Grasses in winter
Deciduous grasses – the ones which turn parchment-coloured but remain standing – are a significant feature of many gardens in winter. The pampas grasses have been around the longest and still tend to be the most dominant, by virtue of their size alone. Even when they have lost their initial creamy-whiteness, as long as their plumes remain upright they continue to add interest to the scene. The beginning of this winter though, was too much for all but a few of them, leaving them, as soon as the snow and ice retreated, a pile of broken stems, which is exactly as they have remained ever since in gardens all over the country. I find myself longing to say, please everyone, it won’t take a minute to clear away! – the more onerous task of dealing with the leaves can be left until spring.
Molinias, Miscanthus and Panicums are all beautiful in winter, especially when rimed with frost or back lit by the winter sun. Molinias look lovely up to the end of December, when they promptly collapse, as if at a signal. Nothing could be easier than tidying them away. The Miscanthus, elegant and upright, and Panicums, graceful and fountain-like, carry on looking wonderful for much longer. They were not in the least affected by the severity of the early part of the winter, even the flowers of the Miscanthus remaining in tact, though gossamer fine by now. It would seem a pity, in a spirit of tidiness, to cut these down quite yet. This is a job though, which must be done by the end of March, to avoid the new shoots growing up among last year’s old stems.
