Grasses— Grow Your Own Prairie by Heidi Hesselein Vice President of Pleasant Run Nursery Or Much of My Gardening Composition)

Feature Article Grasses— Grow your own Prairie by Heidi Hesselein Vice President of Pleasant Run Nursery or much of my gardening composition). Luckily, there are a are silvery in the fall when Flife, the primary garden style number of native grasses that do backlit by morning or afternoon I knew and loved was based on very well in our varied conditions, sunlight. A new cultivar, which is the English Cottage Garden. The and, as a nursery producing plants particularly showy, is A. gerardii season-long color provided by an for our regional landscapes, we ‘Red October’. The green blades ever-changing mix of flowering are growing an ever-increasing are tipped with burgundy in bulbs, perennials, and shrubs number of genera, species, and summer, and the fall color is presented all I thought I needed cultivars. The following is a truly spectacular, turning a bright in gardening beauty, and I never discussion of the grasses we scarlet red for several weeks after lacked for plant options. Then particularly love. the first frost. I started to see gardens where Andropogon is a genus which Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde grasses were incorporated into is well represented in fields, Ambition’ (zone 4) is a new the mix, and soon gardens began meadows, and rights-of-way. introduction to appear which were almost A. virginicus or broomsedge of blue grama. exclusively composed of grasses. (zone 5) is a 3' tall example, It is a smaller Europeans, particularly in with an upright year-round habit native grass, Germany and the Netherlands, which changes from green in the growing about have been enjoying native summer to a soft orange-tan in 2' tall and American grasses in their winter. Happiest in dry, sterile producing landscapes for a long time, soils, A. virginicus does not do fine, thin, developing cultivars which make well in sites with significant Bouteloua gracilis green blades our options even more colorful irrigation. ‘Blonde Ambition’ in spring. The and varied. These underused crowning glory is the seed head natives have reappeared in our display, with showy horizontal homeland, in the beautiful work inflorescences that look like tiny done by Piet Oudolf, Wolfgang tan and straw colored feathers. Oehme, Kurt Bluemel, and The Panicum (switchgrass) a number of other visionary genus is a large and showy group, designers. A fruitful partnership containing some of our favorite has developed between them and grasses. Switchgrasses (zone 4), our own renowned plantsmen like are amazingly resilient, thriving Roy Diblik, Rick Darke, Steve Andropogon gerardii ‘Red October’ in almost any conditions except Castorani, James Brown, and Another much bigger wet soils and deep shade. Heights John Hoffman, to name just a few. Andropogon, more suitable of cultivars vary from 3–8', and On the East Coast, to the back of the garden, is foliage colors vary from green to reproducing the environmental A. gerardii or big bluestem (zone blue to vivid burgundy on the tips conditions of Midwestern 3). The 5' tall stems are sturdy, of the blades. Panicum virgatum prairies can be difficult (with and the turkey-foot seed heads ‘Shenandoah’ is a red-tipped differences in moisture, and soil Vol. 30, No. 2 Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group 3 the fall season, past the point of two grasses most commonly seen other green Panicums. in abandoned fields and paths. Many exciting options have Sorghastrum nutans or Indian grass (zone 4) is a tall-grass prairie staple, which provides significant food for grassland birds. Selections have been made that produce 2' tall blue-green Panicum virgatum Ruby Ribbons=‘Rr1’ foliage clumps, out of which rise 5' tall seed heads in late summer. Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Carousel’ come from the Schizachyrium scoparium or little bluestem group (zone 3). Some are 30" tall, like Schizachyrium scoparium Panicum virgatum ‘Dallas Blues’ ‘Carousel’, while other cultivars reach 4' tall, like ‘Standing Ovation’, ‘Smoke Signal’ and Sorghastrum nutans ‘Indian Steel’ ‘Twilight Zone’. All of them have These emerge in beautiful shades blue-green stems in summer and of copper, maturing to chestnut stunning fall color in shades of tan in fall and winter. Few sights purple, red, orange, and mauve. are more entrancing than a large Schizachyrium has a delicate expanse of Sorgastrum blowing in upright habit in dry, sterile the fall and winter breezes. Two Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’ sites, but is often floppy in rich reliably steel blue cultivars are introduction from the National or moist soils. The seed heads ‘Indian Steel’ and ‘Sioux Blue’. Arboretum, and from it has come are displayed climbing up the Sporobolus heterolepis or a group of increasingly lovely 3' stems and make a gauzy silver prairie dropseed (zone 4) makes tall blue and burgundy cultivars show when backlit by autumn a fine-textured, long-lived like Ruby Ribbons=‘Rr1’, ‘Hot sunlight. Schizachyrium spp. and clump, which requires very little Rod’, and ‘Cheyenne Sky’. For Andropogon virginicus are the maintenance. The fine green steel blue foliage, it is hard to blades are 18" tall, and are topped top ‘Dallas Blues’, a 5' tall grass by airy, elegant 24" high seed with a more open habit that has heads in late summer and early very showy large inflorescences fall. Besides being beautiful (orange, mauve, and purple). (especially when backlit by sun), For an upright architectural the inflorescences emit a strong grass, ‘Heavy Metal’ (4' tall) and sweet fragrance, detectable and ‘Northwind’ (6' tall) are from a good distance when both excellent, topped by airy planted in mass. The flowering tan seed heads all winter. The period is succeeded by an tallest Panicum we have grown impressive fall foliage display is ‘Cloud Nine’, topping out at 8'. in shades of copper and orange. A new introduction from North The fine textured blades and seed Creek Nurseries is ‘Cape Breeze’, heads become a light tan and a 30" tall green Panicum which Schizachyrium scoparium are not a significant presence in maintains its green color late into ‘Standing Ovation’ winter. 4 Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group March 2016 There are many reasons When placed in a landscape for incorporating native together, the end result is grasses into the landscape. your own “instant prairie”, The primary reason is that with the subtle, year- the plantings of natives are round appeal of movement critical to the survival of and changing colors. wildlife, especially grassland This can be augmented birds. Even relatively by adding a number of limited plantings provide lovely and resilient native sources of food, shelter, and forbs* to add more vivid nesting opportunities. Since summer and fall color. naturally occurring grasslands Schizachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’ in front of Lindera Some particularly showy have largely disappeared, glauca var. salicifolia additions are members of particularly on the East Coast, The grasses described the aster, dogbane, and mint it is important to supplement above all provide interest and families, such as Amsonia, Aster, them with whatever landscape beauty virtually all year. The Echinacea, Monarda, Rudbeckia, opportunities we can create. This maintenance needed by grasses and Solidago. Big or small in is particularly important in urban is really just a cutback to 6–12" scale, a garden incorporating and suburban settings. in March, before the cycle grasses and companion plants has Besides providing wildlife of new growth begins. Large something lovely to offer all year habitat, prairie grasses are grasses, such as Panicums and and, just as important for many excellent vehicles for topsoil Sorgastrum, need to be divided of us, grasses have proven to be retention. Their root systems every three to five years in order consistently deer resistant. are extremely fibrous and deep, to keep the clumps healthy and making them an excellent anchor vigorous. Other than that, the in sites that experience runoff need for maintenance is very Heidi Hesselein received her B.A. events. In addition, rainwater is in English Literature at Middlebury small, since grasses thrive on College in Vermont, and then worked filtered, cleaned, and retained neglect (no fertilizer, no extra in two California Nurseries. She joined significantly when it passes irrigation, and once a year cut Princeton Nurseries in New Jersey as through beds of grasses. And, back). If left to themselves, a 4th generation nurseryperson, where she received extensive experience prairie grasses show excellent grasses provide soft, flowing growing and selling a wide range tolerance of periodic dry movement in the summer of woody plants. Ultimately, she conditions, making supplemental landscape, topped by dramatic left Princeton to start Pleasant Run irrigation unnecessary when and beautiful seed head displays Nursery with her husband Richard, to produce garden-worthy woodies and established. from late summer on through perennials for the wholesale trade. the winter. In addition to the Heidi continues to maintain her attractive architectural forms status as both a Certified Nursery grasses provide, a number of them and Landscape Professional. She also provide extraordinary fall has spoken at numerous symposia, arboreta, conferences, trade color before they transition into organizations, and garden clubs. the attractive tans and buff colors Listen to Heidi speak at March Into of winter. Spring XX. There, she will direct our All these grasses combine eyes upward from grasses into the well together, since their preferred canopy in her talk, Smaller Trees, Bigger Impact. (See page 1.) growing conditions are so similar. Ed Note: Photos provided by Lisa They always perform best in full Strovinsky. A full-color version of this article sun, and look particularly striking can be found on the HPS/MAG website, when sited in front of large www.hardyplant.org. shrubs or evergreens, as long as * Herbaceous flowering plants that are not Sporobolus heterolepis their light requirements are met. grasses, sedges, nor rushes.

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