Decorative grasses round off the spectrum of plants in the gravel bed. They come in a wonderful variety that differs in the color and shape of the leaves and later seed heads. They also enrich the garden in winter when they set glittering accents covered with hoarfrost and snow.
Ornamental grasses are popular plants for the gravel bed
Which grasses are suitable?
Grasses have round stalks with knotty structures. Its delicate flowers, which are almost never strikingly colored, grow in the form of panicles, racemes or spikes. Most of the varieties cultivated in our gardens are robust and extremely easy to care for. However, they differ greatly in growth height, which should be taken into account when laying out the gravel bed.
Below are some grasses that are particularly drought tolerant and therefore fit well in the gravel bed:
Small varieties:
- Mosquito Grass: Prairie grass with unusual inflorescences. Height: 25 to 40 centimeters.
- Fescue: Evergreen with fine, overhanging leaves. Beautiful play of colours. Height: 25 to 45 centimeters.
- Iridescent Grass: Forms dense, blue-green clumps. Height: 15 to 40 centimeters.
Medium-tall varieties:
- Marram Grass: Extremely attractive, arching, overhanging foliage. Height: 100 to 130 centimeters.
- Reed grass: Very hardy with attractive inflorescences well into winter. Height: 80 to 100 centimeters.
- Switchgrass: The beautifully shaped leaves of this grass turn beautiful shades of red from August. Height: 80 to 100 centimeters.
High grades:
- Giant Feather Grass: Perfect scaffolding in the gravel bed, which impresses with the oat-like panicles of flowers. Height: 60 to 180 centimeters.
- Pampas grass: A giant that only really comes into its own in a spacious bed. Height: 100 to 250 centimeters.
- Pampas Grass: Charmed by the beautiful flares of white flowers. Height: 100 to 250 centimeters.
The care of ornamental grasses
Almost all grasses do well in full sun. You need a well-drained soil. Waterlogging should be avoided at all costs. This makes them specialists for the gravel bed that are perfectly tailored to the special conditions.
Many commercially available ornamental grasses are hardy. Tie higher-growing species together in the cold season and protect them with some brushwood in rough locations.
Only cut back in spring. When doing this care measure, be sure not to cut off the shoots.
tips
The gravel bed can be wonderfully structured with grasses. Combine different growth directions, shapes and heights. The distance to other plants should be at least as large as the final growth height. You can underplant the giants among the grasses with small plants that thrive in the semi-shade of the fronds.