Those Awesome Summer Grasses

As I type this, the wind is howling and the temperatures are dropping.  Summer is finally coming to an end.....and so will all those great summer grasses planted in the City containers.  Unlike the begonias and coleus, which will melt with the first freeze, the grasses will just go into their "tan" look.  While that might be okay in a garden, not so good in a container.  But I have to tell you which one was the winner in the group that I used.  A big surprise to me....it is Pennisetum 'Fireworks'....because earlier in the season I complained that it was not keeping up with its cousins.

 

 

This picture will not do justice to the colorations that finally came out as the summer ended but this grass really did look like a fireworks scene.  The leaves took on more red but it was the "flowers" that were most impressive -- almost glowing in the sunlight.

 

 

 



'Fireworks' also grew a little smaller and tighter than the common Pennisetum 'Rubum' so there was less flop.  Something to keep in mind if you have a small space to fill.

 

And speaking of 'Rubum'.....

 

 This one did great in the containers -- not surprising though since it is a tried and true grass.  You can see the slight differences between it and 'Fireworks'.  There is more green in Rubrum's leaves and the flowers droop a little more -- less of that "fireworks" effect.

And then there is 'Skyrocket'.....I did like this one a lot.  Clean lines, upright structure, lots of flowers.  Nothing special about the colors but if you need a good background grass this is one to look for. 

 

Scattered about in various containers were some Carex 'Ice Dance', Carex 'Evergold' and a new comer Carex 'Amazon Mist'....no pictures cause they are not very photogenic on their own.  Of course, Ice Dance and Evergold  will always be in my containers cause they do so well and add lots of texture and movement.  Amazon Mist got lost in the crowd of big players so I don't know that it is best for these containers.  For smaller pots where it can stand out on its own it should be considered. 

 

I'm prejudice about grasses and would use them at every opportunity but maybe next summer season I'll try something that is more willing to share the container space. 

 

Next posting....let's talk "bugs"....a few managed to get by my systemic barriers....and we'll talk about why.

 

 

 



Blowin' In The Wind -- Great Grasses

Tried some annual grasses in the containers this year -- there is good news and bad news here.  Let's go with the bad news first cause there really isn't anything too bad to report other than grasses don't like a lot of fertilizer and I've been feeding them along with the other plants in the container.  (Note to Self:  next year use plants in the same container that are on the same feeding schedule) 

So extra fertilizer makes for tall plants that flop a bit.  That just meant that I had to prune them several times to maintain a tidy appearance.  It was worth the trouble to have pretty much trouble free plants....which brings us to the good news.....trouble free plants!!!

I used three different cultivars from the Pennisetum family and after they got established they all performed equally well.  The old standby "rubrum" (Purple Fountain Grass) was used on the north side of the Park and in a couple other containers.  It performed well everywhere it got all day sun but in the container that had only afternoon sun it did flop more, but still impressive.

 



Pennisetum setaceum 'rubrum'

Purple Fountain Grass

3 feet tall by 2 feet wide

Annual grass

Purple plumes atop green and burgundy leaves

 

 

Another Pennisetum called 'Fireworks' looked so unique in its 1 gallon container and I had high hopes for it making a statement but when it reached its mature size in the street containers.  But it ended up looking pretty darn much like its sister 'rubrum'.  Admittedly, the plumes were a slightly different color but it would really be hard to tell one from the other.  There are two of them on the corner of Jefferson and Second Street by the Park -- doing very well so I can't complain too much about them.

 

 

Pennisetum setaceum 'Fireworks'

Variegated Purple Fountain Grass

 

3 feet tall by 2 feet wide

 

Burgundy, pink and green variegated leaves with purple-red plumes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The grass that I think is a real winner is Pennisetum setaceum 'Skyrocket'.  This one is only green and white so it isn't a show stopper from a color standpoint, but I did like the way it behaved -- less floppy and when the older leaves turned to a tan color they didn't stand out as much as those on the red-leaved variety. 

 

 

 

 

 

There are four Skyrockets on the south side of the Park -- all doing great -- not bothered one bit by the critters (aphids and who knows what else) that are colonizing on the verbena and lantana at their feet - but that is a story for another blog time.

The end of this story is that I would readily use 'Rubrum' and 'Skyrocket' again in the containers or in the ground, but I wouldn't rush out for 'Fireworks'.  But, we still have another 6 weeks to watch them so I might just change my mind....stay tuned.