| Colossians 1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, 1:14 in whom we have re-demption, the forgiveness of sins. |
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October 1998 Hosta & Ornamental Grass Enthusiasts Newsletter What's New on our Web-Site?? Well, summer may have slowed down, but infrastructure building and preparing for next spring has certainly been mind numbing. I have just added the following information regarding ornamental grasses. I believe that most folks will find this information really necessary when trying to decide what grass to plant in their gardens. All new pages can be accessed from http://www.hostas.com/grasses/index-grasses.html. Enjoy! Out grass collection list has been updated with all of the new grasses we have acquired this year. Most of the grasses listed now have the following additional information:
The grass comparison matrix has been modified to show all of the new measurements as listed above. The other comparison points were also updated. The format has been redesigned so that you will always have a column header visible on the web page. It also loads faster because the grid is now background color coded instead of loading individual graphics. All new grass pictures are still forthcoming, sorry! Hostas I forgot in the previous issue to finish listing the hostas which had no damage to their leaves from the summer. So, with apology, here they are! We were attached mightily by the nasty little earwigs! Yuck!!!
Our hostas as quickly showing their fall colors. It is nice to see plants turn yellow instead of immediate brown as they go into dormancy. Grasses Wow, what a beautiful display this fall! The Miscanthus variety that grabbed people's attention this year was Miscanthus sin. 'Graziella'. It holds its plumage high and tight well above the foliage. When the plumes are backlit by the sun they glow almost pure white. It almost looks like a display of fireworks above the foliage. Arrrgh! My large stand of Miscanthus sin. 'Gracillimus' (7' tall) had an animal sit in the middle of it one night. I had to tie it to the background fence but it really did not show like it should since then. Too bad, it was one of the large stands of 'Gracillimus' that I have ever seen. Miscanthus floridulus I can believe likes it damp. It is probably because the foliage topped out at 8 feet instead of 12-15 feet. It was in a rather dry area because it has 18" of topsoil which tends to dry out quickly. Next year I plant top top mulch and water heavily with some fertilizer to see what difference it will make. All of the other Miscanthus varieties seemed to top out at their expected heights. I get a lot of questions about designing grass gardens. I thought of some questions that should be considered before deciding on the particular varieties to adorn your new garden area. o Of course the obvious is the height of the foliage, the ultimate height of the plume, and the plant width. Miscanthus sin. 'Graziella' is a very compact plant width wise usually fitting in a 3-4 foot diameter circle, pluming 5-6 feet high. On the other hand, Miscanthus sin. 'Arabesque' is much more open, with the plant reaching up to 8 feet wide! Refer to my newly updated comparison matrix at http://www.hostas.com/cgi-bin/grass-comparison-matrix.pl. o Desired texture: extremely wide or narrow leaf blades? Miscanthus sin. 'Sarabande' is extremely fine (1/4" and under), Panicum v. 'Northwind' (5/8" wide), to Miscanthus floridulus weighing in at 1 1/4" wide! o Variegation: Variegation can also include if I may add the midvien of the blade (like the Miscanthus which is white and thin). Plain green, to banding like Miscanthus sin. 'Puenktchen', to heavy variegation like Phalaris arundinacea 'Feesey' and Miscanthus sin. 'Variegatus'. Tidbits The grass family 'Gramineae' has been renamed to 'Poaceae'. I guess I will have to updated the pages I just published about plant families! Other grasses have been renamed:
Some plant botanical names change sometimes as 'those in charge' research plant histories and relationships. All of the grasses listed on our web-site are now names according to the standards listed in 'Naamlijst Van Vaste Planten' published in the Netherlands. As long as we are talking about plant names, I found this neat list of quotations involving the mention of grasses. These are included at the end of this newsletter for your enjoyment including the appropriate reference. Hosta Pick of the Month
Ornamental Grass Pick of the Month
Wisdom from the Garden Sea-grass, Eel-grass, Nut-grass and Knot-grass Are not Grass. (anon) I am no great Nebuchadnezzar, sir; I have not much skill in grass (‘All’s Well’, iv., 5 - but ‘grass’ here probably means green herbaceous vegetation in general) When Phoebe doth behold Her silvery visage in the watery glass, Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass (‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’, i., 1) Her foes shake like a field of beaten corn, And hang their heads with sorrow (‘Henry the Eighth’, v., 1) When shepherds pipe on oaten straws, And merry larks are ploughmen’s clocks (‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’, end - these little pipes having been used from ancient times, as mentioned by Ovid and Virgil) His tears run down his beard, like winter’s drops From eaves of reeds (‘Tempest’, v., 1) Among the tawny tasseled reed The ducks and ducklings float and feed (John Clare c.1834, ‘The Fens’ - Phragmites) On either side the river lie Long fields of barley and of rye, That clothe the wold and meet the sky (Tennyson, ‘The Lady of Shalott’) -------------------------------------------( Cite this publication as: Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M. J. (1992 onwards). ‘The Families of Flowering Plants: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval.’ Version: 15th October 1998. http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/. Dallwitz (1980), Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993 onwards, 1998), and Watson and Dallwitz (1991) should also be cited (see References). ) |
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