Grasses

Below is our current list of grasses in stock. There will be variations as plants sell out or propagation is not successful, please use this as a guide and not a definative list. It is imposible to keep it updated all the time through the year along side all the other nursery work that needs done.  Grasses in horticulture can often be confusing. Plants that look like they should be grasses by classification aren’t. I have decided to also include “grass-like” plants with in our Grass page here. With neary 100 new additions across the whole plant list hopefully you will find something for your own garden. There are other pot sizes available for some of them and some plants are not listed as we have limited numbers. If you are looking for something not on the list, please get in touch.

Acorus

Acorus calamus

Sweet Flag is a marginal (shallow) water plant with erect, sword-shaped aromatic leaves. It has insignificant flowers and the rhizomatous root grows shallowly across the soil. Grow at pond margins or in wet soil in full sun where it will gradually spread to form an attractive architectural clump which. H 60-90cm.                2L pot            £9.00

Acorus gramineus 'Hakuro Nishiki'

A compact, semi-evergreen, grass-like perennial with bright yellow and green variegated foliage. Foliage remains evergreen in mild regions but in colder climates some leaf tips may need to be trimmed with scissors in the spring to tidy them up. If clumps begin to thin out in the centre, plan on dividing them during the spring. H 10 – 50cm, S 10 – 50cm.                 9cm pot            £4.00

Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'

This is not a true grass, but plants do have a distinctive, grassy appearance. ‘Ogon’ forms a low tuft of narrow sword-shaped leaves that are bright glowing golden yellow. Because it will grow in shallow standing water, it is ideal for boggy area or at the side of a pons or water feature. Flowers are green and insignificant. Foliage remains evergreen in mild regions but in colder climates some leaf tips may need to be trimmed with scissors in the spring to tidy them up. If clumps begin to thin out in the centre, plan on dividing them during the spring.

H 20cm, S 25cm.                  2L pot            £9.00

Acorus gramineus 'Variegatus'

Sweet Flag is not a true grass, but it does have a distinctive, grassy appearance. This one forms a low mound of narrow sword-shaped leaves, striped lengthwise with green and creamy-white. Flowers are green and insignificant. The foliage remains evergreen in mild regions but in colder climates some leaf tips may need to be trimmed with scissors in the spring to tidy them up. H 25cm, S 30cm.                  9cm pot            £4.00   

Andropogon

Andropogon gerardii

Commonly called big bluestem grass, Andropogon is a tall Missouri native. Once the dominant grass of the tall grass prairie which once covered large parts of the Midwest. It may be grown as an ornamental grass because of its attractive foliage which changes color seasonally, its good architectural height and its interesting flower/seed heads. It grows in an upright clump of stems with flattened leaves (to 2' long and 3/8" wide) which emerge gray to blue green in spring, mature to green with red tinges in summer and turn reddish bronze with lavender tones in autumn after frost. Flowering stems rise in late summer above the foliage clump bearing purplish 3-parted, finger-like flower clusters (to 4" long). Flowering stems bring total height of this grass to 4-8' tall (typically at the taller end in moist soils and the shorter end in dry soils).                  2L pot            £9.00

Anthoxanthum

Anthoxanthum odoratum

“Sweet vernal-grass” is a short, loosely tufted, perennial grass. It is the earliest grass to flower in a meadow; its yellowish green spike-like heads typically appearing in early May. It has short, broad leaves which have the scent of freshly cut hay with a hint of vanilla (hence ‘sweet’ in its name).

H 100cm, S 30cm.                    1L pot          £6.00

Briza

Briza media

This is the popular semi-evergreen quaking grass which forms tight mounds of foliage and throws up many many delicate, quaking flowerheads that bob in the slightest wind. Plant in sun or light shade. Height 60cm, S 40cm.                   2L pot          £9.00

Calamagrostis

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Avalanche’    

An upright and gracefully arching grass with purple-green flowers turning golden in late summer over variegated foliage. Good winter interest. Any reasonable soil in sun or semi-shade. H 1.5m, S 45cm.                    2L pot          £9.00            

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’     

A superb, architectural, wind-tolerant grass with a very long season of interest that will stand right through winter and continue to provide a strong vertical accent in the border in sun or light shade and any reasonable soil. H 2m, S 45 cm.                  2L pot          £9.00

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’    

A clump-forming, upright grass with variegated leaves with pink tints. Fairly wind tolerant in sun and any soil.

H 1.8m, S 45cm.                  2L pot          £9.00

Calamagrostis emodensis

Calamagrostis emodensis, in contrast to other Calamagrostis, has flowers of a weeping in habit. Even better the flowers last from mid summer well into winter. Plant in most soils and a sunny position or partial shade. H90cm, S50cm.                     2L pot          £9.00

Carex

Carex buchananii AGM

Dense, upright clumps of bronze leaves that are redder in winter and curly at the tips. Invaluable in a multitude of planting schemes. Good with Knautia, Heuchera and Centaurea or in containers. Plant in well-drained soil in full sun. H 75cm, S 30cm.                    9cm pot          £3.50

Carex dipsacea  

Lovely shiny, olive bronze green leaves forming an arching evergreen clump and long flower stems with prominent little black ‘bees’ that hover over the foliage in early summer. Moist well-drained soil in full sun. H 45cm, S 60cm.                     9cm pot          £3.50

Carex elata ‘Aurea’ AGM

Outstanding plant, forming a neat clump of vibrant, golden-yellow leaves, greener in shade. For moist soil in full sun or partial shade and can be grown directly in water, where it can make quite an arresting clump reflected in the surface of a pond. H 60cm, S 30cm.                                        2L pot          £9.00

Carex flagellifera

This carex forms a clump of narrow, reddish-brown leaves, with light brown flower spikes on stems in late summer. Great for all year-round colour in the garden or in pots. Plant in sun or partial shade in most soils. H1m, S70cm.                    9cm pot          £3.50

Carex grayi

“Mace sedge”, A very attractive broad-leafed sedge with arching green leaves and in early summer mid-green flowers, followed by green, star-shaped seedheads making it popular with flower arrangers. It is a native to North America where it grows near rivers and in forests. Thrives in wet areas but also seems to be able to cope well in dryer conditions. See it growing in our woodland garden. H 60cm, S 60cm.                    9cm pot          £3.50

Carex ‘Ice Dance’

A tough little plant with stiff, wide dark glossy green leaves edged cream. Best in moist well-drained soil but quite tolerant of dry shade and looks good all year round. Good for groundcover and in time makes a dense impenetrable thicket. H 30cm, S 45cm.                     2L pot          £9.00

Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’ AGM

A neat grass forming low, evergreen clumps 60cm wide and leaves 1.5cm wide, with a pale- cream centre. Tolerant of shade or some sun, plant beneath coppiced shrubs for winter interest. H 30cm, S 30cm.                  9cm pot          £4.00

Carex testacea

Similar to Carex dipsacea but with more orange bronze colour in autumn and winter. Grow in sun and moist soil. Great for winter interest. H 40cm, S 40cm.                   9cm pot          £3.50

          

Deschampsia

Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Bronzeschleier’ (Bronze Veil)

A strictly clump-forming grass creating a nice, dark-green tuft, topped by long stems carrying a billowing mass of finely textured bronze inflorescences in mid- to late summer. Good with a multitude of perennials or planted en masse. H 120cm, S 45cm.                   9cm pot          £3.50

Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Coral Cloud’

Dense, evergreen clumps of slender foliage with elegant sprays of flower-spikes emerging in early summer. Plant in semi shade in moist well drained soil.

H 1.2m, S 45cm.                     1L pot          £6.00

Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Garnet Schist’  

A very early-flowering clone raised and selected here, used in Nigel Dunnett’s show garden and launched officially at Chelsea in 2012! The grass has an upright, graceful habit and lovely, shimmering, ruby-coloured seed heads from early May that turn gold then parchment later. 1.2m in sun or shade and all but the driest of soils. H 1.2m, S 45cm.                     9cm pot          £3.50

Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’ (Golden Dew)

A shorter, more compact cultivar with a shimmering mass of finely textured, pale-green flowerheads in mid-summer.

H 80cm, S 30cm.                    2L pot          £9.00

Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Tauträger’

Tall, arching stems, topped with compact heads of silvery flowers, followed by buttery-yellow seed heads. H 1.2m, S 30cm.                    1L pot          £6.00

Deschampsia flexuosa

A native of woods, slopes, fields, grasslands and open areas in North America, Europe and Asia. In summer the panicles spread out wide and form delightful airy cloud of tiny, bronze flowers over the foliage. Will grow almost anywhere and looks good in borders or as a stand alone plant. For sun or partial shade in any soil. H 80cm, S 40cm..                    2L pot          £9.00

Elymus

Elymus magellanicus

Very attractive South American grass forming an eye-catching clump of intense, powdery-blue, lax leaves that excels in poor, dry soil and full sun. Great with Erysimum and Euphorbia for early spring interest or later with Phlomis and Salvia. H 40cm, S 45cm.                      2L pot          £9.00

Festuca  

Festuca glauca

The Blue Fescue produces dense tufts of glaucous blue, wiry leaves that will be conspicuously attractive as a specimen plant or edging for a border or simply in a pot. H 30cm, S 30cm.                   9cm pot          £3.50

Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’  

Tufty little evergreen blue grass. Good for contemporary plantings and gravel gardens. Full sun and well-drained light soil.  

H 25cm, S30cm.                    9cm pot          £3.50

Hakonechloa

Hakonechloa macra

This species carries layers of wide, bright-green, deciduous leaves and small, loose, green flowers. The overall effect being calm and restful as it forms mounds of flowing foliage. Good with Hostas and best in moist shade where eit can flow over the edge of a border or path.

H35cm, S50cm.                    9cm pot          £4.00

           

Juncus

Juncus effusus f spiralis

An evergreen rush with curious cork-screw like spiral growth forming a bushy clump which thrives in damp to wet soil. Ideal for boggy ground or the margins of ponds. Insignificant flowers appear in summer. Can also be grown in a pot. H 30cm, S 30cm.                    9cm pot          £4.00

Luzula  

Luzula nivea

“Snowy woodrush” Short wands of fluffy, white flowers in early summer over softly hairy, dark-green leaves. A tough, evergreen ground cover grass for dry shade with Hellebores beneath trees. One of my favourites. H 50cm, S 45cm.                    9cm pot          £4.00

Luzula sylvatica ‘Hohe Tatra’

Upright, broad, evergreen, acid greenish-yellow leaves in winter and spring, becoming greener in summer. Tall spikes of chestnut-brown flowers.

H 60cm, S 45cm.                    9cm pot          £4.00

Melica

Melica altissima 'Atropurpurea' 

This grass forms a spreading clump of light green leaves, with erect stems bearing one-sided raceme-like panicles of glossy deep purple spikelets in summer. Plant it amongst light coloured foliage and flowers to get the most from the contrast of the dark flowers. Plant in sn or partial shade and most soils.

H 120cm, S 50cm.                     2L pot          £9.00

Melica ciliata

A deciduous, perennial grass forming a spreading clump of stiff, narrow green or blue-green leaves. In late spring it produces upright or arching stems with flower spikes up to 15cm long made up of small, pale cream flowers with silky hairs. Plant in sun or partial shade and well drained soil.

H 70cm.                    9cmpot          £3.50

Melica uniflora f Albida

An attractive grass with neat clumps of soft green foliage and fine sprays of white tiny flowers. Very effective planted among ferns and hostas in shade.

H 60cm, S 30cm.                    9cm pot          £4.00

Milium

Milium effusum ‘Aureum’ AGM (Bowles Golden Grass)  

Partially drought tolerant grass with vibrant, bright, fresh golden yellow leaves in early spring. Good in a shady spot but colours best in full sun. Cut back after flowering to rejuvenate the fresh golden foliage. Self-seeds. Good with Iris sibirica which flowers at the same time.

H 90cm when in flower, S 30cm.                   2L pot          £9.00        

Miscanthus

Clump-forming grasses that are both graceful and architectural. Many have eye-catching, metallic flower heads and superb autumn colour, some make a real statement in the border with their broad leaves and statuesque form, while others are more elegant and petite. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil but are tolerant of light shade, perhaps not flowering as well.

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Ferner Osten’

Amazing, metallic-red flowerheads in late summer that turn fluffy later on. Forms a bushy, very floriferous clump in full sun and moist soil.

H 1.5m.                  2L pot          £12.95

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’

Slender form with arching, silver-green leaves turning bronze in autumn. White flowers in summer take on a red-bronze hue as the seasons change. Moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Makes a good statement plant in a border. Evergreen in milder areas. Here in the nursery it has to get cut back in spring as it goes brown over winter.H 1.5 m, S 45cm.                   2L pot          £12.95

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine Silberspeinne’ AGM

The ‘Little Silver Spider’ has narrowly upright arching leaves and reddish flowers opening silver. The dried seed heads look great right through until the following spring. Moist soil in sun to 1.2m. An Ernest Pagels introduction.                  2L pot          £12.95

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ AGM  

Perhaps the best of the smaller Miscanthus with beautiful, fine-textured, variegated leaf margins. Works well with the spherical heads of Echinops. Both look quite magical when backlit by the sun. Moist soil and sun or light shade. H 1.5m, S 30cm.                  2L pot          £12.95

Molinia

Although Molinia prefer moist soil, I have found that they do equally well on poor, sandy soil, and cultivars such as Molinia ‘Heidebraut’ will happily stand all the way through winter in an east-facing garden, where they look quite spectacular backlit by the early morning sun. Try with coppiced willow and white-stemmed birch.

Molinia caer. subsp. arundinacea ‘Cordoba’  

Upright, arching flowerheads emerge in July and slowly turn to a vibrant butterscotch in October. Impressive when backlit!

H 2m, S 45cm.                     2L pot          £9.00

Molinia caer. subsp. arundinacea ‘Fontäne’

A tall, graceful, arching grass from a grassy clump with long stems of seed heads that move and sway in the breeze. Fantastic grown through other perennials or lower grasses, where it will provide height whilst at the same time cascading down on to those below. Sun or light shade in any reasonable soil. H 2m, S 45cm.                    3L pot          £10.00

Molinia caer. subsp. arundinacea ‘Karl Foerster’  

A clump-forming plant producing a deciduous, grassy mound from which rise tall, divergent flowering stems. In a good season the foliage changes from dark green, through bronze and golden yellow before finally turning parchment prior to collapse in late autumn. H 2m, S 45cm.              3L pot          £10.00

Molinia caer. subsp. arundinacea ‘Skyracer’

One of the tallest Moor grasses introduced by Kurt Bluemel with only slightly arching, vertical stems and carrying fine seed heads, turning rich butter-yellow in autumn. For moist soil in sun or light shade. Beautiful when backlit by the early morning sun. H 2.2m, S 45cm.                    2L pot          £9.00

Molinia caer. subsp. arundinacea ‘Transparent’  

Beautiful, upright, divergent grass with fresh green leaf blades and tall, narrow stems of lovely, open seed heads creating a see-through effect. Grow through other perennials with something brighter behind to create a multi-layered, veiled effect. Spectacular when covered in early morning dew. Sun or light shade in any reasonable soil. H 2m, S 45cm.                    3L pot          £10.00

Molinia caer. subsp. arundinacea ‘Windspiel’  

Clump-forming grass with purple flower panicles in summer above linear, green leaves turning yellow in autumn. Moist but well-drained soil in full sun.

H 1.4m, S 45cm.                     2L pot          £9.00

Molinia caer. subsp. caerulea ‘Dauerstrahl’

Upright but widely arching grass that makes quite a prominent statement in the border when grown as a specimen. Moist soil in sun or light shade.

H 80cm, S 30cm.                    2L pot           £9.00

Molinia caer. subsp. caerulea ‘Edith Dudszus’  

Upright grass with airy, see-through flower panicles and brilliant, bronze winter colour. Will stand right through winter until the following spring and makes an effective punctuation mark in the border. Very effective when side lit by early morning sun. H 1m, S 30cm.                     2L pot          £9.00

Molinia caer. subsp. caerulea ‘Heidebraut’

Surely one of the best and most reliable cultivars, forming an upright clump with airy, see-through flower panicles and brilliant, bronze winter colour. Will stand right through winter until the following spring and makes an effective punctuation mark in the border. H 1.2m, S 30cm.                     2L pot          £9.00

Molinia caerulea subsp. caerulea 'Heidezwerg'

A variety of dwarf Purple Moor Grass with neat clumps of bright green foliage and flowers on strong stems in mid summer. Excellent autumn foliage and seedheads.  Ordinary to good soil in sun. Hardy and clump forming, best cut back hard in late winter. H 50cm, 30cm.                     2L pot          £9.00

Molinia caer. subsp. caerulea ‘Moorhexe’

Short, upright grass with a very strong vertical form. Superbly architectural and good autumn colour of golden bronze that persists through winter. Good with Lavender ‘Hidcote’ and Allium ‘Purple Sensation’. Any reasonable soil and sun or partial shade. H 60cm, S 30cm.                     2L pot           £9.00

Molinia caer. subsp. caerulea ‘Strahlenquelle’

A lovely plant with strongly arching, pendent green-to-purple flower heads that cascade down on to surrounding plants and useful for creating yet another veiled effect in the border. Good with the upright terminal clusters of Monarda. H 80cm, S 30cm.                     1L pot           £6.00

Molinia caer. subsp. caerulea ‘Variegata’ AGM   

Cream-and-green striped foliage forming a great arching clump that works well as a specimen or complements the coppiced stems of willow or against a dark background. For moist soil in sun or light shade. H 80cm, S 30cm.                    9cm pot          £4.00

Ophiopogon

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Black Beard'

A vigorous, clump-forming, evergreen perennial with long, arching, narrowly strap-shaped, leathery black leaves and racemes of small purple-white flowers in summer are followed by glossy, black fruit. H 15cm, S 60cm.                 9cm pot          £4.00

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Kokuryu' AGM

New Zealand black ‘grass’. A low-growing, evergreen, black grass-like plant with tiny, violet flowers followed by black fruits. Makes great ground cover planted at the front of borders, under shrubs or with Valerian phu ‘Aurea’ for a real colour contrast. Any reasonable soil in sun or shade.

H 15cm, S 60cm.                  9cm pot          £4.00

Schyzachyrium

Schizachrium 'Prairie Blues'

This is a very fine eye-catching grass. It forms dense and tidy clumps of upright, stiff, thin, greyish-blue foliage that turns reddish-orange in autumn. In late summer it produces lovely silvery, fluffy seed heads that will be welcomed by any flower arranger. H 1.2m, S 40cm.                   9cm pot          £4.00

Sesleria

Sesleria caerulea

“Blue Moor grass”. A much under used attractive native grown chiefly for its evergreen foliage and tidy mounds of blue green leaves being distinctly lighter glaucous blue on the upper surface and darker green below. Drought tolerant in sun or light shade. H 20cm, S 30cm.              2L pot           £9.00

Sesleria nitida

This Seslaria forms attractive mounds of spiky blue grey leaves that are topped by airy, dainty looking off white flowers in late spring. Leaves are bigger and coarser than S. caerulea. Plant in sun and well drained soil. H50cm, S40cm.                  2L pot           £9.00

Stipa

Stipa gigantea AGM (Giant oat grass)  

One of my favourite grasses. Large, open flower spikes atop arching stems dance in the breeze over a clump of narrow green leaves. Transparent stems and seedheads look beautiful when backlit by the evening sun. Will stand through winter in a sheltered spot in full sun and well-drained soil.

H 2m, S 1m.                 2L pot           £9.00

Stipa tenuissima  

A lovely clump-forming grass with soft, tactile stems that sway in the slightest breeze. For full sun and well-drained soil. Outstanding with a multitude of other plants, including Coreopsis, Potentilla, Knautia, Salvia and Sedum to name but a few, or with the strongly contrasting architectural forms of Phormium or Yucca. H 60cm, S 30cm.               9cm pot           £4.00

The Quirky Bird says:

Grasses add texture, movement and colour through the year with their foliage, flowers and seed heads. They are especially useful in autumn and winter where their flower stems look great in the winter sun or adorned with a dusting of frost. Many are evergreen, again adding interest right through the year.

Grasses are available in the following pot sizes: 9 cm, 1 litre, 2 litre and 3 litres. They can be planted at any time of year as long as the ground isn’t frozen or water logged. In summer water plants regularly until established.

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