Now that you are becoming increasing aware of ornamental grasses in landscape design, are you beginning to notice their usage in gardens more and more? Grasses are the understated gems of the garden. Versatile: there are grasses for all types of lighting and moisture needs. Intricate/Complex: their form, texture, motion adds aspects to the garden landscape that no other plant can offer. Size: smaller sized grasses (6" to 3 feet) are wonderful for border, or mixing with other low growing perennials, the towering forms 4' to 15' varieties with their striking foliage make very proud eye-catching features. Grasses are an essential part of new garden styles. Refer to my web-page describing ornamental grass care guide at http://www.hostas.com/grasses/guide/grasses-care.html.

How have your grasses been fairing in the most recent frosts? I have found that the ends of the new blades of grass at times get burned and turn brown. It does not appear to affect the growth of the grasses. The cool season grasses (like calamagrostis) seem to go undaunted with no damage when frost hits. Just for beauty sake, I stack 7 gallon buckets on each grass to keep the display gardens looking their finest.

What's New on our Web-Site?

April is the month I have been planning for since last September. Obviously, web-site development is at a low ebb while the call of hosta divisions, potting, and general gardening strike a cord and drive me outside from a long winters nap. As a fellow gardener, can you blame me? Many new enhancements are planned as the days get hotter and for during the winter months. This newsletter will let you know the significant additions as they are implemented. I currently have 60+ new hosta cultivar pictures to add to the site, hopefully by the end of May.

Tidbits

I bet you don't know that grasses have made a bigger influence on your life than you think. The great plains have replaced native prairie grasses with corn, another grass. Other important grasses are rice, wheat, corn, sugarcane, bamboo, millet, oats, barley.

The plants that nurseries generally classify as grasses are really 3 distinct families of plants: The Gramineae Family - Grasses, The Juncaceae Family - Rushes, the Cyperaceae Family - Sedges. Next month we will begin to explore the differences between these three families of plants.

Had anyone played with a grass when you where a kid that you could pull it's segments apart? It's outside was very coarse. I remember that it was a great find when we would find it along side the rail-road tracks that were by our house. I finally found it's name, Equisetum hyemale (or Common Horsetail, or Common Scouring Rush).

Hosta Pick of the Month

	Formal Name: Hosta 'Krossa Regal'
	Picture: http://www.hostas.com/images/hostas/krossarg.jpg
	Incorrect Names: N/A
	Description: (Schmid) AHS Eunice Fisher Award, 1974. Plant is a sterile descendant of H. nigrescens. Imported from Japan by Krossa in the 1950s. Tissue culture of this plant has produced to other forms named H. 'Porcelain Vase' and H. 'Regal Splendor'. Plant erect, 30 in diameter, 28 in high. Leaf 9 x 5, blue green, not variegated, cordate, wavy-undulate. Scape 56'', bare, straight. Shade to 3/4 sun.
	Comments: This is another wonderful specimen plant. It's main attraction is that it is vase shaped instead of mounded. The leaves are so erect and are so high you can actually grow other smaller plants under it! The steel gray blue color I believe is a color not found in too many other plants. To sum it up in one word, I would pick 'stately'.
	Height: 30 inches
	Color of Flowers: Medium size, funnel-shaped, lavender.

Next month will be featuring Hosta 'Sagae' (formally H. fluctuans 'Variegated').

Ornamental Grass Pick of the Month

	Formal Name: Phalaris arundinacea 'Picta'
	Family: Gramineae
	Common Name: Ribbon Grass
	Picture: http://www.hostas.com/images/grasses/ribbon.jpg
	Name Meaning:
	Description: Cool season grass, with great looking variegated foliage and ivory-white 3/4" broad blades forms a thick 1-2 foot high carpet. They grow so thick that you cannot see the ground beneath them. Being a ground cover grass, it expands by running rhizomes (horizontal stem under the ground that sends up a succession of leaves). It is a versatile grass that can make itself home by the waterside or in the perennial border. This grass will invade all other areas of your garden if it goes unchecked. Either dig the roots back massively in the spring or plant in a bottomless container.
	Comments: Don't let the invasive nature of this grass scare you away! The extreme variegation can be used to help soften hardscape and help to integrate them into the surrounding garden area. This grass will serve to lighten up an entire area of your garden. If the grass looks untidy by mid summer, cut back to 12 inches, water, fertilize, and it will quickly return to an awesome appearance. My stand of Ribbon Grass has always looked good throughout the season. I believe the being is partial shade with good watering helps to maintain its great appearance.
	Native: N/A
	Zone: Classified as hardy in zone 4a in a six year study by the department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota.
	Sun: Full sun to partial shade.
	Size: 2 feet tall, spreading with invasiveness.
	Plume: Plumes consists of narrow panicles 4-6 inches long ranging in color from off-white to pink. Bloom time is early June to July.
	Propagation: By division.

Next month will be featuring Carex elata 'Bowles Golden'.

Wisdom from the Garden

Raising kids is like gardening, you need to give kids proper space to develop, otherwise, what you end up with is a bit on the messy side.