Unusual grasses need special care

摘要

In past issues of TurfGrass Trends, we've looked at oddball, rarely used grasses that have bona fide applications to mowed tuff. The grasses we've covered have niche functions for sites where ordinary lawn grasses -- bluegrass, bermudagrass and thelike -- won't persist due to drought, shade, salt and so on. This installment looks at a different function for these unconventional grasses: as ornamental landscape plants. Ornamental grasses have received a lot of coverage in the landscape and gardening periodicals in recent years. You've undoubtedly viewed vivid photographs of the 300 individual varieties of Miscanthus, fountaingrass and pampasgrass available and read about their care. Eulalia, fountaingrass and pampasgrass are vegetatively propagated grasses, meaning that shoot cuttings are taken from a mother plant to start new daughter plants. Vegetative grasses are container-grown in nurseries, similar to how herbaceous and woody ornamentals are produced. This tedious process is necessary to perpetuate the interesting colors, textures or variegations of the original.