It's A Cool and Wet Spring for 2013 at Lovegrass Farm

It's been really slow warming up this Spring.  We had some days in the 20's C three weeks ago and it's been a roller coaster ever since.  Yesterday we had lots of rain and a high of only 8 C.  Today is much nicer and Sunny; should go to 17 C.  It's been great for dividing and transplanting our ornamental grasses but the warm season grasses are very slow to grow.  Cool season grasses are really jumping out of the ground. 

Our Miscanthus 'Zebrinus' divisions for next year with Deschampsia in the background
 

We had a heavy frost early last week that damaged the tips of some of the more sensitive ones.   After all this lovely rain all we need is some steady warm days and they will all take off!  We're open for Sales this Sunday afternoon from 2:00 - 7:00 and through the week from 8:30 to 7:00 by appointment.  We are sold out of Miscanthus 'Variegatus'. 

Calamagrostis 'Overdam' & 'Karl Foerster' on May 26, 2013 at Lovegrass Farm
 

More Close Up Photos of our Ornamental Grasses

Carex 'Red Rooster' on September 15, 2012



Deschampsia cespitosa (native) on July 27, 2012



Deschampsia cespitosa & Blue Oat on June 24, 2011




Prairie dropseed on November 2, 2011



Miscanthus sinensis 'Huron Sunrise' on September 15, 2012



Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus' on October 9, 2012



Miscanthus sinensis 'Huron Sunrise' on October 26, 2012



Prairie dropseed on October 26, 2012




Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' on October 31, 2012



Prairie dropseed on October 31, 2012

I've been looking through photos on this wintry day at Lovegrass Farm and missing the gardens buried under snow.  It is interesting to note how late in the year the inflorescence's come out on Miscanthus Variegatus & Gracillimus.

Close Up and Personal Photos of Ornamental Grasses

Panicum virgatum on August 20 at Lovegrass Farm, PEI

Pennisetum 'Hameln' on October 15 at Lovegrass Farm

Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' at Lovegrass Farm

Seslaria autumnalis on August 20 at Lovegrass Farm

Deschampsia flexuosa on June 30 at Lovegrass Farm

Big Bluestem on October 3 at Lovegrass Farm

Side oats grama on October 3 at Lovegrass Farm in PEI

Miscanthus purpurascens on October 26 at Lovegrass Farm

Little Bluestem on October 26 at Lovegrass Farm

Miscanthus sinensis 'Sarabande' on October 5

Hope those shots of our Ornamental Grasses at Lovegrass Farm show you just how Beautiful they are Up Close and Personal!

Carex caryophyllea 'The Beatles'

Carex caryophyllea 'The Beatles' at Lovegrass Farm October 31

Carex caryophyllea 'The Beatles' on September 15 at Lovegrass Farm

Carex caryophyllea 'The Beatles' sends out a short runner and gradually forms a colony of mop-head foliage.  The clumps of dark green leaves give the appearance of a 1960's Beatles haircut.  It makes a hardy, deer resistant edging plant in moist areas in light shade to full shade.  It's mop like foliage swirls around on the ground below the crown and the height is only 3 - 5 inches (7 - 13 cm.)  According to Rick Darke (The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes) the species caryophyllea is only hardy to Zone 7 so it is most likely a hybrid of Carex digitata and Carex ornithopoda.  Digitata is good to Zone 4; it would not have survived in our Zone 5 all these years otherwise.  Makes a great ground cover for a shady slope.  Unfortunately I don't have a photo to show you how it grows tightly together; these are of divisions made last Spring.

Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'

Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance' at Lovegrass Farm

Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance' on September 15 at Lovegrass Farm PEI

Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance' on October 3 at Lovegrass Farm



Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance' is a pretty grass to brighten up a shady area. It's rich green leaves are 1/2 inch wide with a cream-white border.  The leaf color is richer in shade than sun.  'Ice Dance' grows 6 - 12 in. (15 - 30 cm.) high and is a slow to moderate spreader by rhizomes.  It is quite drought tolerant once established and will grow in a variety of conditions from nearly full sun to shade.  The photos were taken of our plants in full sun.  They did remarkably well in last year's dry Summer and put on lots of new growth with the wet Fall we had.  We get some winter die back; mostly brown tips, which we trim off in spring.  It will soon send up lots of new shoots to hide this.  Brownish flowers in late Spring are insignificant.  Combine it with other shade loving plants such as hosta or let it go on its own.  Zone 5

Fall Colors of Grasses at Lovegrass Farm

Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' on November 3, 2012 at Lovegrass Farm

Miscanthus Purpurascens on October 16 at Lovegrass Farm

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' on October 31  at Lovegrass Farm



Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie dropseed) on November 3 at Lovegrass Farm



Schizachyrium scoparium (Little bluestem) on October 26 at Lovegrass Farm

Panicum amarum 'Dewey Blue' on November 3 at Lovegrass Farm



Eragrostis spectabilis (Purple lovegrass) on October 2

Seslaria autumnalis on November 2 at Lovegrass Farm in PEI

Miscanthus sinensis 'Huron Sunrise' on October 31

Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass) on October 3 at Lovegrass Farm

Pennisetum 'Hameln' on October 31

Molinia caerulea 'Skyracer' on October 31

Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus' on October 31

New Twig Wreaths from 2012 at Lovegrass Farm

Sensitive Fern Square Wreath at Lovegrass Farm 2012

Moss Wreath from Lovegrass Farm 2012

Red Osier Dogwood and birch Wreath from Lovegrass Farm 2012

Mixed Green Cross Wreath from Lovegrass Farm 2012



Mixed Larch Wreath with Cones from Lovegrass Farm 2012



Sensitive Fern Wreath from Lovegrass Farm PEI 2012



Moss Heart Wreath from Lovegrass Farm 2012

Moss Square Wreath from Lovegrass Farm 2012

Carex rosea (Curly-styled wood sedge)

Carex rosea on June 7 at Lovegrass Farm on PEI

Carex rosea on June 13 at Lovegrass Farm

Carex rosea on October 15 in full sun

Carex rosea (Curly-styled wood sedge) is a fine textured clump-former native to deciduous & mixed forests.  It grows 8 - 12 inches (20 - 30 cm.) tall and has pretty light green narrow leaves and flowering stems from 6 - 20 in. tall.  The leaves were almost a chartreuse color in Spring.  It is well adapted to dry shade but can handle mesic to wet land and is walnut tolerant.  Sedge plants won't compete with trees for moisture because, unlike turf grasses, sedges have dense, fibrous root systems that hold water.  One third of those roots die every year, decomposing and adding moisture, Co2, and organic matter to the soil.  Sedge is a native alternative to liriope; a commonly planted non-native plant that can be invasive.  Carex rosea makes a great ground cover and can even be used as a filler in container plantings.  We grew our plants at Lovegrass farm from seed; hoping to supply a grass for difficult spots under trees but to our pleasant surprise find it to be a good ground cover in full sun.