Festuca Mairei at Lovegrass Farm on P.E.I.

Festuca mairei (Atlas Fescue) July 2, 2012 at Lovegrass Farm

Festuca mairei (young divisions) July 9, 2012
 

Festuca mairei with Sea Holly on July 27, 2012 at Lovegrass Farm

Festuca mairei on October 31, 2012 at Lovegrass Farm



Festuca mairei on July 13, 2012 at Lovegrass Farm


 

Festuca (fess-TOO-kah) mairei (MAY-ree-eye) (Atlas fescue) has narrow gray-green foliage 2 - 2 1/2 ft. (60 - 75 cm.) tall and wide with very fine stems and starts flowering in June.  A cool season slow grower with good tolerance to hot summers it is very durable and long lived.  Mairei grows in an arching clump.  It is fast becoming one of the most dependable grasses for creating drought tolerant meadows; makes a great accent in a meadow of shorter grasses.  Mairei offers excellent erosion control on hillsides and stream beds.  Growing in full sun to light shade Mairei works well in beds and borders or massed as a ground cover.  It did really well in our hot dry summer last year!





Eryngium yuccifolium with Ornamental Grass

Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master) at Lovegrass Farm August 25, 2012 with Little Bluestem and Echinacea

Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master) at Lovegrass Farm in late summer

Eryngium yuccifolium on Aug. 12, 2012 with Echinacea

Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master) was a common plant of the tallgrass prairie & I Highly recommend it for anyone looking for plants to mix with their meadow grasses.  Its' bluish, gray-green leaves can extend to as much as 3 ft. long resembling those of yuccas.  Small greenish-white flowers tightly pack into globular 1 in. diameter balls resembling thistles atop stiff stems 3 - 4 ft. tall.  It prefers dryish sandy soils and is a Long Lived plant.


Sanguisorba menziesii "Dali Marble" at Lovegrass Farm

Sanguisorba menziesii 'Dali Marble' (burnet) October 26, 2012 , Lovegrass Farm

Sanguisorba 'Dali Marble' with Miscanthus 'Huron Sunrise' in background

Sanguisorba at Sundown

We've had Sanguisorba menziesii "Dali marble" (burnet) at Lovegrass Farm for a few years now but this year I've come to love how it mixes with our grasses!  It has bottle brush like maroon flowers in late summer over variegated blue-green toothed foliage; a large plant, but open in habit.  It's not particular to soil type or ph. and is a long lived perennial.  It is said to prefer to grow in moist to wet soil and will even tolerate some standing water.  It does amazingly well in our dry sandy soil!

Sanguisorba 'Dali Marble' late October at Lovegrass Farm

Festuca mairei is in the immediate background in the above photo with Pennisetum 'Hameln' in the back.
 

Grasses in September at Lovegrass Farm

Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'

Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass) at Lovegrass Farm

Bouteloua curtipendula (Side Oats grama) at Lovegrass Farm

Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' at Lovegrass Farm, Sept 15, 2012

September Really is the  Month when Ornamental Grasses Shine!  If you are able to plant them where they can be backlit with the sun you will get even more enjoyment from them!  A few photos from this weekend at Lovegrass Farm.


Bouteloua gracilis (Blue grama) at Lovegrass Farm on Sept. 15, 2012

 

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln' at Lovegrass Farm P.E.I.

After The Rain at Lovegrass Farm

Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie dropseed) taken Sept.6 at Lovegrass Farm
 

Panicum virgatum hanging over Pennisetum 'Hameln' after heavy rain

Eragrostis spectabilis (Purple lovegrass)

We had a heavy rainfall yesterday after a very dry Summer.  Thought I'd post a few pics of our Grasses.


Eragrostis trichodes (Sand lovegrass)

 

The Grasses are Growing Quickly at Lovegrass Farm

Our Grasses on May 25, 2012

Wow, plants have really grown this week with all the Sunshine and warm weather!  Looks like this will be the last weekend for cool season grasses for they are starting to send up their flowers.  It is getting dry; we could really use some rain.  We're still busy dividing and transplanting and doing a little weeding when we get a chance.  The warm season grasses have really jumped this week and are all ready for sale.  We are open for business today and tomorrow from 9 to 5.  Come and have a look at our wreaths as well.

Blue Oat Grass starting to flower on May 25, 2012

The Lilacs are in bloom on May 25, 2012

We Are Up & Running at Lovegrass Farm



Our field on May 17, 2012

This upcoming weekend (Friday & Saturday from 9-5) will be our third one open for Sales.  We are already sold out of Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' & we're getting low on Helictotrichon sempervirens (Blue Oat) and Miscanthus Giganteus.   There are lots of other varieties for sale though as well as perennials, hostas, rose bushes, shrubs, lavender, etc.  The garden grew like crazy overnight with a little rain and warm temperatures.


Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Overdam' on May 17

Blue Oat Grass on May 17

Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' on May 17

Carex 'Red Rooster' has been popular this year!