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Choose ornamental grasses

I have a confession. I am a lazy gardener. I grow the plants that require minimal care but make it look like I have been slaving away in my garden all day. Plants such as hostas, peonies and ornamental grasses fall into that category.

Ornamental grasses have so much to offer whether they are annual or perennial. We have a new award winning Proven Winner this year called Princess purple fountain grass.

Other purple fountain grasses are famous for their arching, soft purple plumes but Princess is all about its foliage. It doesn’t flower.  Unlike other grasses that fade in the summer’s heat, this grass stays lush with deep purple foliage.

So if you are looking for the ultimate low maintenance container annual, look no further. This annual doesn’t require deadheading and it is heat tolerant.

Princess reaches a height and width of 60 – 90 cm and grows in full to partial sun. It looks beautiful in the back or center of a container.

There is a hardy (zone 4), perennial grass that also has showy burgundy foliage. Red switch grass, Panicum virgatum Shenandoah starts turning red by July and intensifies as summer progresses. It also has bright pink flowers in August – September. The plant is 90 cm tall and prefers full sun with moist fertile soil.

An unusual colorful grass is Deschampsia caespitosa Northern Lights (tufted hair grass). The thin grassy   foliage is cream variegated turning purplish pink with fall’s cooler temperatures.

I love the flower plumes of all Deschampsia varieties. Showy, 90 cm, airy flower plumes appear in early summer. This zone 4 perennial is excellent in containers, as a specimen or in small groups. Northern Lights also has the advantage of growing well in the shade.

Festuca glauca Boulder Blue is the ultimate low maintenance plant. It is one of the ‘best’ blue fescue grass, even bluer than Elijah Blue, and maintains it’s intense colour all summer long.  It is also shorter, 15 – 20 cm and ideal for edging.

Plants with silver foliage are drought tolerant.

This cool season grass, zone 3, grows in full sun or light shade.

Also, ornamental grasses  seem to be deer tolerant…so far.

Jean Atkinson is a horticulturist with Richbar Golf and Garden and a regular Observer columnist.