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12 Oklahoma Outside


Graceful Grasses


Panicum virgatum Photo by Dee Nash


By Dee Nash H


ave you ever stood in the middle of a prairie meadow and listened to the grasses sway in the Oklahoma breeze? Grasses are one of the reasons the North American Prairie is such a hypnotic place. In fact, the prairie is often described as an ocean of grass. Can’t


you see the waves? Ornamental grasses can also add grace and sound to your garden,


and they are easy to grow. Experts often expound on creating a four-season garden, one that has interest throughout the entire year. Ornamental grasses can help you achieve at least three seasons of interest. The only time they’re absent from the landscape is in early spring when you fi rst cut them down. The rest of the year, grasses grow and ready themselves to bloom in late summer and fall. Since fall is one of the best seasons in an Oklahoma garden, add some grasses to your landscape. They come in virtually every size. Some grow like fountains, while others shoot up vertically as if to touch the sky.


Annual purple fountain grass, Pennisetum purpureum, is beautiful in pots and in the landscape. By repeating this one grass in several places throughout the garden, you can unify your entire space. For something more unique than regular purple fountain grass, try var- iegated ‘Fireworks.’ It has a beautiful pink stripe down the center of each blade. This will turn darker purple in hot temperatures, but turns pink again once the weather cools. Grasses bloom with abandon, but plant them in spring to give them time to bulk up and become showstoppers. Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’ switchgrass was the Perennial Plant of the Year in 2014, and for good reason. This grass is nearly carefree, and it returns each year becoming fuller with a mature height of 5 feet before bloom. There are taller selections like ‘Cloud Nine’, and shorter ones like ‘Dallas Blues.’ All switchgrasses require full sun and well-drained soil. If you have clay, work in plenty of organic matter and dig a hole twice


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as large as the root ball. Grasses need good drainage especially in winter, or they will rot. ’Northwind’ turns sulphur yellow in late fall. Other switchgrasses turn different shades depending upon the variety. University of Iowa researchers also discovered switchgrasses can remove up to 40 percent of PCBs, toxic chemicals, from soils in laboratory experiments. They are considering planting more switchgrasses in high traffi c areas to clean the air and soil.


Another fantastic perennial grass is Miscanthus sinensis, maiden grass. ‘Morning Light’ and ‘Adagio’ have white midribs that make them appear lighter than ordinary maiden grass. ‘Adagio’ tops out at 3 feet so it is great for smaller gardens. ‘Gracillimus,’ an older cultivar, grows to 6 feet. Switchgrasses are native to the prairies of the United States. Maiden


grass and Mexican feather grass are invasive in some parts of the country, but not Oklahoma. Mexican feather grass, Nassella tenuis- sima, is a smaller grass native to the mountains of West Texas, Mexico and New Mexico. It is a beautiful small grass for the front of the border. ‘Hameln’ dwarf fountain grass is another small selection. Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition,’ blue grama grass, is another native selection. Its yellow to chartreuse fl owers look like small eye- lashes on top of long, slender stems. It grows to 2 feet and is extreme- ly drought tolerant once established. Another grass discovered in Texas is Muhlenbergia hybrid ‘Pink Flamingos.’ All muhly grasses are relative newcomers to the Oklahoma landscape, but they shouldn’t be. Although gulf muhly isn’t hardy in part of Oklahoma, other selections of pink muhly grass are. How can anyone resist pink fl owers resembling cotton candy? Grasses make great backdrops for other perennial fall bloomers like asters and garden mums. They may even steal the show. So, use grasses the same way you would a shrub or small tree in the garden. No matter what spot you’re planning for, there’s a grass for you.


SPINE/GUTTER


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