If there’s ever been a summer more challenging to our gardens, I would be very surprised. Record heat and record drought resulting in level three water restrictions — a triple threat.
Unfortunately, many folks simply give up on colour and beauty when it should be the prime time for enjoying our gardens.
As with all things in life, when given a lemon, make lemonade! There are many creative ways to inject colour and freshness into our gardens now by choosing heat-loving, drought-tolerant plants that once established, require minimal care and watering.
Beautiful ornamental grasses transition nicely from summer into fall. The most beautiful is the annual Purple Fountain Grass with its deep burgundy foliage and bunny-tail plumes that dance in every breeze. They look great, even all by themselves, in any container or garden.
The plumes on all hardy pennisetums are just now beginning to show and they are fun. The very compact P. ‘Hameln’ and P. ‘Piglet’ are beauties, so is P. ‘Burgundy Bunny’ with its burgundy striped foliage and dainty plumes. P. ‘Redhead‘ is a little more dramatic with larger bunny-tail plumes that really stand out year after year.
Miscanthus grasses also create magic. There’s a new trend towards smaller, more compact varieties, like my favourite ‘Yaku Jima’ with its tiny flower heads that bouce back and forth in the wind. The drama queens are the larger 4-5 foot grasses with large showy flower heads. Even without plumes, variegated miscanthus, like ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Cosmopolitan’, are quite the showstoppers.
Speaking of variegation, M. ‘Strictus’ (Porcupine Grass) is always a hit with its yellow horizontal stripes up and down the stems. A little smaller but very elegant, M. ‘Morning Light’ is a favourite for use in containers.
For a pop of late summer colour, newer varieties, like M. ‘Ghana’ and ‘Agassiz Red’ have rich autumn coloured foliage, as well as amazing plumes.
With so many planters looking tired right now, the more compact varieties of grasses can turn a boring planter into an interesting display. Fiery red Japanese Bloodgrass, the new ‘Beyond Blue’ fescue, the wow new carex grasses, like ‘Everillo, ‘Eversheen’ and ‘Everlime’, are all amazing by themselves or together in combination with virtually any contrasting foliage.
There’s never been such a wide selection of ornamental grasses available to add a fresh pickup and fun to our summer gardens. They love the heat and once established, are very drought tolerant.
Many are evergreen, too, and carry their beauty into winter.
