Plant of the Month for October – Grasses

People either love or hate grasses but at this time of year they add enormous interest to any garden; there is a huge range available adding gossamer effects, autumn colour, and winter shapes as well as a gentle rustling as the wind whips around the garden.

Some are low and spreading and so fill in gaps which tend to appear at this time of year, some have wonderful flowering spikes with amazing colour, and some provide height, always a bonus in any garden.

Here is a small selection of grasses available from Crocus.co.uk; click the images for more detail.

Grasses can be used in several ways, often they are planted in drifts through a border which creates a natural look and brings different parts of the garden together into one cohesive design. They can also be planted as individual specimens adding dramatic impact to the smallest of gardens. If room is limited or if you have a paved garden or yard, grasses can easily be grown in containers which often helps to soften more formal designs and also means they can be moved around to change the impact as the year progresses.

Giant grasses such as pampas grasses quickly form enormous clumps and can soon dominate a bed so only plant these where space is plentiful or try them in containers.

There are many smaller grasses which can be accommodated in even the smallest of borders; read the label carefully before planting to ensure you have the correct amount of space

Sedges are suitable for damp conditions and the Britain’s native sedge, Carex pendula is well worth trying if your garden is on the damp side.

Most grasses are easy to grow but most need full sun to get the most out of them, any soil type will do. Feed in the spring with a general fertiliser but don’t over feed. Cut back in February and add a thick layer of mulch.

Click here to see the full range of Grasses from Crocus.co.uk

Or take a look at the range from Gardening Express

Now is the time to divide your snowdrops

It is always best to plant Snowdrops “in the green”, that is; when they are still in leaf and even flower. In the green is also the best time to divide congested clumps and replant around you garden.

To successfully divide your snowdrops:

• Using a garden fork or spade dig deeply around the clump to get below the bulbs
• Lever out the clump
• Using your hands tear the clumps apart into individual bulbs
• Remove the flowers to allow energy to go straight to the bulb
• Select six to eight bulbs for each new clump
• Make a hole with a hand trowel about 15cm deep
• Plant the clump so that the bulbs rest at the bottom of the hole
• Fill in around the bulbs leaving some leaf showing above the surface
• Don’t remove the leaves, just allow them to die down naturally to help form next year’s flowers

For more information on garden bulbs visit our Types of Plants – Bulbs, Corms and Rhizomes article.