Plant Catalogue: Ornamental Grasses

With admirers and detractors alike, no group of plants divides the British gardening public more than the topic of grasses. Thankfully, most of us have liberated ourselves from that hideously unimaginative 60’s/70’s practice of lumping grasses together in a bed of their own, creating a depressingly moribund feature in the process. Today, with the introduction over the last 20 years of many handsome new varieties and forms from the Continent, Asia and America, grasses are now being used in a much more considered and creative way by forward thinking gardeners and garden designers alike. They have become an essential part of the gardening vernacular and regardless of their fashion status, (it will not have escaped your notice how often they appear in magazines) are likely to be prominent protagonists on the horticultural stage for a very long time to come.

Grasses are very much part of our vocabulary at Marchants, where they provide a connection between the garden and the broad landscape beyond. In the wild too they are plants of open spaces often thriving in impoverished soils, requiring only gentle winds for pollination. But it is the combination of light and sunshine in which to flaunt their beautiful flower heads that is the most essential ingredient of all.

The majority of grasses at Marchants are at their best between August and October. Why not pay us a visit to see them and to discover the great beauty they bring to the garden.

IMPORTANT. Many of our grasses are propagated in spring and will not therefore become available until the end of May/early June. They are marked with an asterisk, i.e. *

Click here to view Herbaceous Perennials.

Images at the top of the page are ©Gardens Illustrated / Sharon Pearson