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~ A garden set in the Wye Valley

Barn House Garden

Tag Archives: Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’

Rudbeckia fulgida : flower power

16 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by kate@barnhouse in Hardy perennials

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster', Karl Foerster, Miscanthus sinensis 'Malepartus', Rudbeckia 'Deamii', Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'

The yellow flowers that bring me sunshine are two varieties of Rudbeckia fulgida. I can rely on ‘Goldsturm’ and ‘Deamii’ to put on a fuss free, dazzling show between August and October. Like it or not, gardeners are indebted to Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) for introducing the two-part classification of plants, evidence of his legacy is in the naming of the genus ‘Rudbeckia’ after both his Swedish botany teacher Olof Rudbeck and Olof’s son.

Karl Foerster

Karl Foerster

Although native to North America Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ was discovered in a Czechoslovakian nursery in 1937 by Heinrich Hagemann, at the time he was an employee of Karl Foerster, the famous German nurseryman and the ‘godfather’ of ornamental grasses. Rudbeckia fulgida var. ‘Deamii’ is named after an Amercian botanist Charles Deam (1865-1953) who found the species growing in the wild, probably in Indiana. Both varieties are fully hardy in UK gardens and have earned the Royal Horticultural Society’s prestigious Award of Garden Merit.

Grass hopper on rudbeckia

The species epithet ‘fulgida’ means ‘shining’ or ‘brilliant’, so it’s no surprise orange coneflowers add a warm glow even on overcast days. The flowers are a magnet for insects and some like this grass-hopper are happy to pose for the camera.

Rudbeckia Goldsturm August

Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ in meadow

Rudbeckia is easy to grow in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil. Once established this is a reasonably drought tolerant, low maintenance plant. Fabulous seed heads stand well right through the winter, by March there’s very little tidying up to do. Rudbeckia is an archetypal prairie plant, used in a matrix of grasses and other flowering perennials it looks at home in our stylised meadow. In an unpampered naturalistic planting like this, the plants are left to fend for themselves. In these conditions Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ remains compact, flowering at 3′ in height.

Rudbeckia planted in a mass

However, in improved clay soil Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ flexes its muscles to reach 4′ in height and shows how it excels as a chocolate studded quilt in mass planting schemes. Planted as small plugs in front of a 70 metre hedge of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’ in 2012 the rudbeckia has benefitted from the TLC lavished on establishing the slower growing grass and quickly filled its allotted space. New plants are easy to come by, in spring simply pull the rhizomes away from the main plant in situ and grow on until they fill a 9cm pot.

Barn House Garden - Miscanthus hedge in August

The hedge August with Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’

Over most of the 70 metre stretch of miscanthus hedge the rudbeckia fares well and in September reaches a peak.

Walnut trees and Miscanthus hedge

As a member of the daisy or Asteraceae family, and so related to sunflowers, Rudbeckia fulgida likes full sun but is also tolerant of partial shade. However, in the shade of walnut trees, at the other end of the hedge, there is a glaring gap. Perhaps the ground is too dry; perhaps rudbeckia is just more sensitive than it should be to the growth inhibiting juglone secreted from the trees’ roots. Whatever the cause, several were moved to the meadow this spring – hence the gap. Grasses struggle in the same spot too, divisions of the more shade tolerant variegated Miscanthus sinensis Morning Light (second patch from the left) look unhappy too.

Mixed planting morning light

‘Morning Light’ should look like the parent plant standing guard to the left of the gate in a mixed planting in the back garden. This is an awkward east facing bed planted in builders infill beside the house, theoretically both the rudbeckia and miscanthus should do better in the west facing border in the front garden.

Rudbeckia edge of winter garden

Back in the front garden in an area of dappled shade Rudbeckia ‘Deamii’, Anemanthele lessoniana and Persicaria affinis add splashes of late seasons colour. The trio of perennials share an equally vigorous nature, all are capable of nudging more delicate neighbours aside.

Gordon's Calamagrostis rudbeckia

Gordon Plant 2014

In full sun and in the free draining raised terrace in front of the house ‘Deamii’ is shorter at about 2′, just the right height to conceal the tired summer foliage of Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’. This is a classic, much copied planting combination, in my case the inspiration came from my much thumbed ‘bible’ the RHS Encyclopedia of Perennials (Dorling Kindersley, 2006) in which an image on page 411 looks almost identical to the one Gordon took last year (; . Reading the accompanying advice makes me smile :  “the rudbeckia and the grasses have the upper hand … intervention may occasionally be needed to allow the other perennials to develop”.

Grasses terrace 2012

Grasses terrace late summer first year planting

Good old RHS, right as ever : the cerise pink pokers of liatris (to the right in the image above) turned out to be SOS flares. In 2015 the grasses terrace perennial planting consists of three metre wide bands of calamagrostis, rudbeckia and nepeta that stretch along the length of the border – sadly, minus liatris. The design appears linear or more fluid depending on the vantage point.

Grasses terrace Rebecca Bernstein

Image by kind permission of Rebecca Bernstein

From the top of the bank the serried lines echo the sense of the gentle slope and curving terrace walls. Beki’s photograph captured the quieter early morning mood and drift of the planting, it was part of an article ‘The Late Bloomer’ featured in The English Garden magazine last September.

Grasses terrace 2012

In all other respects the planting has filled out but hasn’t changed that much since this photograph was taken in 2012, the first year of planting.

Grasses terrace from the round bed

Three years later, the view of the grasses terrace from the corner of the round bed looks like this. The rescued liatris has perked up in the company of another member of the daisy family, Echinacea purpurea. Both these pink perennials are inclined to ill-health in my garden, perhaps that’s what makes them happier bedfellows? Unless ‘he’s’ had a haircut the echinacea’s common name of ‘Black Samson’ seems a bit of a misnomer.

Hummelo by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury (front cover)

I’ve found it hard to come by information about the origins of and influences behind the New Perennial movement, including the late great Karl Foerster so it’s wonderful that the gap has been filled in the recently published Hummelo by Piet Ouldolf and Noel Kingsbury (The Monacelli Press, 2015). With a gorgeous front cover this is definitely one for the top of a winter reading list.

 

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Splendour in the Grass

02 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by kate@barnhouse in Ornamental grasses, Uncategorized

≈ 23 Comments

Tags

Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster', Common Blue Butterly, Deschampsia cespitosa, Molinia caerulea subsp.arundinacea, Seslaria autumnalis

September heralds the onset of autumn, as this damp, cool and rather overcast summer fades I might feel a pang of regret if it wasn’t for the finale of colour in front of the house and the foil of ornamental grasses.

Grasses terrace September

… it’s comforting to know the technicolour riot will last for several more weeks to come.

Round bed colour in September

The terrace links to the round bed at the north gable end of the house, here the colours are anchored by a dolly mixture assortment of pinks to lead into the boundary bed of hydrangeas. The key grass in both this border and the terrace is Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, a sterile hybrid and for the most part raised from divisions. On the right hand corner of the bed above is a monstrous clump of Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea ‘Transparent’, weighed down by rain and obscuring the narrow path. The blue ‘dumpy pine’ blocks the view of the drive and this year’s new planting area.

Front garden plan

Shown as 13 on the garden plan, this is the stylised meadow of Deschampsia cepitosa and Molinia caerulea subsp.arundinacea that was planted in late winter this year from seed raised plants. Sitting to one side of the drive the roughly triangular area is only about 300 square metres, not vast but large enough to require a significant number of plants that I started growing for this planting in 2011.

Meadow area last autumn

The design took shape last year, as an arc of rough grass bisected by mown paths.

Meadow and woods

Last autumn the row of overgrown Leyllandii along one stretch of the boundary were felled, letting light and wind into the area, as well as allowing a glimpse of the valley’s hay fields and woodland.

Barn House Garden - deschampsia mulched and sheeted

Our aim was to limit the work required to create the meadow, last autumn the turf was covered by layers of compost, cardboard, green woodchippings from the tree work and then covered with tarpaulins.

Layered mulch planting of deschampsia and molinia

For the most part we planted without ceremony – there was no double digging. Only the molinia, as the longer lived grass, was treated with the courtesy of larger holes, back filled with sterile loam and treated to a generous mulch of fine horticultural grit in a bid to keep creeping buttercups at bay.

Papaver somniferum July
Rudbeckia Goldsturm August
Veronicastrum August
Verbena bonariensis August

The results have been surprising. In early summer silvery deschampsia was studded with Papaver somniferum, bronzed by late summer it’s has been sprinkled with Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ and Veronicastrum which was bought as ‘Fascination’ (but looks too pink to be such to me) and pixels of Vernbena bonariensis. Rising above the froth of deschampsia on linear stems are the molinia – the offspring of the ungainly clump in the round bed at the back of the house. Perhaps this is a better home for them to arch and wheel above a wilder and woolier planting.

Molinia and verbena against blue sky August

The haze of fresh inflorescense of Purple Moor Grass is best appreciated against a uniform background whether it be a tall evergreen hedge, a mass of perennials, or a dark painted shed … anything to provide contrast. In this case, the sky will do.

Molinia rising above deschampsia

Through the autumn the molinia foliage, stems and seed heads will turn a buttery yellow before dissolving in an easy to scoop up heap by December.

Meadow from drive 2015 September

By mid winter, the deschampsia and perennial seed heads will be all that remains as a whispy reminder of this year’s performance. Plus, no doubt, a prolific rash of deschampsia seedlings in the drive.

Seslaria autumnalis August

Planted on the corner of the meadow is a third grass that I have in mind for edging the meadow, like the deschampsia another near evergreen: the chartreuse leaved Seslaria autumnalis. I think it will contrast with the height, colour and form of the other grasses and conceal the thatchy tussocks of the deschampsia.

Under wings are camouflaged with orange studs
common blue male on verbena bonariensis August
Common blue male butterfly

An unplanned finishing touch for the meadow has been the influx of the Common Blue butterfly that favours unimproved grasslands. In August 2013 we started noticing the colourful males cavorting in the dried stems of calamagrostis in the terrace in front of the house while the shyer, duller brown females nestled among the veitches and knapweed in the rough grass bordering the drive. This August much to our delight a colony of them has made the little slice of ‘improved’ meadow their home.

 

 

 

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Calamagrostis : a great grass for all seasons

09 Saturday May 2015

Posted by kate@barnhouse in Calamagrostis x acutiflora

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Tags

Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster', Calamagrostis 'Overdam', Ornamental grasses

Whatever the season, I think it’s hard to beat Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’. Introduced in the 1950s, by the pioneering German nurseryman of that name, this ornamental grass has been tried and tested by generations of designers and gardeners alike. Commonly called feather reed grass, it excels on an inhospitable windswept slope in the garden at Barn House, changing appearance dramatically as the seasons unfold.

Spring

By early March, calamagrostis is the first deciduous grass into growth. It’s so well suited to cooler conditions, it just races away. Calamagrostis with orange tulips The plain green leaves of calamagrostis blend among the bright beacons of coloured bulbs. Tulips don’t do well in our heavy clay soil, but the Emperor series or, as above, ‘Brown Sugar’ haven’t done too badly in a free draining raised bed. Alliums, like Purple Sensation, interplanted with Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ fares better. Grass and alliums The lower terrace, punctuated with sentries of a variegated form, divides the gravel path from a low lavender hedge. From April the new leaves of Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’ are flushed wiith a subtle pink tinge; paling to a shimmering silver and light green by the end of May. C. Over dam pink tinged stripy new leaves‘Overdam’ is a variegated form, at 4′ in full flower (a foot shorter than the plain green form). This a useful, more compact plant to add height without blocking the view of the upper terrace.

Summer

As a cool season grass calamagrostis flowers earlier than most other ornamental grasses, and, as a sterile hydrid, the borders aren’t alarmed by seedlings. The upper terrace was affordably stocked from fist sized pieces of several original clumps that had been subdivided over the years.Calamagrostis in full flower July In mid summer, the terrace planting is thought to be at its ‘best’ in its Wimbledon colours, that is, according to our helpers doing the teas on NGS day. The lavender and nepeta provide the strongest hit of purple, even the fresh inflorescences of the grass are tinged with a smoky haze. Elsewhere, it blends quietly into the background of a more subdued scheme. Calamagrostis backgroundIf there is one criticism of some cool season deciduous grasses, calamagrostis included, it’s that they ‘rest’ in high summer – when dormant their leaves take on a straw like appearance. Added to which, if overly stressed by heat and drought, they may be marred by a touch of rust. In a formal mixed border, this isn’t such a flattering look. Skirting the grass with other perennials, or positioned so their flowering stems rise among or behind the planting helps hide the drying clumps of leaves. Sedums, long flowering geraniums, periscaria or mounding forms of low growing grasses still in active growth, can all lend a helping hand.

Autumn

By autumn the warm season grasses and late flowering perennials are at their peak, often richly coloured and glossy leaved, while the calamagrostis happily takes a back seat. By now, the grass’ seed heads are bleached pencil thin accents.

Barn House Garden - Autumn grasses terrace persicaria

As in spring, calamagrostis acts as a foil against which a host of boldly coloured late flowering perennials strut their stuff, including strident custard powder yellow rudbeckia, candy pink liatris and stately veronicastrum. Even on an overcast day, it’s a cheerful sight.

Winter

Yet, I value calamagrostis most for its subdued winter elegance, minus the fanfare and distraction of the rush of spring and summer colour. Dried grass and seed heads For three months the view from the house is a restful study in shades of brown. Partnering grass with seed heads is touted as a classic combination to take plantings through the winter. I find, that in my garden, that calamagrotis and rudbeckia looks good for longest.Winter frost january calamagrostis Phlomis Also, I especially enjoy calamagrostis juxtaposed with shrubby phlomis or the coloured stems of dogwoods. In outline the grass is thinned by the frequent frosts the slope’s axis attracts. Frozen wave grasses terrace Once in a while, calamgrostis delights me, not just with a sparkling last bow, but by the way it casually returns to the upright, shrugging off the weight of a wet smattering of snow. Rows of stubble This was taken on the day the calamagrostis was cut back in February. Technically, this is the worst time of year to scrutinise it, but I like the neat rows of stubble hugging the lines of the hard landscaping of the access path.

Fashions in plants come and go, grasses are no exception. For me, Calamagrostis x acutiflora is a keeper because it does exactly what I expect it to, whatever the season.

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