameln in front of the whiskey barrel, blue fescues on the either side of that, and then a Hameln on each end of the bed. I like the simple,open layout. I'd like to keep it as open as possible because of snakes. I don't want to give them a crowded place to hide. Lattice will be going up in a week or so around the bottom of the deck, and the large rock on the right will be replaced with one a little taller to mimic the one on the left.

Ok, I bumped that narrow end out to a little over 5'. The edge noes comes straight from the steps and has a soft corner at the end to tie into the end of the house. I played with a Photoshop yesterday and did two P.A. with 3 of the Mexican Feathers. But I'm still having problems figuring out how to arrange them because I can't grasp how they will all look when they reach maturity.

I'm hoping to replace the zebra grass at some point with a large 3x4ish rock to put in the corner. I wish I could've afforded to purchase all my plants at the same time so I could lay everything out to figure out what worked best. A couple here and there have really messed me up.

That should work out better. Next winter/early spring, when you cut down those three grasses, you'll want to move them out, further away from the house. Leave 3' between the center of the grass crown and the wall. They'll over-spill the edge of the bed a little, but that usually looks good.

I'm pretty sure those are getting moved anyway. They look pretty rough from planting. I'm planning to move them over in front of a calf shed in the back yard. If I end up losing them, it's not a biggie. So for now it will still have the zebra in the corner, plus two P.A.s and then something else.

Every place I look says a different spread on the P.A.s. What exactly can I plan on? Could I incorporate Mexican Feather Grass in these beds with the P.A.s? In front, or behind?

Does "P.A." mean Pennisetum alopecuroides? If so, there are quite a few different cultivars, and the size depends greatly on which ones you have. If it's species P. alopecuroides, it will grow to at least 4' in diameter, from a crown half that size. I've seen happy ones much larger.

Yes, the species. That is what I wanted in place of the Purple Fountain Grass in the front bed, but couldn't find any around here when I needed it. I will probably move them up there in the spring.

So I might be best off to just space them out 3-4' in the side beds, and then plant some blue fescue to fill in some gaps to get me through the year, and then start fresh on these beds in the spring.

Gotta be careful with abbreviations. I also grow Panicum amarum ('Dewey Blue') and I image there are other P.a. plants around.

OKGirl

First rule, you aren't going to do it all at one time. I have been working on mine for almost 5 years now. It is extremely hard to visualize at first, especially when everything is so small. Fortunately, you can edit endlessly. And will. Expect that.

This fall, look into some seeds. This is a very inexpensive way to get grasses. Gives you something "gardening" to do during the off season as well.

Another suggestion. This one is free. My sister and I are both doing something close to what you call rustic. If you will notice at Santa Rosa Gardens in the section on Native Grasses you will find that many of these very same grasses are growing in the countryside here in Oklahoma all around you. Not the improved cultivars of Pannicums or Little Bluestem but there is a wealth of beautiful grasses to be had if you have a mind to. What looks chaotic in nature can be stunning grouped in masses. Check on line so you can identify these when you see them.

For example, Little Bluestem grass is easy to spot in Fall or if earlier, you can always tell it by the slightly blueish color and on close inspection the leaves are flat at the base (not round) rather like a tiny iris. Its everywhere except in places that have been over grazed or plowed under and left to go wild or regularly mowed like on the side of the road. Massed in groups of 5 or more, it is very pretty, the same grass offered at nurseries in the species category. This has become my favorite grass for color, form and fall interest. I have some planted in a group, evenly spaced behind the stipa (Mexican Feather Grass) and it is very pretty. Yellow in front of blue. Good combination. All of these plants were free.

Last year I dug up some Indian Grass. It is very light blue and upright. In the fall it puts out a very pretty seed heads in orange. This grass makes a nice vertical statement and will fit right into your look. The light blue color really stands out. Its our state grass, by the way, you can show your pride. Ask others if they know what their state grass is?

The Blue Gramma (mosquito grass) is great for rock gardens and extremely cute. Its not "grassy green" and is very neat, compact and in late summer and fall has little seedheads catching the light that look like little false eyelashes stuck on top of stems. I had one last fall from a seed mix and now I want at least thirty of them.

My "nursery" is the side of the road. I cannot drive down the highway, especially in Fall without having my eyes peeled. I have a large purple winecups plant (very common) planted at the edge of the corner in one spot that is a magnificent low growing plant, goes good with grasses and is smothered in wine colored flowers. People stop and ask "Where did you get THAT?" Side of the road, OKGirl. You will simply be amazed at what can be used effectively in a "rustic" grass garden. Won't cost you a dime, just a little sweat, a shovel and...

Great idea, Cactus! I'd love to see pictures of your stuff. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for grasses in nature. We have a few prairie meadows on our land. I just love to watch it move in the breeze. To me, there's nothing prettier than tall grasses in properly maintained fields. I would be in heaven in Osage County. Instead, I'll have make do with the hills, trees, and rocks of Cherokee County!

I downloaded a lot of photos in Photobucket and cannot figure out how to post them. Maybe you could give me some advice or instructions.

A very good book that I think you would get a slew of ideas from is John Greenlee's book on Meadow and Prairie Gardens. Pull it up online and see if it looks interesting to you. We are in a perfect spot for doing that and the possibilities are endless. I have checked this book out of the Library at least 5 times. The native and ornamental grasses form the backbone of these schemes.

I have more enjoyment with what I gather in the form of seeds or plants and through hook or crook than ANYTHING I purchase. It is fun to go exploring and you gradually get to know different natives. This is a hot new trend, especially in California and Europe. The no-lawn, native plant movement. I now cringe at the thought of a lawn. If you use local or drought tolerant SW natives, you do not have to water except to get them established and you will have a lot of interesting butterflies and birds visit you as well.

Check out High Country Gardens online (you can request a free catalog too), just to get plant ideas. Its exciting and fun to find a plant that you know they are asking around $6+ dollars for growing wild. Then every now and then, you can splurge and buy something you want as time goes by.

Its a process and can be highly addictive. I have had a lot of enjoyment also finding a really cool plant and then getting online to try to ID it. Sometimes I find it right away and sometimes it takes months. I like the mystery of it and the searching.

I don't have a big budget either. Makes a person more inventive and one thing then leads to another.....

CG...If you hover your mouse cursor over a thumbnail in Photobucket, this will pop up:

Then select the second set of tags below the thumbnail, marked HTML Code. The tag starts with "a href"..preceeded by "Go to the forum, start a post, and press CTRL-V to paste that HTML tag into the post.

Check your work with the Preview Message button.

Donn. I have stared and looked and am about as frustrated as I can get. I cannot see anything called CTRL-V anywhere to press.

Is it because I am using a Mac? Sometimes I have problems because of that. I did the HTML code and got the word "copied" to show up and then went to the forum and started a new post. Where is CTRL-V?

CTRL-V is the keyboard combination for "paste". Hold down the "CTRL" key and press the "V" key. If the Mac doesn't have those keys, do whatever the Apple equivalent is for "paste."

I just Googled it.

It's Command-V on the Mac.

Thanks Donn. It is probably obvious I have never pasted before.

I got the Little Bluestem from SRG today and they appear very good and healthy. They are really tall AND these also have culms starting to form inflorescence. They will fit right in. Haven't checked to see if they are root bound.

I now have to dig out three Karley Rose (probably gallon sized) to give to my sister. Correcting a bad combination that looks messy. I thought I would dig a generous amount of soil out around the roots, put them in large pots, soak them well and set them in the shade. They may dry up and die back some but I think (hope) the roots will survive since they are still fairly small in diameter. I have spot lights around the top of the house and do all my gardening late night these days when it drops down into the 70's.

My plants should be here tomorrow. At least the humidity has decreased and its bearable out there now. We even have some chances for rain. I'm getting tired of dragging the hoses over from the well-house, and hate to see my water bill next month after all the watering I've done with our rural water.

I spent a while trimmin all the dead ends of my Miscanthus this morning, and was happy to see that there is some new healthy growth on it. Two of my Purple Fountain Grasses are putting up a lot of new blooms, while the other two still have none. They were bought different places. My potted plants seem to really be filling out. I'm anxious to see how it all comes together.

OKGirl,

I just got home and wanted to tell you that I just saw a good combination for your grasses that are spaced out evenly and left AS IS in the ground. I saw three with large Russian sage planted between them and it was a very effective. They were all planted as a "backdrop" with various colorful small grasses and other low growing plants in front. The sages are as wide but not quite as tall as the grasses and it was NEAT as in TIDY. You look sad right now, but next year they will look fine. They are just a bit burnt now from the move.

I should have mentioned, the Russian Sage are relatively easy to find around here in inexpensive gallon sizes. I saw other O. Grass plantings driving around mixing them in with the large grasses. Its a large, very hardy, easy to grow, fragrant, "shrublike" perennial with thin deeply serrated, light mint blue/green leaves, white stems and millions of tiny light violet flowers covered in bees and butterflies all summer into fall. Rounded form and about 4+ feet tall by 4+ feet wide. Very "Sagey" and soft color. If you would be interested in something like this, I would plant them just a bit further toward the pave path.

I love the Russian Sage! I had bought a Meadow Sage, but it didn't make it. Found it on clearance almost burned up. Ive also seen mexican heather used with it along a border and really like it.