Grasses part two

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A follow on from the earlier grass blog, i’ve tried to get as many with the seed cases as i can but not all mine have got that far yet as i grow mine from seed, apart from the nice one that Sheilar sent me (HB), also a load of different seed sent to me by Paul, cheers mate i really appreciated it.

so here we go, this may take some time as i love my grasses :-) it may be to much for non grass lovers so don’t feel you have to read this..

This is a Young Anemanthele Lessoniana, also called phesants tail grass. it should be big enough next year to get it’s colour and seed heads.

Needs no intruduction really, black grass or Ophiopogon planiscapus nigrescens. bit of a mouthfull isn’t it….

one of the few to have flowers as well, quite a pretty flower i think…

It’s seed pods go jet black when ripe.

Handle with care this one, Equisetum Hyemale, or banded horsetail, more of a reed but can be grown like a grass, keep it in a pot or it will spread…

This is seed i collected, not big enough yet to produce the classic seed stem, it’s Briza Media, or lesser quaking grass.

This is the big brother of B.Media, it’s Briza Maxima the grass leaves are nothing special it’s these that make it special.

Closer of the green maturing cases.

Now it’s ready to collect and sow or just let it self sow which it readily does, but if it spreads to much it has a very shallow root so is easy to pull up.

This is Carex Brunnea ’ Jenneke ’ similar to Variegata but greener and thinner stripes.

The seedhead going brown…

The final seedhead of it, ready for collecting.

This is Carex Buchananii ’ Red Rooster ’ a nice bronze with red streaks in the middle. nice height to.

The seedheads are not that impressive but do give it a little extra in the autumn..

Closer to the seedhead..

Another Bronze grass, Carex Conman Bronze Bronco it’s only grown for the foliage.

In winter it takes on a dull bronze colour but give it a comb through in spring to spruce it up…

This is Carex Pendula, only seedling stage at the moment, but a nice weeping sedge.

This is Carex Testacea, not much to look at here is it in seedling form….

I made two pots out of that little seed tray…

This was Taken today, love the colouring on it, and it’s only going to get better too….

This is the only shot of this one i have, it’s Carex Variegata, a similar seedhead to C.Jenneke

This was sold as pond club grass but identified by Paul as Isolepis Cernua ’ Fiber Optic ’ grass, cheer mate.

This is the first of my three blue grasses, its Festuca Glauca ’ Elijah Blue ’ same seedheads as the F.G.Festina. a lovely compact grass this.

This one is Festuca Glauca ’ Festina ’ similar to F.G.Elijah Blue but more delicate in it’s own way, compleate with green seedheads…

Green seedheads turning brown…

Ready for collecting now they are nice and golden….

Another grass associated as a weed, Hordeum Jubatum also called squirrel tail grass, lovely as a clump…

Closer and the head fully open, you can see why it got it’s nickname squirrel tail…

This little beauty was sprouting in July, it’s Juncus Decipiens ’ Curly – Wurly ’

This is it now, nice little beauty and it should mature next year, i have my suspicions that although this is the ‘curly-wurly’ it may be a syn of J.Effusus spiralis myself.. What do you think Paul ?

The leaves on this as you see it, you’d probably pull it out but it’s Melica Altissima Atropurpurea grown for it’s purple seed heads and i’m looking forward to that next year :-)

This is a popular one, Miscanthes Sinensis or zebra/porcupine grass, it should flower next year i’m hoping…

One of the girls favourite grasses commonly called bunny tail or hares tail but real name is Lagurus Ovatus..

With the pollen stems on the seedhead…

mature and goldeny in colour i collect now and dry for next years plants, it’s a must have for me..

Pennisetum Setaceum ’ Fireworks ’ another that needs no intro, if it’s in the sun it’ll turn redder, but be carefull this one tends to revert back to it’s green ancestry…

Another of my Babies in a few years this should make a nice stately display.. it’s Pennisetum Macrourum..

This one from HomeBird, thanks Sheilar commonly called canary reed grass or properly know as Phararis Arundinaera…

A nice corn type grass, about the same size too, it’s Pennisetum Glaucum ’ Purple Majesty ’

The flowerhead from a distance is impressive even up close it’s lovely and fluffy….

Full of pollen…

A nice deciduous grass that is Rhizomatic and fully hardy here mines been in the ground for 3 years. this is Imperata Cylindrica ‘Rubra’ / ’ Red Baron ’

With the sun shining onto it…

i’ve only got this pic of this one, i forgot to get more…. it’s Sorghum Nigrum or black millet, another Annual but i collected the nice black seeds for next year…

This is Stipa Elegantisima almost identical to S.Tenuissima, the difference is in the width of the leaf blade….. this was taken before i combed it through…

Closer of the seedhead and seeds, identical to The other…

This one has put loads of new growth on this year so it should seed next year, it’s Stipa Gigantea or giant feather grass..

Stipa Tenuissima or angel hair/pony tail grass, as you can see it’s alomst identical to S.Elegantisima..

Even i can’t tell them apart when they were together, but both are lovely grasses…

The seed when it’s ready for collecting, nice like little hair follicles together..

Stipa Pulcherrima, or golden feather grass, incredibly hard from seed, in the end i had to lay it on it’s side on the ground and let nature do it…. took me 8 seeds…

this is it now tucked away in my coldframe…..

Well i think that’s long enough now, i’ve made you suffer enough i think :-) i do have more but they are still in the very small seedling stage and they all look the same so there’s no point doing them yet… but at present i have 35 different grasses…

Plus some seed still from Paul to sow..

Thanks for taking the time to look at my grasses…

• 16 Dec, 2012
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