Native Grasses, Sedges and Rush for the Garden, Part V

I am going to try to post the rest of the slides from the powerpoint in the next two entries. If you want to check out the entire presentation, click on this link.

The next three grasses, purple three-awn (Aristida purpurea var. purpurea), and purple and nodding needlegrass (Nassella pulchra, N. cernua) are delightful medium-sized plants that embody the delicate motion of California grasslands. One word of caution, though – both seed around in the garden. In my garden neither has been a terrible problem, but at Rancho the three-awn really took hold in the bed outside the the Seed House. While giving this talk at the Orange County Chapter of the CNPS last week, I was told that by several of the gardeners in the audience, it is the needlegrass that has been most problematic – dare I say “weedy.”

From Grass_090618

December 6, 2005. The combination of grass and rocks is always lovely to look at.

From Grass_090618

January 23, 2006, most of the awns are tawny (buff-colored), though a few have purplish tinge.

From Grass_090618

September 26, 2005, fairly dry looking with Point St. George aster (Aster chilensis ‘Point St. George) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

From Grass_090618

July 21, 2006 at Rancho, reseeding to form a dense cover.

From Grass_090618

From Grass_090618

April 15, 2003. Small front-yard garden in South Pasadena with arrangement of needlegrass and rock.

From Grass_090618

Purple needlegrass (N. pulchra) at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden right before the fire (April 13, 2009).

From Grass_090618

April 28, 2009. In order to learn to distinguish nodding and purple needlegrass I planted two right next to each other. Before having the chance to really look at them, they went ahead and reseeded. Now my garden has each and a combination of both – thoroughly muddled. Purple needlegass, I have read, has darker awns (the needle-like ends of the seeds) while noddling has longer, blond colored ones.

From Grass_090618

May 15, 2009. Needlegrass drops its seeds in early May and goes dormant.

From Grass_090618

April 7, 2009. Needlegrass with California poppies and other wildflowers.

From Grass_090618

May 3, 2009.

From Grass_090618

Juncus or rush is not a true grass. Grasses are in the Poaceae family, while Juncus is Juncaceae. Their rigid upright structure is interesting in the garden, and their colors can vary from the deep blue-green of Carman’s Gray rush (Juncus patens ‘Carman’s Gray’) to deep green of Juncus effusus ‘Quartz Creek.’ They like some moisture but have been growing well in my loamy soil with less than weekly watering, even in the summer.

From Grass_090618

July 15, 2008 at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.

From Grass_090618

August 5, 2008 in Riparian area on the Mesa at RSABG. Note that rush keeps its green color throughout the year.

From Grass_090618

Quartz Creek rush in frontyard shade garden, June 14, 2009.

From Grass_090618

June 14, 2009. Juncus patens ‘Carman’s Gray’ in riparian woodland garden. It was planted more than five years ago.

From Grass_090618

California and Idaho fescue, both native to CA, are wonderful medium-sized, tufted bunchgrasses. California fescue is generally slightly larger than Idaho fescue. Both typically occur further north and are a bit difficult to keep alive in our hot, inland areas. Some shade and summer water are helpful for these cool-season grasses.

From Grass_090618

California fescue in Sunland garden, May 28,2003.

From Grass_090618

This California fescue is shown in September 26, 2005. It is still alive in that garden, though it is much less vigorous. It looked good for several years and merits re-planting this fall.

From Grass_090618

There are numerous fescue cultivars. Some of the small blue-gray varieties are now believed to be offspring of Festuca ovina, a European species.

From Grass_090618

April 22, 2007, Claremont garden with fescue and sea pink (Armeria maritima).

From Grass_090618

November 11, 2006. Pasadena garden with fescue cultivar.

From Grass_090618

August 25, 2005. Fescue with Santa Cruz Island buckwheat, (Erigonum arborescens).

From Grass_090618