Decorative grasses round off the range of plants in the gravel bed. They come in a wonderful variety, distinguished by the color and shape of the leaves and later seed heads. They enrich the garden even in winter when they add glittering accents covered in hoarfrost and snow.
Which grasses are suitable for a gravel bed?
Design a gravel bed with grasses: Choose drought-tolerant grasses such as mosquito grass (25-40 cm), fescue (25-45 cm), schiller grass (15-40 cm), beach grass (100-130 cm), riding grass (80-100 cm), switchgrass (80-100 cm), giant feather grass (60-180 cm) or pampas grass (100-250 cm). Maintain with adequate sun, well-drained soil and winter-hardy protection.
Which grasses are suitable?
Grasses have round stalks with knotty structures. Its delicate flowers, which are almost never conspicuously colored, grow in panicle, raceme or spike form. Most of the varieties cultivated in our gardens are robust and extremely easy to care for. However, they differ greatly in their height, which should be taken into account when creating the gravel bed.
The following are some grasses that are particularly drought tolerant and therefore fit well in the gravel bed:
Short-growing varieties:
- Mosquito grass: Prairie grass with unusual inflorescences. Height: 25 to 40 centimeters.
- Fescue: Wintergreen with fine, arching leaves. Beautiful play of colors. Height: 25 to 45 centimeters.
- Schillergrass: Forms dense, blue-green clumps. Height: 15 to 40 centimeters.
Medium-high varieties:
- Beach grass: Extremely attractive, arching foliage. Height: 100 to 130 centimeters.
- Riding grass: Very hardy with attractive inflorescences well into winter. Height: 80 to 100 centimeters.
- Switchgrass: The beautifully shaped leaves of these grasses turn beautiful shades of red from August onwards. Height: 80 to 100 centimeters.
High varieties:
- Giant feather grass: Perfect scaffolding in the gravel bed, which impresses with its oat-like flower spikes. 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: Enchanted by the beautiful, white flower flares. Height: 100 to 250 centimeters.
Caring for ornamental grasses
Almost all grasses feel comfortable in full sun. You need a loose soil. Waterlogging should definitely be avoided. This makes them specialists for the gravel bed, 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 in rough locations with some brushwood.
It won't be cut back until spring. When doing this care measure, be sure not to cut off the shoots.
Tip
The gravel bed can be wonderfully structured with grasses. To do this, 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 plant the giants among the grasses with small plants that thrive in the partial shade of the fronds.
