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Big Color, Small Budget |
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Grasses as moving sculptures
Grasses provide movement in the garden and can be a lovely focal point on their own. The color in their leaves, their long-lasting 'blooms' and the fact that they provide winter interest make them an important element in any garden.
- Dwarf fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'): This is one of my favorites (I have 20-plus in my garden). It's the green perennial version of purple fountain grass and has lovely pink foxtail blooms that generally start in July.
- Graziella maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Graziella'): Its green leaves curl into corkscrew shapes as they change to copper-red and orange shades. It also features long-lasting explosions of fluffy plumes.
- Porcupine grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus'): This grass is upright and bristly, and colored with horizontal yellow stripes. Its fall flowers are first pink and then fade to white. Its fall foliage is a tan-pumpkin color. A bonus in harsher climates is that it usually still looks good even in February.
- Variegated miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus'): These grasses feature vertical light-green, dark-green and cream stripes, which draw attention to other colors in the garden. It has rich pink-toned flowers. The fall foliage turns shades of pumpkin orange.
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The garden in November: hansa rose (fuchsia flowers,
left foreground); diablo ninebark (purple-leaved shrub,
middle background); Kim lilac (pale green- and yellow-leaved
shrub, center mid-ground); variegated miscanthus (green
and white grass with pink plumes, middle foreground).
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Spreading the cheer
One of the great joys of gardening is sharing
it with others. Color is arguably one of the strongest emotional
influences known. Hence, your creativity in the garden can
affect your neighbors, friends and complete strangers as they
pass by.
Jennifer Grant
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