Grasses: Versatile Partners for Uncommon Garden Design - Softcover

Ondra, Nancy J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 158017423X ISBN 13: 9781580174237

Verlag: Storey Publishing, LLC, 2002

Inhaltsangabe

From the dazzling orange leaves of Flame Grass to the feathery purple haze of Switch Grass, ornamental grasses can add a vibrant and colorful dimension to any garden. Nancy J. Ondra shows you how to use grasses on their own or in tandem with perennials, annuals, and shrubs to add visual interest and texture to your outdoor space. Insightful profiles of dozens of varieties of ornamental grasses enlivened by Saxon Holt’s stunning photography will inspire you to create your own dynamic, grass-filled gardens. 

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Nancy J. Ondra, author of Container Theme Gardens, is a garden writer and editor as well as the former owner and operator of a small rare-plant nursery. She is the author or co-author of a dozen gardening books, including Foliage (winner of the 2008 Book Award from the American Horticultural Society), The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer (winner of a 2006 Silver Award from the Garden Writers Association), Five-Plant Gardens, The Perennial Care Manual, Fallscaping, and Grasses. She currently gardens in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and blogs at www.hayefield.com.

Saxon Holt is a photojournalist who has spent more than 40 years exploring Kingdom Plantae and the fundamental importance of plants to the health of the planet. A lifelong gardener, he abandoned commercial photography when he discovered garden publishers and could no longer stay in a studio. His work has been featured in diverse publications, from Architectural Digest and Pacific Horticulture magazine, to Smithsonian and Money magazines.

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Select beautiful ornamental grasses, combine them with perennial flowers and other garden plants, and care for them so that they look great year round. Photos, plans, and plant lists for 20 unique garden designs, along with more than 160 color photographs provide inspiration for using ornamental grasses in a variety of garden settings.

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Chapter 3 - Color Palettes

Ornamental grasses come in an astounding array of hues and shades, from bright red and gold to copper, bronze, steel blue, and silver. The colors of some change to punctuate the seasons, creating variety that gardeners anticipate with delight; others offer consistent foliage color. A single colorful grass, such as the rich reddish purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'), can add welcome drama to a simple container planting from spring to frost; in masses, it makes a striking long-season landscape accent.

Grasses that change color throughout the year present a challenge, albeit an enjoyable one. With some grasses, spring color is most vivid, as with the sunny yellow foliage of golden wood millet (Milium effusum 'Aureum') or the bright white stripes of variegated bulbous oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatius ssp. bulbosum 'Variegatum'). These early birds are carefree companions for other spring beauties, including tulips, forget-me-nots (Myosotis sylvatica), and bleeding hearts (Dicentra spp.). Other ornamental grasses are at their most vivid in late summer and fall. The plain green early foliage bides its time while spring and early summer flowers take the stage, then gradually steps to the fore in a colorful show as summer progresses. Fall invites still more varied hues, with the changing shades of warm-season grasses fading to subdued rusts, bronzes, and golds after frost.

Ornamental grasses offer a vibrant color palette for the garden. May the images that follow inspire you to explore color in new, perhaps unexpected ways.

Glowing Golds and Bronzes

If you enjoy growing and using plants with colorful foliage, you'll find many golden and bronze grasses to add to your plant palette. Many of these grasses are striking enough to stand alone, but showcasing them with carefully chosen annual and perennial companions accentuates their true beauty.

Gold- and yellow-leaved grasses are particularly well suited for making exciting color combinations. Create a simple but handsome contrast by pairing a bright yellow or gold grass with a dark-green-leaved companion; for example, to add drama to a shady site, try golden wood millet (Milium effusum 'Aureum') against the daphnelike foliage of Robb's wood spurge (Euphorbia robbiae). For a cool-color combination and fabulous textural contrast, pair a golden grass with the bold foliage of a blue-leaved or blue-and-gold variegated hosta, such as 'Halcyon' or 'Aurora Borealis'. If you want a more daring display, combine golden grasses with plants having moody purple, maroon, or black foliage. Picture, if you will, golden greater wood rush (Luzula sylvatica 'Aurea') spiking up through the lacy, near-black leaves of 'Ravenswing' anthriscus (Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'), or the glowing foliage of Bowles' golden sedge (Carex elata 'Aurea') spilling over the broad foliage of 'Chocolate Ruffles' heuchera (Heuchera hybrid 'Chocolate Ruffles'). With just two

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Storey Publishing, LLC
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2002
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 158017423X
• ISBN 13: 9781580174237
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 144
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: WordUnited GmbH; distribution@wordunited.com; ; Theodorstrasse 105; DUSSELDORF; 40472; Deutschland