An addition to the landscape...ornamental grass

Different types of ornamental grass

Ornamental Grass
Grasses, sedges and rushes are a great addition to the landscape. The ornamental grasses can be very short, from just a few inches tall to 10 feet or more. Some of the ornamental grasses are very fertile and can cause problems in the landscape and in the wild if they escape. Other ornamental grasses seem quite tame. I use the ornamental grasses and similar plants often to soften a border or to provide movement in the landscape. Or in some cases to make a very lush environment. The ornamental grasses will rustle in the wind. Many of these plants, such as Scirpus, Carex, Juncus, and Chondropetalum, are great in or near water. Though if you are near a wetland you should have caution when planting plants that might do just a little too well if they escape. Lomandra is even fragrant. One can smell as one walk down the garden path long before getting there.

Lomadra longifolia
Lomadra longifolia has done well for me in some of the most difficult conditions. I have grown it in full sun, dark shade, near swampy winters and baked summers without irrigation. All Lomandra longifolia has done is produce sweet smelling blooms. While the fragrant spikes on the flowers look like they could do some real damage when you go to smell them they are not very stiff. Plants can be expected to grow to 5 feet tall and wide, the dwarf varieties 3-4 feet. Lomandra longifolia is a natural understory to Eucalyptus. Two dwarf varieties of Lomandra that are available in the marketplace are Gary's Dwarf, and Breeze (aka Tanika). Our plants have shown no winter damage when temperatures dipped into the mid teens.