Plant Talk

The Impact of a Single Plant - Especially When It's Chartreuse and Fluffy

How can one plant be dramatic, elegant, and almost humorous in its resemblance to Cousin It? This 'All Gold' Japanese forest grass tumbles out of a pot, lighting up a dark corner of my terrace, and keeps its fresh, pristine looks even though my dog nibbles on it as if it's salad served up at  perfect Wheaten terrier height.

There are a great many frustrations with making a garden in a mere 2400 square feet, much of which is taken up by deck, terraces, paths, shed, and raised beds. There are so many plants I can't try out, and design is a challenge when you don't have room for masses of anything.

These limitations are almost made up for by the fact that in a small space a single plant, like this Hakonechloa macra 'All Gold', can have such impact. Really, it draws your eyes across the garden with its liquid, flowing texture and pure golden glow. The bright color of the grass plays off the dark, rough shake of the house, the laciness of the Japanese maple behind it, and the large, thickly-textured leaves of the Rodgersia growing in the adjacent pot.

First ever white Japanese forest grass

Briggs Nursery has come out with a new, paler version of silky Japanese forest grass. Hakonechloa 'Fubuki', (which means "snow storm" in Japanese)  is aptly named, for its soft, shimmery foliage is creamy white striped in pale green and tinged with pink. I love the original Japanese forest grass which is yellow striped in green; Hakonechloa 'All Gold' is a brighter, solid yellow....'Fubuki' should be perfect to light up shady areas of the garden, or to contrast with dark-foliaged plants like dusky heucheras or the chocolate-colored Ligularia 'Britt Marie Crawford'.  Plant it in masses to get the rippling, watery effect this beautiful grass is known for....

A contrast in shape, color & texture: Hakonechloa 'Fubuki' nestled into the foliage of Actaea 'Black Negligee'

New, Award-Winning Carex

I just learned that big regional wholesaler T&L is producing the beautiful new carex that won the "Best New Perennial" award at the 2008 Far West Show. Which means we should all be able to find plenty of the showy, striped Carex 'Rekohu Sunrise' at nurseries this autumn and next spring.

'Rekohu Sunrise' hails from New Zealand, takes sun or partial shade, is short, stout and sturdy. Ideal for massing, or to trim out pots or borders, each of its blades is generously margined in gold, with glaucous undersides most pronounced when grown in full sun. It's marketed as the world's first variegated Carex trifida, which I'm afraid doesn't mean much to me....more important is that this is a healthy, small grass that really pops in the landscape.

High Summer Immersion..or...The Edge of Abandon

Tending the garden in high summer is a balancing act. I adore it when the garden fills out so fully, grows so tall, that to step outside is to be immersed in flower, foliage and fragrance. Any garden that is so tamed, so well groomed that it doesn't grow blowsy by now misses summer's sensuousness. My garden's  borders are blurred, bees buzz everywhere, hummingbirds blitz through, and I'm in heaven.

And yet, when you let your garden go to this point of near-abandon, all of a sudden it's too much. I find huge squashes hidden between the leaves, fava beans overgrown and leathery, plants crowding out and shading their neighbors. You know how your hair looks best right before all of a sudden it looks horrid, and you realize you're badly overdue for a cut? That's your garden teetering on the edge of overblown.....

Besides all the watering, high season gardening is a constant tinkering, clipping, harvesting, cutting back and filling in. It's a matter of clipping enough to keep plants producing and upright. But not so much they aren't still luscious enough to submerge you in summer glory.

Here are a couple of photos taken in my garden this morning, when a lovely marine layer blew in to  cool the air and soften the light:

Orienpet lilies on the right, sweet peas and orange dahlias to the left. The striped grass is dwarf Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrina'. The little blue flower in front is borage, and it's edible. The lower photo is the same scene framed by the dark foliage of a chocolate silk tree (Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate')

 

An Inch or Two of Soil.....

So how much soil do you need to grow a garden? Years ago I admired a curiousity of a table in Nancy Davidson Short's garden, planted by George Schenk of "The Complete Shade Garden" renown. He used an old metal table, mounded soil up around some rocks, and planted it thickly with little ferns, mosses, a few perennials. As you can imagine, the planted table was quite a focal point.

Then Schenk came out with the fascinating book "Gardening on Pavement, Tables, and Hard Surfaces" (Timber Press) with examples of entire gardens planted in mere inches of soil. It defied reason, but can you think of a better way to green an old parking pad, asphalt drive or even an unused tennis court? Such gardens don't need engineering, or grid systems, like a green roof. Just lay down a little soil and plant.

Or how about topping a potting bench with plants? My metal bench is roofed with a shallow tray only about an inch deep. This tiny garden has now made it through two winters - as long as I don't water it too much, the sempervirens, tufty little Carex testacea, 'Angelina' and 'Ogon' sedums survive just fine in scant soil on top of metal, with no drainage. Only when I tried it out myself, could I really believe it. Take a look....

 

The Prettiest Grass - Award-Winning Perennial

It's no easy task to call out a single fabulous perennial when there are thousands upon thousands to choose from. But the Perennial Plant Association is up to the task, as proved by their choice of Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' as the Perennial Plant of the Year for 2009. Native to Honshu Island, Japanese forest grass is famous for its bright yellow foliage striped in green. The effect is of a liquid puddle of sunshine, shimmering and undulating in the slightest breeze.

By summer's end the grass turns golden, then tinges pink and red with autumn chill. It can be used to great effect in containers,  massed as groundcover, or to trim a flower bed, walkway or border. Japanese forest grass prefers partial shade, moist soil, and turns to bleached straw in winter. Cut it back in March, and it'll quickly grow back into silky, golden mounds (below).

Previous year's award winners include:

2008 Geranium ‘Rozanne’
2007 Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’
2006 Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Feuerhexe’
2005 Helleborus x hybridus
2004 Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'

For a complete list and photos, check out the Perennial Plant Association website.