i noticed yesterday.. driving around town.. all the sedum is primed for fall glory ... calling all bees ...

ought to be a great compliment.. in the first pic.. to the blue grass ...

ken

Andropogon 'Blackhawks' is very nice that I purchased a second plant, calamagrostis 'Eldorado' is striking, I just picked up schizachyrium 'Standing Ovation', my 'Blue Paradise' (or is it 'Blue Heaven') is sulking. Panicum 'Prairie 'Flame' is another recent purchase and so far appears superior to 'Prairie Fire', Panicum 'Northwind' has mostly died out except for a small sprig, but I think that's my fault. Then there's the powdery blue elymus magellanicus, what blue color and molinia variegata is an excellent edging plant!

GardenHo, I really like all the evergreens, colors and textures you utilize, very appealing to the eye!

Thanks FB I’ll have to look those up.

This is my third year for Northwind and they are filling out nicely. They seem to like my dry slope.

They are not in bloom yet but here is one of them....

@GardenHo_MI_Z5 - love that vase with the Karl Foester - perfect together and nice shot.

Ruth thank you. I’ve been wanting to move it for quite sometime as i have something else I wanted to put there.....but procrastination allowed time for it to grow on me : )

The layering effect and bit of elbow space you grant the plantings really helps to showcase specimens that they can mostly be viewed and appreciated individually. I always struggle with spacing and allow all too many self sown seedlings filling the gaps that I'm not pleased with the overgrown mature results. This year, I did a lot of revamping with the above goal in mind, time will tell how successful my bit of thought to it has been, or not, lol. Yes and YES, I need more grasses, I feel another greenhouse stop coming on! :)

Yes spacing is challenging to many of us I’m sure.

I’m currently ’uncramming’ many areas myself. Removing lots if perennials that have done their time. I just see ‘messy‘ and I’m trying to clean them up and make some ‘breathing room’.

Ironic...we spend years cramming them full...only to turn around and rip much of it back out.

Ahh, the life of a gardener.....

Pre-sunrise photo of my Panicum virgatum 'Dallas Blues' (I think, due to being a gift from someone elses garden). I've been very pleased with it. The blueness is becoming less so as it heads.

GardenHo I adore OG and yours are lovely! Very nice dbarron!

Miscanthus Strictus

Arrhenatherum Variegata

Carex muskingumensis

Calamagrostis Avalanche

Helictotrichon

Miscanthus Morning Light

Molinia Variegata is difficult to capture (for me) in bloom. It is a favorite of mine too FB.

Panicum Shenandoah with Molinia Karl Foerster behind which I will get a pic of on its own.

Sorghastrum n. Indian Steel

I will add more later.

Hmm.... Growing ornamental grasses is just one of those things that I never got 'into' - I did try a few when we bought this place and started the garden here but they never appealed to us. July-Sept. is a peak flower period so I've never felt a need to add them for that reason. I do like foliage plants but mainly focus on broad-leafed (and mainly perennial) plants. I like the coniferous shrubs etc. in some poster's pictures but, to me, coniferous plants are forest trees - that's an attitude that was probably shaped by childhood experience with them.. That likely also affects how I see grasses since mixed grasses, heavy on Timothy, was horse and cattle forage and hay crops when I was a child and we were living at Mom's parents farm-gradually-returning-to-bush (Grandpa was 80 when I was born.... and lived to 96 or so....)

Late summer flowers here are heavy on hardy hibiscuses (pale pink ones bloom in July; dark pink and red ones bloom in August-early Sept); veronicastrum; lots of different hydrangeas; purple coneflowers; misc. other things. The heptacodium tree beloved of monarch butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds blooms in September; the old-fashioned 'mums we have bloom in October. Japanese anemones provide late flowers in the 'moatbed' along the ditch. And then there is autumn leaf color - it will be interesting to see what might change re that after removing the white ash tree this past spring!

A sister-in-law moved in with us last year and she loves salads. Growing cherry tomatoes, lettuce and basil in pots on the driveway has become a major 'thing' and is what takes the most effort to water! Since we re-sodded the back lawn after removing the ash tree, that has required water this year. Other than that we only once watered part of the north alley where the water-loving astilboides grows; the rest of the garden has had to cope with the limited natural rainfall we got. Everything has done surprisingly well so far.

A few pictures from this morning:

Some of the driveway veggie pots and watering cans etc.:

Moatbed purple coneflowers with red hibiscuses just starting to bloom in the nearby front bed. Japanese anemones will bloom later in the moatbed and the Heptacodium tree is just starting to show flowerbuds.

Veronicastrum looking good in the patio bed in the backyard:

There are lots more things going on out there but that's enough for now - and we were SO disappointed that we got no rain at all from today's severe thunderstorm watch!

Yes, Molinia Variegata is an enjoyable one that everyone should grow!

Carex muskingumensis is a native here of some stream sides and ditches, an attractive grass with somewhat the look of papyrus ... but, watch the fingers, it's leaf edges can cut like a razor! 'Oehme', the dwarf and variegated version is a total gem!

Sorghastrum 'Indian Steel' another I must look into!

Woody, I hope you receive some rains, no significant amount has fallen at my location in six weeks. What cone flower variety do you have there? The last photo looks like a nice cool oasis!

FB - I have no idea what any of my coneflower varieties are! Most are seedlings/descendants of things I originally bought 20 years ago :-) When I deadhead coneflowers, I throw the ‘cones’ places where it would be acceptable for coneflowers to grow. Periodically I dig out any excess plants :-) The last photo is from the backyard; the rest are from the front garden. The backyard is the ’green and white’ garden which is indeed the cool oasis space.

No rain here lately - we’re still very much suffering from the rainshadow effect of the Niagara Escarpment.

I am more than a little surprised that there are not more fans of OG's.

FB I grow C. m. 'Oehme' and adore it. Interesting that the C. m. I posted is a seedling of and the edges are not sharp.

Molinia 'Karl Foerster'

Miscanthus 'Malapartus' just starting.

Sporobolus heterolepis - Prairie Dropseed

Hopeless with pics, I'm afraid but I have grown a nifty little annual panicum papillaire which is a truly tremendous filler for cut flowers. Hoping it seeds around,

The vase is such a great feature in the garden! I never thought there were so many kinds of grassesand it is eye opener seeing these photos! I only have 3 grass plants.

Purple fountain grass Rubrum. They are not hardy in my area, and I plan to dig out and overwinter them in the garage

Undaunted Muhly grass. Maybe it is still too early?

I lost the tag to this one

Peren.all, so much to love about ornamental grasses isn't there! Of all the panicums, which are your favorite for coloring up?

Yeah, 'Oehme' is a charmer! Nice to obtain a seedling without the very sharp edges. Back on the farm, as I walked the stands of muskingumensis along the creek, I quickly learned not to run my hands through the "blades!"

My miscanthus 'Little Miss' has been growing backwards likely due to being a bit shaded out, she must be moved tomorrow, nice early coloring on this one, wish it would bulk up though! 'Malapartus', oddly enough, even with the longest and hottest of summers, only ever was it poking out the plumes when frost would arrive, just not meant to be I guess!

Forever_a_newbie. I really should give Purple Fountain grass a try and do as you intend and dig up in the autumn, that foliage color is awesome, especially backed with the bit of yellow!

Prairie Dropseed is my most favorite grass. It seems like a perfect edger.

Yes indeed FB! I would grow other Panicum but I chose P. 'Shenandoah' for colour. You can see it again behind the Sporobolis. There are many blue grasses but not many with that burgundy colouring I enjoy so much.

Not fun walking through or working with sharp bladed grasses, it is one of the few times I wear gloves.

The Miscanthus do like it hot. I look forward to seeing your 'Little Miss' when you feel she is up for a "photo-op". I have had a year when 'Morning Light' did not plume but the foliage is great regardless. My 'Malapartus' may not be true to name because it seeds. I remove the heads before they have a chance to now. 'Sarabande' is a great one. Mine was so old it got the fairy

ring and I am starting over with it. As northerners we are certainly more limited in our choices!

Peren i love your collection of grasses! So many I’d love to have : )

Thanks for sharing everyone!

Than to all who posted puctures. this issomething that i hope to add to my yard and garden. very interesting to see the placement.

Peren.all, Panicum 'Prairie Fire' refuses to catch fire despite the heat and what I consider perfect placement and soil conditions that have not been fussed with. What small bit of coloring pales in comparison to 'Prairie Flame' being vibrantly drenched, don't know whether remaining in a pot is contributing to it's show off performance? P. 'Shenandoah' I have not yet tried, though seems to be a favorite of many gardeners! Yes, M. 'Morning Light' I've considered for its outstanding variegation :)

“As northerners we are certainly more limited in our choices!”

lol! Peren you crack me up! Coming from someone with such a LARGE variety already ; )

Here you go ken...

and more of this (noid) sedum...Love this sedum for the bees and its long bloom time.....

and the whole bed..

before color deepened....

and even earlier