A good time for ornamental grass
And the further west you go, the better and more distinctly beautiful this light becomes. So, as the days shorten and the sun sinks lower in the sky, it emphasises colour as it backlights the intricate tracery of many autumnal flowers.
This effect can be seen to best effect in September and October when the low light coincides with the peak of their flowering, but I feel they need something bold and arching to set them off.
It ought to have a good leaf and look tidy throughout the summer. It must look trim and proper at all times but especially during autumn and into winter. So among the long list of excellent late perennials I would consider the newer (and better) forms of ornamental grass, varieties with modest foliage and richly coloured awns (flowering seed-heads) which last well into winter.
Grass, you may well argue, grows all summer and exhausts us where we least want it. It comes in all manner of varieties, many of which behave themselves and look handsome throughout the year but the ornamental forms have now ceased to be a novelty item and are taking root in the imagination of keen gardeners who, up to recent years, may have been unsure of how to use them effectively.
Piet Oudolf, the Dutch designer and a pioneer of ‘prairie planting’ changed our outlook by demonstrating that the planting of ornamental grasses wasn’t just about flowing movement and silhouette, but also by extending the gardening season better than other late season plants. Many of the best forms don’t start performing until midsummer, so they do add late-season excitement and often carry on throughout the winter.
The queen of the ornamental grasses, forms of Miscanthus sinensis, also known as Japanese silver grass, can be used in any position where a mound-forming grass is needed. Depending on variety these produce masses of flowers and the fresh, silky awns come in a variety of colours from plum-purple through to pink, and from mink-brown to silver. But they all fade to beige-silver and as they disintegrate over the winter, the heads provide a gossamer silhouettes varying in height from 4 feet to 8 feet or more.
Yakushima Dwarf is probably one of the most distinctive but it is only one in a crowd. Its foliage is rounded (like a table top) and sends out more shoots that others due to its dwarf habit. The many golden-brown cockades are held just above the foliage. Ferner Osten (illustrated) is another compact form with vibrant, wine-red awns and I like to grow this among the striking dark-eyed deep yellow Rudbeckia fulgida commonly known as Black-eyed Susan.
Morning Light, on the other hand, is an upright sheath of slender, variegated cream and green foliage that is useful for brightening up and refining the late border. Experience with many of these grasses suggests that they by no means need hot, dry positions, but good drainage is certainly very important. During the first year or so in the garden, take care that plants are not swamped by more rambunctious neighbours. After that, they’re more than capable of looking after themselves.
RAIN: The rains have arrived and the sun continues to rapidly tilt away. The light is hessian-coloured, and the first real tinge of autumn is noticeable in the morning and evening air. For all that, I like the autumn sun, mainly for its luminosity which gives a glitter to everything it touches. Over the years I have learned the angles that it takes during this royal seasons and how it finds its way around the front and back garden. I plant accordingly.
DAISIES: These are a great favourite of mine, especially the Argyranthemum sold as ‘Jamaica Primrose’. I introduced this excellent shrub (old-fashioned name Marguerite) to readers years ago and whilst it fell out of favour with the newer generation of gardeners, the horny-handed hang on to it for its prolific, non-stop blooming from late spring to early winter. Dead-heading and a warm situation seem to be the only requirements it insists upon. Plants put on extra fast growth (and flowers) the later the season becomes and as such are expert at concealing gaps. The yellow blooms match very well the dark foliage of clump-forming dahlias also at accompanying the late blues which appear on two essential families, the Salvias and the lovely Aconitums. The easiest salvia is still uliginosa, which has short spikes of sky-blue flower but it has a habit of disappearing in the kind of winter we experienced last year. Experts tell me that the culprit is more often a slug than hard frosts, but whichever I do want to hang onto this particular form.
LAWNS: Examine lawns this month for unsightly yellow patches. Recent rains and the moisture it brought eliminates drought as the cause, so the problem could be attack by chafer grubs or leatherjackets. A sure sign that roots are under attack is by the repeated presence of birds on the lawn. Natural predators include crows, jackdaws, magpies, and even foxes which dig up the turf in search of the grubs. They do more damage to the lawn than the pests, so firm back loose areas of grass or re-seed this autumn. You can also control the grubs to prevent further disturbance. Until recently no chemical control was available to gardeners. However, Bayer Garden Provado Lawn Grub Killer based on the systemic insecticide imidacloprid, is now approved for use. For the most effective control treat at the egg-laying stage, mid August to September for leatherjackets and late May or June for chafer grubs. Apply an autumn lawn food now that rains have softened most swards.
AUTUMN: Leaves may look lovely scattered under trees and across vistas of grass but put mesh over ponds and pools to prevent leaf build up on the floor of water features. Harmful gases are produced when these begin to rot down and when frosts arrive and freeze the surface any ornamental fish present could be put under severe stress. Already, many trees are beginning to lose their foliage, whereas in the past it was well into autumn.
PROTECTION: If you live in an area where September frosts are not unknown, have some fleece or cloches to hand to protect tender or young plants if the forecasters warn of cold nights. Be prepared also for the planting of spring bulbs (more on these shortly). Early shopping means that you will have the choicest varieties to peruse — even if you don’t intend to plant them for some time. Tulips in particular should not be planted before mid November at the earliest.
- Cobh Community Hospital, will hold their annual garden fete, tomorrow, 2.30pm in a new sensory garden.
- Mallow Mayor Dan Joe Fitzgerald announces the winners of the Garden Competition for 2011 on Monday, October 10 in the Hibernian Hotel. All welcome.
- Douglas Union of Parishes, in conjunction with Cork Flower Club and Friends, hold a Harvest Flower Festival in St Luke’s Church Douglas next weekend (September 23 to 25). The opening will be by guest of honour Helen Dillon (author and broadcaster) at a wine reception on Friday at 7.30pm. Admission is €10 by ticket or invitation only. Viewing and refreshments on Saturday, 10am to 6pm (admission €10), after which a concert “Music amongst the Flowers” takes place (admission €15 by ticket only). Sunday viewing and refreshments is from 10am to 2pm (admission €10). Additional attractions in Canon Packham Hall include; cakes and jams, plants and country produce, crafts, books, toys.
- An ‘Autumn Gardening Seminar’ with Dermot O’Neill and Brian Cross, takes place at Fota Arboretum and Gardens, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork on Saturday, September 24 from 9am. Rare plant specialists will attend. Booking: 021-4815543
- Dungarvan Flower and Garden Club host Dermot O’Neill at The Park Hotel Dungarvan, Wednesday, September 21 at 8pm. Tickets from Jane Casey Florist, Main Street Dungarvan or contact 024 96011. All the proceeds will go to the Haematology Department, Waterford Regional Hospital.
- Blarney and District Flower and Garden Club will have a garden walk at Liam and Ann Griffin’s garden, Watergrasshill, on Thursday next. Members to meet at 6.30pm.
- Mallow Flower and Garden Club host a floral demonstration with Mary Teresa Linehan in the Mercy Centre on Tuesday next at 8pm.
- Hosfords Enniskeane is to have bulb planting demonstrations today at 11am and 3pm with a repeat on Saturday September 24.
- Marie Ní Chasthasaigh and Chris Newman are in concert at Hosfords on Thursday, October 6. Tickets €25.
- Conna Flower and garden club, demonstration by Bernadette Scanlon (AOIFA), Sept 21, 8pm.
- Sunday’s Well Flower and Garden Club, talk on Beekeeping by Noel Power, Wednesday September 21 at 8pm in St Vincent’s Parish Centre.
- Ladysbridge District Flower and garden club host Octavia Tulloch (Heritage bulbe) on September 19, 8pm, Garryvoe Hotel on best use from bulbs and seeds.
- Cork Alpine /Hardy Plant Society host Richard Hobbs of Witton Lane Seeds “Small Bulbs For Small Gardens” at the Lavanagh Centre September 29 at 7.45pm.
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