Ornamental Grasses - Their Place In A Dry Climate Garden

By Jonathan Ya'akobi

The use of grasses and grass-like plants in garden design is well established throughout the world. As they can solve a variety of design issues they are to be found in many different types of garden. While not specific then to dry climate gardens, ornamental grasses nonetheless provide the dry climate gardener with a number of exciting design options. These can be summed up as follows.

*Whether very low growing or billowing to 2 meters in height, they provide a sense of movement in the garden and a very definite vertical accent.

*By virtue of their feathery growth habit, a very clear texture is created in the garden composition, allowing ornamental grasses to function amongst broad-leaved plants as an emphasis element, or as a transitional element between fine textured plants, and courser textured ones. When placed amongst fine textured ornamentals which are not grass like, a subtle variation on the theme of delicate texture is created. In this way, two principles of good design are addressed - namely unity on the one hand (feathery texture) and variety (grasses and broadleaved plants) on the other.

*In dry climate regions where water is at a premium a few grasses can be dispersed in a bed of ornamental pebbles or wood chippings. With the addition of some stepping stones, such a configuration could replace a thirsty lawn and be aesthetically pleasing at the same time.

*They associate excellently with narrow leaved plants of outstanding sculptural value such as Yucca, Nolina, Dracaena, Phormium and Dietes. Therefore grasses of varying heights and shades can be massed to form the basis of a composition, playing a supporting role to a few special plants which function as emphasis elements. As the mass of grasses share a common leaf shape with the sculptural plants, the criteria of both unity and variety are again satisfied.

As previously mentioned, different species of decorative grasses vary greatly in terms of size and color. Here are a number of examples.

*The Pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana is suitable for large scale situations only. The real beauty is in the massive plumes that billow spectacularly from the foliage. The leaves of Pampas grass are serrated along their entire length, making the plant potentially dangerous. It should never be planted close to paths and entrances. A safe alternative to the Pampas grass could be the giant sedge, Cyperus papyrus

*Fountain Grass, Pennisetum setaceum grows to almost 2 meters, and also sports beautiful flower plumes. The main drawback is its tendency to disperse seed profusely, thereby becoming a noxious weed in certain circumstances. The purple leaved variety of the same species, 'Rubrum', does not seed itself and its foliage color is magnificent providing the plant is not over-used. It needs to be cut to the ground a couple of time a year and sometimes degenerates after a few years, but can nevertheless make a stunning contribution to the design. P.s.'Rubrum' covers about a meter in width, and therefore tends to smother neighboring flowers in an herbaceous border.

*Of similar size and habit is the Silver grass, Miscanthus sinensis. A number of varieties of the species have been developed, the most famous being the elegant M.s. 'Gracilimus'.

*There are a large number of low growing grass-like plants to choose from which are suitable in a herbaceous flower border, and indeed "hold" the bed for the period of time when annuals have to be replaced, or perennials cut down and rejuvenated. Examples are Liriope, Ophiopogon, the ever dependable Festuca, and various species of the sedge, Carex. Care should be taken though in choosing species that do not spread vegetatively and become a weedy pest. Some 5 years ago I added the cute and delicate Bulbous Oat Grass, Arrhenatherum elatius bulbosum to a flower bed, only for it to totally take over the border. It looked very nice, but my customer had enjoyed her flower color and so we had to spray the grasses to eliminate them before replanting the border. You have been warned!

About the author - Jonathan Ya'akobi. I've been gardening in a professional capacity since 1984. I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, but now concentrate on building gardens for private home owners. I also teach horticulture to students on training courses. I'd love to share my knowledge and experience with you. So you're welcome to visit me on http://www.dryclimategardening.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Ya'akobi

Japanese Garden Design Is Quite Simple If You Do This

By Jonathan G Higgins

Japanese garden design is about as hard to understand to Westerners as the Japanese language is. The relationship to the rich and ancient eastern culture adds to this difficulty. The practice is not just a style of landscaping. Rather, it a statement that delivers a specific meaning. Adding further to its complexity is the influence of fengshui and its borrowings from Buddhism and Chinese culture.

The intention of Japanese garden design is to use nature to make a statement. The main element is symbology, most of which is influenced by Shintoism and Buddhism, which is where the gods inhabit nature. This adds even more its cultural complexity making hard for us to understand.

Since the garden is making a statement or telling a story, the first step is to determine what story you want to tell. What is it you want to communicate to the world with your garden? It might be a good idea to decide in broad terms what you want to say, and then through some research find out how Japanese would go about communicating that truth, concept or story with a garden.

Another outstanding feature of Japanese garden design is that the main point is not to be beautiful or showy. The appearance of the garden is not its purpose, but rather the message is the purpose. Beauty is the after thought, so to speak.

The careful observer will notice that flowering plants are scarce or nonexistent in Japanese garden design. Rather, dry gravel streambed or sand swept into patterns and large rocks and boulders are used to tell the tales. Remember that the heart of all Japanese garden design is symbolism and storytelling, the tradition is that this is done with plants and other elements of nature and not so much the use of colorful flowers.

Equally important to Japanese garden design are the use of water, and more specifically the use of running water, which symbolizes passing time or life.

What shouldn’t get lost in Japanese garden design, but often is by Westerners because they think it’s ‘complicated’, is its simplicity. Once you know the story you are trying tell, it’s as simple as composing the elements of nature to tell that story.

What one should refrain from doing is blindly copying someone else’s garden. Why would you do that? Perhaps because you think it “looks” good. But if the “good looks” are just the result of the telling of a story, then the copier certainly is missing the point. It would be like framing a poem you don’t understand and hanging it on the wall. First think of what you want to say, and then through the principles of Japanese garden design learn how to say and then say it. Don’t start from the beauty, but rather from the story.

Jonathan sends out gardening tips to his newsletter subscribers. Just send an email to garden-design@aweber.com And be sure to visit Elegant Garden Design