How To Remove Moss From Garden Ornaments

Ornamental grass may not be the showstoppers of the border – in fact their appeal is quite subtle – but they do add an extra dimension to the flowerbed and keep the garden interesting for longer, weaving in among other plants and adding movement.

The slightest breeze will set them swaying, especially later in the year when their flowering heads dance on slender stems and the low light filters through them, illuminating their delicate beauty.

In the wild, grasses have adapted to virtually every environment, from full sun to deep shade and waterlogged to parched. They can be found in every shape and size too, from the low-growing grasses that we mow to make our lawns, to the towering Arundo donax that reaches over four metres high. This makes ornamental grasses incredibly useful in our gardens, and no matter the size of your plot, there are grasses that will enhance it, as long as you choose the right one.

Grass plants: right plant, right place

Although some grasses will grow happily in shade, most prefer a sunny open position and do best in average to dry soil. Planting is possible at any time of the year provided the soil conditions are good, but avoid doing it in frosty weather. If you have a heavy, wet soil, delay planting grasses that need good drainage until spring.

ornamental grasses, late summer border with mixed shrubs and perennials

David Burton Getty Images

According to grass specialist Neil Lucas of Knoll Gardens in Dorset, grasses work well en masse because they're strongly architectural, but they're just as happy in mixed plantings and need little in the way of aftercare once established. ''More wow with less work is my maxim for gardening with ornamental grasses,' he says. 'They're a beautiful easy-care group of plants, but to get the best out of them, a little timely maintenance is needed. There are two types of ornamental grasses – deciduous and evergreens. Pruning and aftercare depends on which they are, so it is important to know what type you have.'

Ornamental grasses: taking care

Neil explains that in winter, deciduous grasses, including miscanthus, panicum and pennisetum, tend to have dried stems and look dead, so these can be cut right to the base any time from late February onwards. Evergreens such as carex, festuca and pheasant's tail grass (Anemanthele lessoniana) are comparatively easy – if they look good they need no pruning at all, although you may want to 'comb' the pheasant grass with your fingers to remove the flowered stems once they start to look messy.

Pennisetum villosum

mauritius images GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

Some evergreens, such as the blue festucas, may look tired after a year or so and can then be cut back quite hard to encourage new growth, but it's important not to do this until the grass is in active growth, otherwise there's a good chance of damaging the plant.

Something else to bear in mind is that grasses, like any other plants, have a variety of life spans. Stipa tenuissima may live for three to five years, while hakonechloa or panicum could last for 20 years. Pheasant grass is short-lived, so its need to seed is greater than the longer-lived varieties. Anyone who grows it will know that its seedlings pop up all over the garden. There will be more than you need, but plan for the loss of the original plant and have enough seedlings to keep the 'colony' alive – and treat the others as weeds.

ornamental grasses, mexican feathergrass nassella tenuissima called finestem needlegrass, fineleaved nassella and argentine needle grass

Stipa tenuissima

nickkurzenko Getty Images

Grass specialist Neil Lucas selects his pick of ornamental grasses that work in most gardens.

Panicum virgatum 'Northwind'

A newish cultivar and one of the most distinctive, with a strongly upright habit and simply stunning autumn foliage; great for the border or containers.

Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'

Almost indestructible ground cover for dry shade, forming mats of lightly variegated evergreen leaves that look attractive all year round.

Nahhan Getty Images

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Dark Desire'

Amazing large bottlebrush-like flowers are produced in profusion from mid-summer onwards. It looks lovely in full sun.

Crocus

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'

Molinia caerulea

A great native grass that also works beautifully in gardens. There are several cultivars but all have freely produced flowers that set off other plants almost perfectly.

Crocus

Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'

Fantastic cover in sun or shade that also makes a fabulous container plant; long-lived slowly increasing mounds make this a deservedly popular plant.

Jacky Parker Photography Getty Images

Miscanthus 'Starlight'

Grows in a wonderful free-flowering compact form with a distinctive rounded shape; ideal where larger miscanthus would be too big or in loose informal drifts.

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16 great books for gardening and indoor plant inspiration

Garden book

RHS How to Create your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming your Outdoor Space

Adam Frost's practical, no-nonsense approach will help you plan and build a garden that works for you. The Gardeners' World presenter takes you step by step through the whole process, from simple garden design ideas to a full garden makeover.

Garden book

Modern Container Gardening: How to Create a Stylish Small-Space Garden Anywhere

Isabelle Palmer shows you how to make the most of every little space with a series of projects for small gardens, singular containers and window boxes, that can be completed in a day or weekend. Perfect for novice gardeners,Modern Container Gardening offers beautiful photography and clear step-by-step instructions.

Garden book

National Trust School of Gardening: Practical Advice from the Experts

National Trust amazon.co.uk

£14.99

The National Trust employs over 500 gardeners with an extraordinary wealth of expertise. And now, in this in-depth guide, they pass on their wisdom and provide the answers any new and seasoned gardener is looking for. This book is intended to give you inspiration and confidence to make the most of your garden, without being overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail.

Garden book

Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month

Veg In One Bed explains how to build your bed and grow from seed, as well advice on planting, feeding, and harvesting. YouTube gardening star Huw Richards shows how to guarantee early success by starting off young plants on a windowsill and suggests what to grow in each part of the bed.

Garden book

The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening

Monty Don offers straightforward gardening advice in this book, revealing the secrets of growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs, while respecting the needs of the environment by gardening organically. You can also enjoy a tour of his Herefordshire garden, including his flower garden, herb garden, kitchen garden, and more.

Plants book

RHS Practical House Plant Book

The Practical House Plant Book by the RHS contains a dozen step-by-step projects to help you assemble an eye-catching terrarium, create a floating kokedama 'string garden', or propagate succulents. Complete with 175 in-depth plant profiles, this is an essential practical guide for indoor gardeners.

Garden book

Small Garden Style: A Design Guide for Outdoor Rooms and Containers

Ten Speed Press amazon.co.uk

£12.35

A small garden space – an urban patio, a tiny backyard, or even just a pot by your door – doesn't have to sacrifice style. InSmall Garden Style, garden designer Isa Hendry Eaton and lifestyle writer Jennifer Blaise Kramer show you how to use good design to create a joyful, elegant, and exciting yet compact outdoor living space.

Garden book

Charles Dowding's No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly: Course 1

No Dig Garden amazon.co.uk

£18.99

Charles Dowding, innovator of no dig, teaches you everything you need to know about this method of organic gardening. With 19 chapters, you'll learn how to use no dig on different soil types, recognise and massively reduce the different types of weeds, know the difference between soil and types of compost, and grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method.

Plants book

In Bloom: Growing, harvesting and arranging flowers all year round

Kyle Books amazon.co.uk

£17.65

Get all the inspiration you need for planting cut flowers, and fill your home with colour and the gorgeous scent of the garden year-round withIn Bloom. Clare Nolan reveals her secrets for growing a bountiful harvest as well as styling spectacular homegrown displays in this beautifully designed book.

Garden book

RHS Complete Gardener's Manual

The RHS'Complete Gardener's Manual will help you choose plants that will thrive in your space, design a border for year-round colour, grasp different pruning techniques, discover how to protect your veg patch from pests, and make the best compost.

Garden book

Wildlife Gardening: For Everyone and Everything

Bloomsbury Wildlife amazon.co.uk

£10.19

Do you want to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden? InWildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything,Kate Bradbury teams up with the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you discover how you can make your garden, balcony, doorstep or patio a haven for garden wildlife. You'll find handy charts, practical projects and fact files.

Plants book

My House Plant Changed My Life: Green wellbeing for the great indoors

Gardener and TV presenter David Domoney is a firm believer that indoor plants can make 'a practical and emotional contribution to our wellbeing'. In this book, David explains the hard science behind the positive effect of the humble houseplant on wellness, and provides expert tips on how to keep your plants thriving, plus shares his top 50 life-enhancing houseplants.

Garden book

RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design: Planning, Building and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space

If you're looking for new garden ideas, theRHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design will guide you from planning to planting, such as choosing the correct materials for your structures and assessing your drainage, to laying patios, making ponds, and planting perennials.

Garden book

How to Create an Eco Garden: The practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening

Lorenz Books amazon.co.uk

£11.29

This planet-friendly book is filled with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale, from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment. Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity, learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping, and take on simple projects such as making a pond and a wildlife hotel.

Plants book

RHS Encyclopedia Of Plants and Flowers

Drawing on expert advice from the RHS, this best-selling reference book – organised by colour, size, and type, rather than as an A-Z directory – will help you select the right varieties for your outdoor space.

Garden book

Build a Better Vegetable Garden: 30 DIY Projects to Improve your Harvest

Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd amazon.co.uk

£12.55

Joyce and Ben Russell have devised 30 kitchen garden projects, devised to either extend the season, protect crops from pests or improve yields. These projects transform your vegetable plot into somewhere more productive, more attractive and more secure.

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