Decorative grass — application in landscape design and selection of cereals (95 photos)
A suburban or household plot of land in the modern sense assumes only agricultural use, it is also a place of recreation and entertainment that requires proper registration. And in landscape design it is impossible to do without decorative grass, cultivated species of which number hundreds of varieties.
In addition to the standard green carpets for lawns, it is used to decorate flower gardens, borders, alpine slides and rockeries.
A diverse family of ornamental herbs allows you to make multi-level and multi-color compositions. They are not whimsical, grow quickly, and are not capricious when combined with other plant species. Their seasonal transformations from a grass carpet into original inflorescences, and then into snow-covered waves delight the eye throughout the year.
The pictorial compositions in the photo, consisting entirely of ornamental herbs, make us appreciate this type of plant in a new way for creative experiments.
Rockery is a derivative of a rocky plain, a memory of mountain meadows. Stones in the creation and design of the rockery play a very important role, both large boulders, pointed piles, and crushed stone filling of medium and small fractions.
Plants for rockeries should be chosen dwarf, stunted, slow-growing, creeping and weaving. An indispensable attribute of any rockery are dwarf conifers, junipers.
Watch the video: Decorative cereals in the garden and in the country
Here their role is not limited only to filling empty spaces and framing spectacular colors, they come to the fore, striking with original natural energy and a riot of colors.
The names of many ornamental herbs refer to their appearance.
Maned barley
Maned barley forms dense picturesque bushes and is used mainly for border decoration. This is a perennial crop, but it does not withstand severe frosts, and in some climatic zones it is necessary to carry out annual sowing.
Hare Tail
Hare tail is one of the few cereals intended for growing in partial shade. Its green leaves with a silvery sheen and fluffy inflorescences combine well with bright colors. An interesting effect is obtained on mixed flower and cereal beds.
Blue fescue
Blue fescue is a frost–resistant cereal. The original bluish color of this cereal in combination with needle-like leaves creates an irresistible effect of airiness.
It looks good on curbs, and in floral and stone compositions, but for a beautiful view it needs the sun.
Peristochetinnik shaggy
Peristochetinnik shaggy is a perennial with white, pink or purple panicles and ribbon leaves. This is another heat-loving plant, which is grown as an annual plant in the middle zone. It can be used in alpine slides and rocky gardens.
Feather grass fluffy cloud
Feather grass fluffy cloud is a steppe unpretentious plant that, when growing, turns into original silky bushes, during flowering the tips of the bush turn pink or golden.
Another extraordinarily beautiful variety of cultivated grasshopper — "the most beautiful", has the thinnest stems covered with transparent fluff.
The Mace Carrier
Dense, as if bristling bushes of the gray-haired mace are ideal for decorating borders 20-30 cm high. This light-loving and rapidly growing groundcover plant takes root well in sandy soils of the middle band.
Ophiopogon Nigrescens
Ophiopogon Nigrescens, a favorite of exotic lovers, grass with black leaves, pink flowers and blue-black berries can become a spectacular addition to exotic lawns, rockeries and alpine slides.
No less picturesque is the variety of ophiopogon called Japanese with bright blue berries. This plant does not need winter shelter, is not afraid of temperature changes and wind, but requires maintaining air humidity and regular watering.
Fox tail
Foxtail (or short-haired vine) is a bright decorative cereal, with stems bent down, needs regular watering. Fashion to grow both in the sun and in partial shade. It can reach a height of more than a meter, needs watering and is used in the design of multi-level flower beds.
Wild oats
Wild oats, or broad-leaved hasmantium, with sufficient sun and moisture, also grows to a height of up to a meter. The main difference of the botanical species is the flat inflorescences of the correct shape hanging on a thin stem.
Lightning blue
Lightning blue is another tall cereal with bluish leaves and blue-purple panicles. It also needs moisture, is planted together with flowers with a similar regime for growth, or decorates the edges of artificial reservoirs.
The miscanthus family deserves special attention. These giant-sized cereals with an erect stem have many varieties that differ in color and shape. This light-loving and moisture-loving plant with a height of 80 cm to 3 m, needs protection from frost.
Used in mixborders, for the decoration of reservoirs, luxurious bushes of Chinese and sugar-colored miscanthus can become an exquisite decoration of green lawns.
Selection features
In order to choose the right decorative grass for the garden, you need to focus not only on the regime characteristics – the need for moisture, light and soil composition, but also the periods of their active growth. Ornamental grasses, changing their color, appear in at least three guises per year.
It is also important to take into account the growth rate of herbs. In some cases, it will be necessary to prepare seedlings in containers in advance, in others it will be necessary to take measures against excessive overgrowth. Depending on the decorative effects, they can be used as the main background of flower arrangements, or as a substitute for flowers.
Lawn grass is rightfully considered the most popular landscape decor, but regular maintenance is needed to maintain its air-conditioned characteristics. The complexity of the content has led to the creation of artificial ornamental grass, which is used for lawns and playgrounds.
In some cases, lawn grass can be replaced by groundcover or climbing ornamental grasses that will protect the soil from winds and drying, and will become a natural filler for empty spaces, in transitions between flower beds and other zonal elements on the site.
When sowing ornamental cereals, it should be taken into account that the distance between plants should be equal to the average height of this variety. With more frequent planting, thinning will be necessary. Rapidly growing varieties can be limited by a construction grid.
Ornamental grasses do not need fertilizers, enriching the soil with nutrients can lead to their excessive overgrowth.
Perennial ornamental grass will greatly facilitate the course of the plot in the country. In late autumn, grasses can be cut, waiting for the next spring for young shoots in the same place. Another option is spring pruning of dried inflorescences and leaves.
Some types of non-frost-resistant ornamental grasses can overwinter in pots and containers. It is also possible to prepare seedlings from early spring, especially in cases when a few bushes are intended for the design of alpine slides or flower beds.
The grass for the garden can become not only a decoration, but also a green first aid kit. Many decorative species have medicinal properties. Another useful application can be the cultivation of spicy herbs that will fill the garden with aroma and will be useful in culinary experiments.
Cereals in dried form are used in ekibans, applications and other crafts for interior decoration.
Photos of decorative grass
