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johnnieb_dc

Grasses for containers

JohnnieB
15 years ago

I'm looking for recommendations for ornamental grasses that will do well in containers, either annual or perennial. These will be for a rooftop deck that will get full sun all day. Heat and wind will also be major factors. In general, I'm looking for drought-tolerant grasses that won't shrivel up the first time I forget to water them! Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' is one of my favorites but I've only grown it in the ground so I'm not sure how drought-tolerant it is.

Comments (6)

  • grass_guy
    15 years ago

    Lots of great container grasses, but the key is: do you want them to survive the winter in the containers? If so, you need to look at grasses that survive 1 to 2 zones colder than yours.

    Rubrum is a great container grass, but would certainly be a tender perennial for you and you would use it as an annual in a container.

    Some of my favorite container grasses are Muhlenbergia, Miscanthus Morning Light, Nassella. I LOVE most of the Carex sedges in containers. Also, other grass-like plants such as Juncus, Cyperus, Phormiums.

  • soniam
    15 years ago

    I am also in Washington DC. For the past 3 years I have planted the red annual pennisetum (sorry do not know the official name)in hanging baskets on a hot windy 3rd story deck and they have done very well. This summer with the amount of rain you would not need to water at all. Unfortunately this year I planted in containers on the same deck and today some animal ate them all. I am now trying to figure out what animal could climb and neatly devour them in a very short window. A bit disconcerting to say the least.

  • tpalm
    15 years ago

    Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron',JAPANESE BLOOD GRASS.IT LOVES GROWING IN A POT AND LOOKS BETTER IN A POT.IT IS INVASIVE IN THE SOUTH

  • grass_guy
    15 years ago

    Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron' is not an invasive grass in the south. It is, however, on the noxious weed list for certain states. I know in Florida, cogongrass is a huge concern...therefore, by virtue of being related, Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron' has been put on the hot seat and labeled as an invasive.

    Soniam, sounds like quite a mystery! I've had issues with squirrels digging up my hostas and bulbs, but I haven't seen any animals eat pennisetum foliage. Be sure to post if your mystery is solved.

  • tpalm
    15 years ago

    NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU TRY TO HELP,SOMEONE WILL DISAGREE WITH YOU. YOU JUDGE FOR YOURSELF :http://www.invasive.org/eastern/biocontrol/28CogonGrass.html

  • grass_guy
    15 years ago

    For the record, I wasn't disagreeing that this grass is listed on noxious weed lists in some states. The impact of cogongrass as a southeastern invasive means that related varieties and species need to be looked at more closely. But this variety does not represent the taller, aggressive tropical phase.

    I've worked with 'Red Baron' (in those states that allow) extensively over the years and have not seen a single reversion from vegetative propagation. The only evidence I've seen that this particular red form can revert is from clonal tissue cultured plants.

    San Marcos sums it up nicely...It should more properly be called Imperata cylindrica var. koenigii (Retzius) T. Durand & Schinz which would avoid confusion with other much more aggressive forms of Imperata.

    As Rick Darke notes in his Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses: "This red-leaved garden form has been well-known for more than a century in Japan (although not, certainly, as ÂRed BaronÂ, a name coined by Kurt BluemelÂs nursery), where it is usually grown in shallow containers as a companion plant to specimen bonsai. It spreads very slowly by shallow rhizomes. .... Due to this cultivarÂs relation to the species noxious tropical phase, its sale and distribution is sometimes restricted by legislation in the United States. There is no conclusive evidence at this time, however, to determine if ÂRed Baron is capable of mutating or reverting to acquire the invasive characteristic of the tropical phase."

    If you have concerns about any plant, and research can't answer those concerns, then try a different plant. With so much diversity to choose from, why cause yourself the anguish. Try Panicum Shenandoah as an alternative grass, which, btw, I also think looks great in a container.

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