The real fun of pot gardening comes from having an array of mobile plant materials to use in pleasing displays indoors and out.
What could be more cooling for summer than a collection of decorative grasses, arranged attractively?
The tall grass of Phormium tenax atropurpureum with it’s exciting burgundy color and forms a contrast with Stenotaphrum secundatum variegatum.
Collection of Potted Grass
I found my first potted grass while searching for new plants in a commercial greenhouse. Its label read Oplismenus hirtellus variegatus, and it looked like a daintier, more airy inch plant—the thin, papery leaves striped with white and blush-pink.
On our semi-sunny kitchen window sill, where it was easy to remember to water it, this “ribbon grass” was delightfully decorative and incredibly easy to grow.
Later, I tried it in a hanging basket, letting its rooting stems creep over the soil and spill down the side, with equally pleasant success.
One potted grass led to another, and now I have started a collection of them. They’re not spectacular. They flower shyly, if at all. But they’re light, refreshing, and out-of-the-ordinary.
The smaller types make friendly centerpieces for the luncheon table or a conversation piece for the coffee table. Many droop gracefully, and I can imagine them, for example, on the sill of a high window in a hall or stairwell where you’d look up to their foliage fountain.
In the greenhouse, I’ve started several under the benches where they can creep and spread contentedly.
St. Augustine Grass
In my collection of grasses or grass-like plants, I have St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum variegatum— so many have such tongue-twisting names) which creeps fast by stolons and sends up straight, slim, round-tipped leaves with lines of creamy white on green.
The plain-leaved species is, of course, a popular lawn grass in the South.
Japanese Grass
Japanese grass (Acorus gramineus pusillus variegatus) is a midget, less than 6” inches high, with fans of white-lined leaves only one-tenth inch wide. It’s not a true grass but belongs to the same family as the calla lily.
Non-Grass
A small sedge (Carex elegantissima, or C. morrowii variegata) is one of my particular pets. There is an air of elegance about its dainty, fresh green leaves penciled with white.
Another non-grass that looks grassy is Scirpus cernuus (sometimes offered as Isolepis gracilis).
This is the most fountain-like of all, with thread-like, round green stems arching up from a tuft and spilling down on all sides. It’s actually a bulrush!
A Grassy Lily for Potting
In the lily family, lily turf (Liriope spicata) will make a mat of thin leaves and diminutive blue flowers, followed by gleaming blackberries.
Similar but not the same are the ophiopogonis or snake’s beards. I like the low O. japonicus best (sometimes called mondo grass), perhaps for the deep, glowing green of its slender, six-inch leaves or perhaps simply because I like little fellows.
Two nicely white or silver-marked forms of O. jaburan droop fresh waxy white flowers.
Two Small Bamboo Species
Bamboo is really a grass, and there are two small species I like. But I can’t find out for sure whether they’re correctly called by a name like Sam or something horrifying like Pleioblastus.
The suppliers and I both lean toward Sasa —it’s so much simpler. S. fortunei stays fairly low and small, with white-pin-striped, broad leaves fuzz-lined beneath.
S. pygmaea (pygmy bamboo) is even smaller — under ten inches—and it forms a luscious mound of two-inch, deep green leaves.
Largest Grassy Pot Plants
My largest grassy pot plants are native to New Zealand, where their leaves are used commercially for making baskets and ropes.
New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) is really a striking sight, an excellent accent among other plants in a window garden or mixed planter. I’ve heard that the leathery, sword-shaped leaves can grow as long as nine feet.
For me, fortunately, they’re more like 18″ inches. The color is deep, brownish green, with orange-red at the margin. I also have a variety of atropurpureum, with shimmering shades of red-purple and deep bronze.
Culture of Potted Grasses
Without exception, these grasses or grass-like plants need their soil constantly kept moist or even wet. As a result, many were born in bogs.
All tolerate a wide range of temperatures—only the acorns resent anything over 70° degrees Fahrenheit.
Any good house plant soil suits them fine. Misting the leaves to keep them clean and increase humidity is appreciated but unnecessary unless the household air is very dry.
And the flax is the only type that needs bright sunshine to bring out its color and keep it happy; the others will settle for much less and may even be crisp and dry if the sun’s too hot.
Propagation is ridiculously easy. You can divide the roots of a tufted mound to share with a friend or snip off a rooted stolon or stem.
44659 by Elvin Mcdonald