It was about a week or so ago that I got caught in thinking about wild grasses. I have four kinds of grass but three places in my garden I have planted them. I am fascinated by my interest and others interest in these tall or very small wild or ornamental grasses.
I have a large clump in the front garden. It grows very tall over the summer and stands waving at me all winter long. It is left with seed heads for the birds and squirrels and voles (darn voles). I cut it down in the spring so it can start all over again. I don’t have a name for this grass. It was given to me years ago from my neighbor, who is long gone. He had started it from seed. What I know is this clump has roots that run very deep and I will not be able to cut it out even if I wanted to. I love it!
In the back garden are two types of tiny (for now) grasses that I added as a type of border to the native flower bed. I think I was hoping it would help define the garden so people would not just walk into it. So far these fun little guys are just that. Fun little guys that sometimes get stepped on. One is a rush, called Path Rush (Juncus Tenis) and the other is a sedge (Plains Oval sedge). They are both tiny but am hoping they will grow just a bit this year. The difference is that sedges have edges, they are triangular and rushes are round. Both of these are solid if you cut a cross section of them. A lawn grass stem is round like a rush but it is hollow inside. (just in case you were wondering)
The other grass I have is in the new garden in the back. It is was just planted a few days ago. We started it from seed. It is call a Greater Quaking Grass. It is suppose to grow 20 to 30 inches tall with lots of stems and beautiful seed heads. I planted this one just for fun since I love the look of the seed head. It is an annual but if I leave the seed heads over the winter I might just get some to regrow next year.
When I walked up and down the street today each of the yards that have extensive gardens in the front all have one or two types of ornamental grasses growing. So are we all just filling space in a beautiful way? Did we all plant them because of the benefits they offer to the environment and critters? Maybe a bit of all of this.
While searching for information about grasses I found some of the following information in an article from 2020:
(https://www.stantec.com/en/ideas/the-many-benefits-of-native-grasses-in-your-urban-environment
- Grasses have fibrous roots which are great for holding soil in place in areas that are prone to erosion. This helps build organic matter in the soil and increase water infiltration.
- They are a low maintenance option and, once established, they don’t need additional water or fertilizer.
- Native grasses have evolved to grow in a variety of environments, such as drought-prone soils, low-nutrient soils, or seasonally flooded areas, which makes them perfect for tough sites in urban areas.
- Native grasses also provide habitat for native wildlife, including birds and insects. Probably one of the least known benefits of native grasses is that they are host plants to certain species of butterflies during their larval stage.
- They can improve your soil composition, provide easy maintenance
Yes, I may plant them for these beneficial reasons and they do fill in a space nicely but for me the midwestern girl who grew up close to open farm land and prairies I think there is a deeper reason.
I think they link me back to my ancestors. They hint at the farm land that was cultivated from deep midwestern prairie land. Who knows, maybe, I am needing to return just a little bit of land back to the prairie that once ruled this section of our country.
Yes, I know I am living in the middle of a large urban city. My three small plants are a far cry from the majestic prairie that covered this land ages ago but maybe it is enough for now to remember what was here before we felt the need to cover every thing in cement and buildings.
Now just wondering what other grasses I could add to the back garden? Hmm?
Words from JL 
Ornamental grass adds a distinctive look to a garden. I don’t know much about grass except that it gross and needs to be cut weekly. Thanks for the lesson.