Their true beauty is blowing in the wind.
Ornamental grasses that grow into clumps and continue growing as a perennial plant bring a completely different dimension to the landscape from a number of perspectives: they emphasise the seasonal growth cycle by having distinctive growth phases for every season; their mystical flower plumes in summer and autumn add a surreal or dreamlike aura to the garden, while in winter the dry or dying foliage accentuates the cold emptiness associated with this time of the year. And in spite of the seeming lack of life, the brownness adds that special something to frosty mornings. In spring the lush new leaves have a strong sense of a new beginning for the garden.
Throughout the year, grasses add a sense of movement to gardens as they sway with the wind and shimmer in the sunlight. This special effect is often accentuated during the early morning or late in the afternoon as the sun sets. Water droplets form on the leaves and flowers from dew, drizzle and mist, contributing to the undeniable charms of the grass family.
Grasses are being utilised more and more for their ornamental potential, along with their ecological and environmental value for stabilising soils in disturbed areas. Many new hybrids or selected cultivars have increased the range of grassy plants available for garden cultivation enormously. These include many with coloured or variegated foliage that create strong contrasts with surrounding plants in terms of texture, growth shape and obviously colour.
Cultivation
この記事は The Gardener の May 2017 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は The Gardener の May 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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FIRE AND Feathers!
On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!
GET THE ladies in!
At this time of year, early-flowering shrubs vie with each other to get the most attention. We say: Trust those with female names for frills and butterflies. They go the extra mile to flower their hearts out.
Vegetable Soups and dumplings
Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.
Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health
Boiled, baked or braaied, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a delicious and healthy winter comfort food. Just a dollop of butter, a little seasoning and you are good to go.
Pretty and functional
If cooking is your main thing, you would probably be more interested in the culinary value of the three herbs and some of their varieties we are describing.
Dried Seedheads & Pods
Autumn and winter are the best times to see what flowers produce the best seedheads that can be left on the plants to feed the birds and bugs and for harvesting for dried arrangements.
SO MANY FACES and so many choices...
Whoever associated a Cotyledon orbiculata (pig's ear) with the ear of a pig obviously did not know about all the varieties and cultivars this species in the genus Cotyledon has.
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
If it comes to a vote, these dependable shrubs will be the top candidates for prime performance in winter and in other seasons...
What makes a garden sustainable?
It is interesting to note that the United Nations defines sustainable development as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation
Nestled within Prince Albert's rustic embrace lies a gem that is a testament to the transformative power of human vision and nature's bounty.