Grass is where it's at, man. And no, your faithful plant person has not regressed back to the '60s. Rather, I'm referring to the fact ornamental grasses are fast be-coming a must-have in the garden or in containers.
And ornamental grasses look great, regardless of the time of year.
Pure Prairie Ornamental Grasses in Acme, Alta., a family-owned seed business, has been growing grasses for years.
The Moore family's business evolved from their idea that flax, canary seed, copper wheat, starburst millet and other selected prairie grasses can become, without much effort on the gardener's part, welcome additions to most any garden in the city or the country.
"The wonderful thing about ornamental grasses is that they are very low maintenance right from the start," says John Moore.
"You spread the seed, give it a light rake and the seed takes off. It really is as easy as that."
Ornamental grasses have caught the attention of Jeff de Jong, head of horticulture education at the Calgary Zoo as well.
"The most effective way to use the grasses in a residential landscape is to keep the look natural. In my garden, I am sowing the seeds in clumps and in between the perennials. They will add an exciting textural element to the herbaceous perennial border. As the border reaches its peak in the summer, these grasses will shine brightly well into the autumn and winter months."
More natural gardens, part of what is now called the "prairie garden movement" have naturalistic appeal and provide great backyard habitats for birds and insects.
"The bird attraction is a wonderful benefit to adding ornamental grasses to the garden," says Moore. "The grasses can be harvested and used as a natural bird feeder in the fall and winter to attract and feed migrating and non-migrating birds."
