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In all my container and garden designs I consider foliage first. Flowers can be fickle, and when the foliage looks great and entertaining to the eye, then flowers are a bonus. Whether it’s bold leaves, glittering spillage or fine textured foliage, each plays an important part in the complete design. Grasses and grass-like plants offer graceful stature or cascading sweeps, bringing an exciting element to garden design.
 The tender-annual Pennisetum rubrum (purple fountain grass) is fabulous for catching the sunlight in the late afternoon.
Annual performers
Taller grasses, both annual and perennial, catch the eye as they dance in the sunlight, especially when in bloom. Large containers have benefited from these grasses for years as most growers are familiar with Pennisetum rubrum (purple fountain grass) and use it freely when space permits. It complements the bold colors of coleus and many other flowering annuals. Likewise, purple fountain grass stands perfectly with neighboring perennials in the garden. Its dark red foliage simply hasn’t been found yet in a perennial grass.
 Pennisetum ‘Fireworks’
Pennisetums come in all shapes and sizes. More new varieties have been introduced in the last few years with a great color range. ‘Fireworks’ is brilliant variegated burgundy-pink with a little green. It is more vigorous, shorter and bushier then purple fountain grass, making it perfect to plant almost anywhere. Mixed with other annuals, it glows in containers in full sun. In shaded areas, the lighter pink tones are more prevalent. Developed by Creek Hill Nursery, it will be joined by another green and white variegated fountain grass this spring.
Perennial favorites
Perennial grasses have been generally grown in nursery operations from divisions. This has kept the cost of production up because of recovery times and labor costs. In the last couple of years, breeders have developed several varieties of perennial grasses that are as easy to grow from seed as many of their annual counterparts.
The benefit of growing seed varieties is primarily that the production cost is lower, so the selling price is lower too, giving you no excuse not to try them and putting more of them in your product mix.
I have had good success with eragrostis, nassella, fescue and the newer carex varieties. When grown from seed, these grasses and sedges generally grow faster than their vegetatively propagated relatives, they tend to have a fuller habit, and produce soft fine immature foliage that is pleasing to touch.
 P. purpureum ‘Princess’ is a beefy grower best used in the garden or large containers.P. purpureum ‘Princess’ and ‘Prince’ have bold dark red foliage almost 1-inch wide and each withstands high winds without lodging or splitting. These two are almost identical in the young plant stage, quickly growing 2-3 feet tall and just as wide. As they develop during the summer ‘Prince’ towers above ‘Princess’ reaching 4-6 feet tall, depending on growing conditions. Although they may seem large, when used in proper proportions, these two grasses are simply dramatic, filling large containers or garden beds without flopping over. They are considered annual or semi-tropical in nature (USDA Hardiness Zone 9). However, some Zone 8 gardeners have found some perennial tendencies, especially during mild winters. Unlike P. rubrum, these two will not bloom unless overwintered in a greenhouse.
Annual grasses are so much fun to play with because if they don’t work, the cost of trialing them is generally less expensive. Many annual grasses are grown from seed and can quickly mature into a useable size.
 The soft foliage and glittering flowers of Melinus nerviglume (pink champagne grass) draw comments and compliments wherever it’s used.Melinus nerviglume (pink champagne grass or ruby grass) is a fast growing annual with soft, touchable foliage and tremendous flower power. Formerly known as Rhyncheletrum nerviglume, pink champagne grass matures to about 2½ feet. When planted in the southern United States, it’s sometime sheared back to re-flush a second time. My experience during long hot summers, if it wilts it can be cut back to clean up the foliage and it simply grows back out. If watering is not a problem, no trimming is necessary, and the silvery-pink flowering plumes simply pour out on top of one another.
 Eragrostis elliottii ‘Wind Dancer’ is a more formal looking grass that can be easily grown from seed or divisions, and gets 2-3 feet wide and rarely over 2 feet tall.Eragrostis
A tender perennial in the north, but solidly hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 6b or 7 in the southern states, Eragrostis elliottii ‘Wind Dancer’ is a great cascading grass planted alone in containers. If a consumer wants a container near a brightly colored mixed planting, it can seem a little too busy if the container is a mixture too. In those cases it can be very effective to use a single grass specimen in an urn, a jar or other formal container for a large pivotal finial at the end of or in the middle of the border. A single, soft, cascading grass on a column unifies the plantings, making the design meld together and providing a place for the eyes to rest.
 Nassella
Nassella tenuissima (Mexican feather grass), also known as stipa, is another perennial grass that is used when a soft texture is needed, especially in drier growing conditions. It is a perfect choice for rock gardens, succulent combinations and xeric designs. Mexican feather grass is a semi-upright plant that grows about 1 foot tall and just as wide. It boasts lovely sandy-gold foliage that is so light and delicate that it reacts to the slightest breeze.
 Festuca glauca (sheep’s fescue) is most striking when paired with rex begonias, caladiums and other annuals.Festuca
When dealing with shade, fescues are excellent partners for containers with their soft, fine foliage that drapes, mounds and softens the edges of other plant groupings.
Festuca glauca (sheep’s fescue) is easily grown from seed, with its selected relatives more likely grown from divisions. All plants in this group are similarly beautiful, touchable grasses. They can be planted at the base and edge of containers. The metallic blue color of most fescues is particularly striking when paired alongside rex begonias.
Carex
 The warm, earth-tone color of Carex testacea really shows off when placed next to red, yellow or orange flowers and foliage like cuphea and acalypha.The carex family is a group of sedges that can be very showy even with their small stature. They prefer more moisture than other grasses, especially when planted in sunny locations. Most of these are semi-evergreen and although most are small with foliage under 1 foot long, they cascade gracefully out of pots, providing much-needed spillage. Often when planted in the ground, the members of this family will simply mound, creating a nice, full border or large clump. They are wonderful for softening areas in a rock garden or mingling with other perennial plants, providing texture. When put into containers their foliage continues to grow cascading to 24 inches or longer.
I frequently use Carex hachijoensis ‘Evergold’ to cascade out of mixed containers of lysmachia, ligularia, hosta and heuchera. Many times I combine ‘Evergold’ with slower-growing conifers and evergreens like Buxus sempervivens ‘Variegata’(variegated boxwood). This boxwood provides the fine foliage and contrast I’m looking for.
The colorful mounds of C. testacea (orange hair sedge, prairie fire) prefer moist sunny conditions. C. testacea can be grown from divisions or seed and is hardy to Zone 6b. This sedge is one of the larger members of this family. It certainly looks great in a sunny perennial garden, but I love to mix it in containers with brightly colored annuals and tropical plants where it is perfect for separating large, bold and colorful foliage.
There are several new carex varieties. This is due primarily to the work of breeders and major seed producers that recently found a way to propagate large volumes of true-to-name varieties that previously were propagated from divisions.
The vegetatively propagated C. albula ‘Frosty Curls’ has a seed produced counterpart named ‘Amazon Mist.’ C. comans ‘Bronze Form’ has a seed relative known as C. flagellifera ‘Bronzita.’ Production of these newer introductions ranges from12-16 weeks, but their holding capacity in the final growing container extends far beyond that, making this group an excellent choice for retail production. The seed varieties consistently have soft immature foliage, more uniform growth and finish quicker than the plants produced from divisions.
The warm, earth-tone color of Carex testacea really shows off when placed next to red, yellow or orange flowers and foliage like cuphea and acalypha.
Carex hachijoensis ‘Evergold’ is one of the most popular sedges with its predominately evergreen striped leaves of green and gold or creamy white. This sedge is great for brightening up dark areas.
 Many botanical gardens have put the dramatic form of Cyperus papyrus (Egyptian paper plant) to work, as shown here at Chanticleer in Philadelphia.Other grasses to consider
Other grasses and grass-like plants to consider for dramatic linear lines or soft textural components are the family of Juncus, Papyrus, Equisetums and Liriope. All have wonderful attributes that can be used for countless creative combinations.
There are many forms of papyrus or true cyperus. Some are short, others tall and several in-between. These plants tolerate soggy, bog conditions, but grow equally well in containers with a variety of plants. They can grow in a pot without a drain-hole or they can be at home with annual and perennial mixes. Most can tolerate full sun, but grow in shady locations, too. This is truly an untapped source for form and drama in the garden.
Rita Randolph is owner, Randolph’s Greenhouses, (731) 422-2768; www.randolphsgreenhouses.com.
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