We usually associate
grasses with late summer borders and the prairie style of gardening so popular
at the moment – in this situation big is most definitely best .
Some of the smaller varieties,
however, display their best leaf colour in winter, truly coming into their own
at this time of year. They are particularly useful in a shady spot or wooded
area of the garden for lighting up a dark corner. .
Luzula .sylvatica
“Aurea” has zingy yellow foliage in winter and I grow it alongside magenta Cyclamen
Coum - pink and yellow may not normally
work but on a dreary February it certainly raises my spirits! For a more traditional combination try it with
clumps of Iris. reticulata “George” which has rich purple flowers.
Acorus. gramineus (Dwarf sweet flag) is a small ,grass like
perennial with slender, pointed
evergreen leaves, it prefers a slighter damp soil but is tolerant of a wide variety of
situations.
A bright display of
Acorus.g.“Ogon” outside the nursery potting shed, gave us all a boost during the
last working days before Christmas. In the garden it contrasts well with deep
red oriental hellebores or later with blue pulmonaria . The creamy white striped
variety “Variegatus” would work well with clumps of snowdrops.
These grasses look
better in smaller clumps, repeated through the border, so divide regularly. By
late spring their bright foliage will fade and become greener allowing them to
step back out of the spotlight for another season..
Happy gardening in 2013
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