Sorry just realized the photo didn't upload. Guess it would help to see what I'm working with.

What's your goal with the new bed? Do you want to hide the fenced-in area with the funny contraptions inside?

Lol! The funny contraptions are feeders for the steers. Guess there's not a lot of that stuff on Long Island, huh?

This area is highly visible to traffic on the road. Its just a big barren area that I'd like to spruce up. I'm not hugely concerned with hiding the fence (it borders the whole back yard). I do want this to be different than what I seem to always come up with. Everything I have done has been very symmetrical and planned looking. I'd much rather this be natural looking. I went through Santa Rosa's catalog and picked out stuff that I really like. In addition to the Karl Foerster and two Pink Muhly's I already have, I added a Panicum 'Heavy Metal', M. 'Morning Light', and some Karley Roses to my cart. They are out if the Mex Feather Grass that I really want a well. I'm not set on these picks, just getting ideas and playing around with it in Photoshop.

In my opinion, the proper way to design a bed which is in a prominent spot is to start with the bed, and not the plants. Get an idea for the shape of the bed and the height of the bed first. Don't just draw a diagonal line across the corner and make a traditional triangle-shaped bed.

How about a triangular-shaped multiple keyhole bed? Keyhole beds look great, are unusual among bed shapes, and are really easy to take care of, because you can reach every part of the bed without walking into it.

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There are 3 different keyhole beds in that photo; a double keyhole, a single and a single tucked into the intersection of two long beds.

Think about the height of the bed. You might want it to be higher in the center, and slope down toward the yard and the road.

Once you get the bed shape and height designed, think about some hardscape. Small rocks, boulders, water feature, birdbath, etc..

Put your new plants in a nursery bed for now, and get the bed built. Then move the plants into the new bed this fall.

That's so hard for me. I'm the kind that has to see things first. I need to be able to set it up and look at it, then move around as needed. I have in mind a kidney bean shape of sorts. The back will go all the way to the fence as I don't want to have to weed eat behind it. I think that shape will soften the corner. Here's a couple models I have done in Photoshop. I'm aware they are not to scale. It seems everything I've played with I'm still stuck in the even spacing, symmetrical look. I'm having trouble working in odd numbers.

"I'm the kind that has to see things first. I need to be able to set it up and look at it, then move around as needed."

That's exactly why it's best to build the bed first, and then plant it.

Start with your kidney bean shape, and give it two indentations instead of one. Push them deeper into the bed so they give you access to all of the bed.

Something like this, but not as rigid:

Another plus of this sort of shape is it essentially gives you 4 different beds, which can be planted differently. One large back bed, and three smaller peninsula beds.

Paint the outline with a spray can, mow it short, strip the sod and turn it over in place. Bring in a load of top soil and pile it on. Rake it out to the levels you like and mulch it. Let it sit for the summer, keeping it wet, then plant it in the fall.

Wow, thanks! How in the world do you mow around all your beds like that? I'd have to simplify it some. My husband's already griping that I'm adding something else for him to mow around.

How would you arrange your grasses in a design like this?

If you look at the photo above, of my actual beds, the keyholes are not as pronounced as they are in the drawing. I cannot draw...at all! It's easy to mow in between the beds and in the keyholes. I hit the edges with the weed-whacker first, and then finish with the mower. None of the paths are more than 2 mower widths wide (21" Toro). The keyhole beds in the back have woodchip paths, so no mowing is involved.

As far as arranging the plants, I wouldn't limit it to grasses. The period during which medium and tall grasses are short and growing back in will be really barren if you don't mix in some other things. The usual rules apply. Tall in the back, blending to medium and then to short. It's the same, no matter what sort of plants you use.

In my opinion, you are thinking the wrong way on top of asking an awful lot of the number of grasses you have laid out up there. You need to think BIG and more natural. You have a fussy looking formal "City Grass Garden" incongruously sitting next to a cow fence with feeders! Very out of place. You also need to think water wise. Are you really going to drag the hose out there and irrigate? Go BIG. Get drought hardy grasses only.

If I was doing this area I would think REALLY BIG or not at all. Lean toward large grass plants surrounded with different big areas massed together of all one type grass to show the true beauty of each type of grass. I'd choose maybe three types and have a large number of plants of each. Something that will move with the wind in a glorious drift. Simple composition.

I would definitely choose very large, drought loving grasses such as Ravenne grass to plan around. Or even better, you could plant a group of three Chaste Trees (blueish leaves with small purple flowers all season) or Desert Willows (very airy, goes great with grasses) as a tall element to build your mixed grasses around. Or any large interesting drought loving native type of plant you like. These examples are all extremely drought hardy. My choice would be a small tree or shrub since it will serve to anchor the area with a presence in all seasons, unlike grasses.

Another good vertical choice would be Giant Sacaton grass. Then, intermix (in mass plantings of a minimum three or five each, though more would be much better) mounding.clump types of drought hardy grasses such as Mexican Feather Grass, Little bluestem (any of the new cultivars are good as are the species types) Sacaton Alkali, Muhlenbergia Linhemerii (another vertical type but not as tall as some), or Muhlenbergia Deergrass, Sideoats Grama, Purple Three Awn, Blue Grama, Sporobolus heterolepis (gorgeous grass).

Add in some other heat and drought loving plants such as Lavender, Apache Plume, Chamisa, Texas Beargrass, Echinacea, Dalea (Purple Prairie Clover), Red Hot Pokers, Agastache, Russian Sage etc etc.

Choose what YOU like, there are many choices. Don't go by someone else.

You want to keep in mind seasonal interest and textures. The grasses don't really make a statement for the most part until late summer and fall. It will be drab and boring in spring and early summer.

Choose a theme considering color and keep with it. Don't make it a "grass collection". Simple is always best and natural is much better than formal in this situation you have. It is better to order many of one type grass than to get one or two each of dozens of types. Plant according to height and remember each plant should compliment its neighbors. You can have your height in the center (for street interest and the view from the house) or you can build out from the corner, keeping your height there. The garden can keep increasing in size as you want from a small start since you mentioned financial restrictions.

This isn't the best time of year to be preparing your soil and planting an entire new garden. SRG has a big Fall End of Season Sale also and that is a very good time to plant here in Oklahoma. You would have a lot less watering to do and many (but not all) plants have plenty of time to settle in before winter. Grasses do fine and will be well ahead of the game next spring.

I can't draw either, thank goodness I know my way around Photoshop pretty well. We only have a riding mower, and a big one at that. I just did this mock up of plans. Can you give me an idea of if they work together. Again, its hard for me to grasp their full size. I have Panicum 'Heavy Metal', M. 'Morning Light', and 'Karl Foerster' in the back. Then two Pink Muhlys, a Little Bluestem, and 'Karley Rose', and the blue fescues. I could sub a Hameln for the Karley Rose. I'll keep working and see if I can work some other perennials in the design.

This last setup is much more the look I like. Maybe I'll scrap the whole thing. Or try to find a large rock to play in the corner with some masses of fountain grasses on one side, the Muhlys on the other and some small perennials in the front.

OKGirl, You have to keep watering in mind on this garden. I would not recommend the Miscanthus or the P 'Karley Rose'. They will do well in a regularly irrigated situation but this doesn't look like such a spot. As you drive around, you will notice that the Miscanthus that look lush and green are in areas with sprinkler systems for the most part or in well tended beds in private residences.

The ones in unwatered situations (Pennisetum and Miscanthus) I see around here are stunted with curly tips and look like c--p. The Ravenne Grass is being used in Highway Plantings and other very dry situations and it looks great in isolated plantings too. Also the Chaste Trees are being used in the same way and they are very lush and have soft colors with continuous bloom making them a great grass companion.

Another grass needing regular watering in my own yard is the Korean Feather Grass and the 'Karl Forrester'. The blue Fescue's don't do well here. The humidity gets them and you will probably loose them after a season or two. A better choice is Helictochon (Blue Avena Grass) for a low blue grass. Its more dramatic as well.

I am considering getting rid of the rest of my 'Karly Rose'. It leans from the shade coming on late afternoon even though it gets a full amount of sun and worse, it seems to need a lot of water to keep it from looking dry. I decided I don't much like it because it looks too prissy.

I think the Pink Gulf Muhly is a good choice but it only looks good planted in masses in my opinion and doesn't mix well with 'Karl Forester' or Pennisetum plus they have differing water demands. I would definitely recommend the Muhlenbergia Lindheimeri from SRG to go with it and the Little Bluestem (any flavor) and the Mexican Feather Grass. I would also consider that cultivar of Indian Grass (very blue) from SRG. You can then easily increase your planting area as time goes by with seeds as well from each of these.

OKGirl..When these grasses you are planting finally grow up, you are going to laugh at yourself. I hate to be more blunt than usual, but your photos pasted into a Photoshop drawing don't look anything like the grasses do in real life. There are no skirts on the Pink Muhly or the KF. The Blue Fescue look like stylized versions of the real thing, and if KF is that far into bloom, the BF would be weeping with seedheads. The 'Morning Light' is far too erect. The KF is about 2 months further along in its bloom than the 'Karley Rose.' Your 'Heavy Metal' is blooming way too early if the KF bloom is correct.

Build your beds and get hardscape in place. Grow the plants in their pots this summer, and just concentrate on keeping them alive. Plant them no earlier than this fall..and consider some nursery beds so you can see what they look like before you put them on display.

Consider what CactusMan says about watering them.

Consider the different timings of cold and warm season grasses.

Consider the different bloom times of the grasses.

Save yourself a whole lot of work and dead plants by planning things out better.

If you'll remember, I came asking for help because I don't know what I'm doing. I'm sorry I'm not up to your parr. Thanks for your input. I'll leave you and this forum alone now.

If you want help, I've offered it. I won't, however, tell you I think you're doing things the right way, if I don't.

My apology to you if I have offended you. I think the advise you received from Donn, who has a lot of OG experience to draw upon, was quite good.

As for myself, who am also living in Scorching Oklahoma with years of garden experience and who knows when someone is being idealistically optimistic, was attempting to give you advice worth listening to. We are already up to 100 and have not even reached summer. You have to get your tender plants through three more hot dry months yet to go. The soil, if its typical, is heavy with clay and will bake like a brick and probably already has. It takes time to properly prepare a bed and this is not the season.

We are merely trying to advise you in advance about the inevitable and obvious. Not to mention saving you $$$$ on watering, disappointment and dead plants.

"It takes time to properly prepare a bed and this is not the season."

Half right and half wrong. It takes time, and now is the best season.

Do it the way I said, and the heat of summer will be your friend...the bed will be ready to plant in the fall.

Yea, I agree. You can do it anytime and I have. I was thinking more along the lines of heat stroke. LOL. Even doing it in the evening is sweltering and difficult once June gets going.

Summer is never my first choice for doing that around here. There are too many nice days in late fall and throughout winter for doing just that sort of thing and then there is dealing with the ground which is baked so hard and dry so deep down that its difficult to break up in summer here. Roto-tiller or mantis would be the way to go. Plus there's all those weed seeds brought up to the surface, so it just takes time to get it plantable.

Why would you plant grass around cows, last I heard they eat it? :) Bamboo would give them shade and browse and hold up better around 1000 lb. animals if you water and mulch diligently.