Growing Gardens

with Julia Hancock

Great grasses

When we think grass in the garden we normally envisage sweeps of emerald green lawn in constant need of attention. But grass comes in all shapes and sizes, and few of the ornamental varieties need any maintenance apart from an annual tidy up.

If you've got a boggy spot in your garden Acorus 'Ogon' provides all the softness of grassy tufts but with green and gold foliage that arches gracefully from the centre. It grows to 30cm and is ideal planted with another moisture-lover, Scirpus cernis, commonly known as the fibre optic grass. This delicate plant puts out fine needle-like leaves that gently sway on breezy days.

If you've got shade but no moisture, the mondo grass family is hard to beat for effect and ease of cultivation. It includes a dwarf variety, an almost black type and the variegated hybrid known as 'Stripey White'. This delightful grass with the cumbersome Latin name Ophiopogon intermedians alba variegata grows to 40cm producing a clump of almost white leaves. Similar foliage is produced by Liriope 'Arizona' which is ideal for edging beds and borders.

If you want to brighten up your vegie patch try society garlic, which although not edible produces delightful mauve flowers. Other flowering plants whose strap-like leaves allow them to be loosely grouped into the grass category include agapanthus, crocus (Zephyranthes spp. with flowers in either white, pink or yellow), dietes and iris.

Grasses have become very popular with landscape designers in recent years because of their intriguing growth patterns and diversity of leaf colours. The superb blood grass (Imperata cylindrica rubra) whose blade-like green foliage intensifies to red with age is often used in Japanese gardens. If you're looking for something architectural try Zoysia, known as the no-mow grass, which grows in strong vertical clumps.

Grasses can be massed in beds on their own, or mixed happily with flowering perennials for contrasting colour and texture.

Lismore Garden Club News

The next meeting of the Lismore Garden Club will be held on Thursday, June 3, at the Lismore Workers Club at 1.30 pm. For further information phone Mary on 66215293.

You can grow some interesting vegies in Autumn and Winter. Broad beans are one such vegetable. They are easy to grow and will improve the soil by fixing nitrogen into it. Most well drained soils are suitable. The pH should be neutral to slightly alkaline. Select a sunny but wind protected position for planting and support the plants by driving in a stake at each end of the row and running parallel strings. After harvesting, dig in the plants as a green manure for the following crop. Another easy to grow vegie is snow peas. Like board beans, they are a legume and will fix nitrogen into the soil, which will benefit the following crop. Also, like broad beans, they require a sunny but wind protected position. Before planting, dig in a little animal manure and dolomite to the row. A simple trellis can be erected by placing tomato stakes at 180cm intervals and running strings at 30cm spacing from the top to the bottom of the stakes.

Happy gardening
Ron Burns