Whether it's the majestic pampas grass, the fluffy pennisetum grass or the delicately lively feather grass - they all and their relatives have something in common. They bring naturalness to their location and can not only surround other plants, but also highlight them.
How do I combine ornamental grasses successfully?
When combining ornamental grasses, pay attention to foliage color, flowering time, location requirements and growth height. Combine similar heights and location preferences. Suitable companion plants include autumn asters, hostas, purple coneflowers, rudbeckias, roses, rue, autumn anemones and sedum.
What factors should you consider when combining ornamental grasses?
So that the ornamental grasses can fully develop their effectiveness and the combination is convincing in the overall picture, you should first consider the following aspects:
- Foliage color: green, gray-green, blue-green, red or yellowish
- Flowering time: August to October
- Location requirements: sunny to partially shaded, permeable and loose soil
- Growth height: up to 300 cm
Consider the color of the stems of the ornamental grasses. Ornamental grasses painted red or blue should be combined carefully, otherwise it can appear too tasteless.
Most ornamental grasses like sunny locations. Sedges are more of a shade-loving ornamental grass. Pay attention to the location requirements of the ornamental grass and choose companion plants that match.
Smaller grasses such as blue fescue and blood grass should preferably be combined with low perennials, whereas larger grasses such as pampas grass also look fantastic in combination with woody plants.
Combine ornamental grasses in the bed or in the bucket
The most impressive way to showcase ornamental grasses is with perennials, which bloom in their splendor in late summer to autumn. This is when most ornamental grasses also present their flower spikes or flower spikes. The ornamental grasses have the ability to underline the perennials and breathe that certain something into the overall picture. They provide movement and lightness as they like to rock back and forth. Decorative leafy perennials such as hostas also go well with ornamental grasses.
Plants that crave the company of ornamental grasses include:
- Autumn Asters
- Funkia
- Purple Coneflower
- Rudbeckia
- Roses
- Blue Diamond
- Autumn Anemones
- Sedum
Combine pampas grass with blue rue
The pampas grass, which grows up to 250 cm high, can be easily combined with the blue rue, which grows up to 150 cm high. It is important that you plant the pampas grass behind the blue rue. It is advisable to place several blue diamonds to make the composition appear more intense in color.
Combine Pennisetum grass with autumn asters
Autumn asters have a valuable companion in the fascinatingly overhanging and bushy-looking Pennisetum grass. Both pink, purple and white autumn asters fit into this combination. This combination is also convincing because both plants have similar location requirements.
Combine Japanese grass with hostas
The Japanese grass, which prefers semi-shady locations, is perfect for a combination with hostas that have similar preferences in terms of location. Their height is also similar. Be amazed when the large leaves of the hostas create a strong contrast to the long and thin stalks of the Japanese grass.
Combine ornamental grasses as a bouquet in the vase
What would a perfectly shaped bouquet be if it had to do without the delicate stalks of ornamental grasses? Possibly a disaster. It is the ornamental grasses that make many bouquets a real feast for the eyes. Can be combined with most summer and autumn flowers. In particular, those flowers that appear rather static and austere benefit from the presence of a few stalks of ornamental grass.
- Roses
- Dahlias
- Autumn Asters
- Autumn Anemones
- Chrysanthemums
- Ferns such as leather fern and shield fern
