Promoting Poaceae. North Carolina State University

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1 N.C. Flowe Gowes' Bulletin - Febuay, 2003 Volume 48, Numbe I Pomoting Poaceae Lane Gee and James L. Gibson Noth Caolina State Univesity Onamental gasses typify the "New Ameican Gaden", the tem that is used to descibe landscapes that esemble meadows full of native plants. his new way of thinking about landscapes is leading us away fom egimented Euopean-style bodes and towads fee, moe democatic foms. Many people cedit the landscape achitects Wolfgang Oehme and James van Sweden with populaizing this type of planting. In thei landscapes. Oehme and Van Sweden seek to captue the spiit of the Geat Plains, full of olling hills and flowing gasses. Onamental gasses have inceased in populaity due to othe factos. hey equie vey little maintenance, ae quite dought toleant, and have vey few pests o diseases. Gasses add movement and sound, height and gace to gadens. In addition, thee ae many new, compact cultivas that can be used in small landscapes and in containes. Gasses ae easy to popagate, they can gow in almost any soil and weathe, and they need little fetilize. As an example of the populaity of onamental gasses, Calamagostis x acutifloa 'Kal Foeste' was chosen as the Peennial Plant Association's Peennial Plant of 2001 fo its excellent pefomance ove many yeas in Zones 4-9. Gasses wee easy to integate into the uppe Mid-West and Geat Plains states, and the Mid-Atlantic has also expeiencedgeat success with gasses. he Southwestis inteested in gasses because of thei dought toleance. hanks to new eseach, the Southeast is now able to buy heat toleant species that will pefom in the high humidity and long, dy summes. Reseaches at the Univesity of Floida have been conducting studies to detemine the best pefomes fo the Floida Panhandle, focusing on plants gown in full sun and dought-like conditions. Some of thei top-ated plants included Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebinus' and 'Aabesque'. Pennisetum alopecuoides, and Muhlenbegia capillais. Poo pefomes included Calamagostis aundinacea, Sesleia autumnalis, and Deschampsia caepitosa. In a study conducted at exas A&M, eseaches found that people pefeed puple fountain gass {Pennisetum) and Lindheime's muhly {Muhlenbegia) to big bluestem {Andopogon). Please efe to ou website, as we have links that ecommend onamental gass cultivas fo almost evey egion of the county. able 1 focuses on the tue gasses (those in the Poaceae family), but thee ae seveal othe families of plants that ae sold as onamental gasses. hese include the ushes {Juncus), sedges {Cypeus and Caex), sweet flag {Acous),and New Zealand flax {Phomium). Seveal eputable onamental gass wholesales have established themselves nationwide. hese fims have developed thei own maketing pogams and povide cultual

2 N.C. Flowe Gowes' Bulletin - Febuay, 2003 Volume 48, Numbe 1 able 1. Selected onamental gasses. Alopecuus patensis Vaiegatus' (meadow foxtail) Ammophila beviligulata (Ameican beach Andopogon geadii (big bluestem) Ahenatheum elatius bulbosum 'Vaiegatum' (bulbous oat Aundo donax (giant eed 2-5-8' Desciption and Landscape Uses Cool season. Boad gold leaf magins. Good fo Nothen gadens. Gound cove. Blooms in sping. Cultivas pefeedto species. Popagate by division in sping o fall. Native to the East Coast. Wam season. Do not tansplant in summe. Salt toleant. Popagate by division. Zone 5. 'Cape' ecommended fo Nothen gadens. 'Hatteas' fo Southen. Native to the Paiies. Lage upight gass. Plant in clumps o among peennials. Russet colo in fall. Zone 3. Euopean native. White-stiped foliage. oleates dy soil. Cool season gass. Species is invasive. Use as an edging o goundcove. Popagate by division. Flowes pesist into winte. Can be invasive. Popagate by division. Zone 6. 'Vaiegata' Bouteloua (gama 7-1 Best as a specimen plant. Ceamy-white leaves. Wam season gass native to the Geat Plains. Popagate by division o seed. gacilis (mosquito cutipendula (side oats gama) oleates dy soil. Zone 3. Dought toleant. Reddish-puple I'all colo. Best in goupings. Btza media (quaking 2- Euopean native. Cool season. Good cut flowes. Popagateby division o seed. Bomus biennis 'Skinnes Gold' (bome Calamagostis bachyticha (feathe eed Calamagostis x acutifloa 'Kal Foeste' (feathe eed Good fo Westen states. Yellow vaiegated leaves and (lowe stalks. Popagate by division. Zone 7. Native to Asia. Wam season. pink blooms poduced in ealy fall; change to bonze o bown. Geat as cut flowes and in containes. Popagate by division o seed. Zone 4-9. PPA Peennial Plant Cool season, but elatively heat and dought toleant. Do not tansplantduing summe. Popagateby division in ealy fall o vey ealy sping, using 1-2 eyes fo each division. Pot up lines into quats o gallons in late sping and keep tempeatues between 55 and 75 F fo at least 8 weeks. Blooms in late sping. Chasmantiiim latifolium (wild oats) Cotadeia selloana (pampas 'Pumila' 3-5' ' Native to Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Wam season. Vesatile; looks good in many settings. Gows well in shady and sunny aeas. Seed clustes ae vey attactive and tun golden in fall. hey can be used in floal aangements o died. Popagate by division o seed. Zone 5. Native to South Ameica. Good cut flowes. Recommended fo the Southeast. Dought toleant. Popagate in sping only. Compact and cold-hady. Zone 6b. 'Silve Comet' Deschampsia caespitosa 'Nothen Lights' (hai Eagostis cuvula (weeping love 8' Vaiegated foliage has white edges and dak puple base. Zones 7b-10. Cool season. Can gow in sun. pat shade, o wet aeas. Use singly, in masses, o to edge. Popagate by division. South Afican native. Pendulous foliage. Good fo eosion contol and goundcove. Popagate by seed o division. Zone 7. Eagostisspectabilis (puple love Native to Noth Ameica. Gows best in sandy o poo soils. Reddish-pink flowes. Dought toleant. Popagates easily by seed. Zone 5. Eagostis tichodes (sand love 4' Fagesia nitida (fountain bamboo) 9-14 Festuca amethystina 'Supeba' (lage blue fescue) Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' Glycein maxima 'Vaiegata' (manna Hakonechloa maco 'Aueola' (Hakone Native to the Mid-West. Reddish-pink (lowes in summe. Dought toleant. Popagate by seed o division in sping. Zone 5. Cold-hady, clump-foming bamboo. Popagate by division in sping and keep new divisions vey well wateed. Euopean native. Amethyst-coloed (lowe stalks. Euopean native. Cool season. Blue-geen foliage. Can be used like liiope (as a mass planting o to edge beds). Ceamy yellow foliage. Needs wet soil. Can be aggessive. Good fo containes. Popagate by seed o division in sping. Zone 5. Native to Japan. Yellow o ceam stiped foliage. Gow in sun in cool, moist aeas of the county, in shade in the South. Good fo containes, as goundcoves, and specimen plants. Popagate by division. Zone 6. 5

3 N.C. Flowe Gowes' Bulletin - Febuay, 2003 Volume 48, Numbe I able 1. continued. Helictotichon sempeviens (blue oat Holcus mollis 'Vaiegatus' (ceeping soft 2- Desciption and Landscape Uses Native to the Mediteanean. Cool season. Blue foliage. Oat-like blooms that tun golden in summe. Pefes ich, moist soil. 8-12" Euopean native. Cool season. White stiped foliage. Good goundcove choice. Zone 6. Hystixpatula (bottlebush Impeatacylindical va. koenigii 'Red Baon' (Japanese blood Isolepsis cenua (fibe optic Koeleia macantha (June Leymus aenaius (blue lyme Milium effusion 'Aucum' (Bowies' golden Miscantlius 'Giganteus' (giant miscanthus) Miscantlius sacchaiflous (silve banne 1-3-4' Native to Noth Ameica. Pefes some shade: toleates dy shade. Popagate by seed. Asian native. Gown fo its bight ed foliage. ansplant only in sping. division. Zone 6. Popagate by Native to Euope. Gows in almost any soil. Excellent in containes. Popagate by division o seed. Zone 9. Native to the Paiies. Cool season. Shot lived. Blooms in June, then goes domant duing summe. Popagate by seed o division in sping. Zone 5. Euopean native. Cool season. Blue foliage that combines well with puple and maoon. Dought and salt toleant. Popagate by division. Can be invasive. Native to Noth Ameica. Cool season. New foliage is bight chateuse yellow. Blooms iate sping-ealy summe. Popagate by division. Zone 6. o 10' Native to Japan. Blooms in late summe. Clump-foming. Popagate by division. o 8' Native to Asia. Wam season. oleates wet soil. Blooms in August. Can be invasive. Miscantlius sinensis (miscanthus o eulalia Native to Asia. Wam season. Clump-foming. Adaptable to any soil. Need little fetilization. Pests ae miscanthus mealybug and miscanthus blight. Popagate by division. 'Adajio' 'Goldfede' (gold feathe) 'Gacillimus' (maiden 3-5' Dwaf selection: naow leaves that tun eddish in fall: good fo small gadens. Zones 6-9. Yellow vaiegated foliage. Somewhat difficult to popagate. Zone 6. Good fo Southen gadens. Dusky ed (lowes in Septembe. Zone 5. 'Gaziella' 'Hinjo' 'Moning Light' 'Silbefede' (silve feathe) 'Stictus' (pocupine 'Vaiegatus' 'Zebinus' (zeba Miscanthus sinensis va. condensatus 'Cabaet' 7 o 6' 5-7' 9' 5' o 9' Good fo Nothen gadens. Reddish-oange foliage. Zone 5. Vaiegation patten like 'Zebinus' o 'Stictus' but moe compact. Zone 5. Vey fine cv. Reddish flowes. Zone 5. Silvey flowes in August. Vaiegation patten same as 'Zebinus'. but habit is moe upight. Zone 5. oleates wet soil. Good fo Southen gadens. White stiped foliage. Zone 5. oleates wet soil. Good fo Southen gadens. Yellow vaiegated foliage. Zone 5. Ceamy-white vaiegated foliage; blooms poduced in fall ae eddish-puple, fading to tan. Excellent specimen plant. Popagate by division. Zones 6-9. Miscantlius 'Pupuascens' 5' Excellent eddish-oange fall colo. Not dought toleant. Popagate by division. Moliniacaeulea 'Vaiegata' (puple moo Molinia caeulea aundinacca (tall puple moo Muhlenbegia capillais (pink muhly) 2- Yellow o white vaiegated foliage. Popagate by division. Zone Muhlenbegia lindheimei (Lindheime's muhly) Native to Euope and Asia. Cool season. Gown fo tall (up to 8') flowes. Best suited to Nothen gadens. Popagate by seed o division. Native to southen U.S. and Mexico. Blooms ae pinkish-ed, bone in fall. Dought and heat toleant. Popagate by seed o division. Zone 6. Native to exas and Mexico. Good fo Southen gadens. Blue foliage. Vey heat and dought toleant. Upight habit with bonze blooms. Popagate by seed o division. Zones Muhlenbegia igens (dee 5' Native to westen U.S. and Mexico. Upight foliage. Vey dought-toleant. Popagate by seed o division. Zone 7.

4 N.C. Flowe Gowes' Bulletin - Febuay, 2003 Volume 48, Numbe I able 1. continued. Nassella tenuissima (Mexican feathe Panicum vigatum (blue switch 'Cloud Nine' 'Heavy Metal' 'Paiie Sky' ' 4-5' 5-6' Desciption and Landscape Uses Native to exas and Mexico. Vey fine textue. Vey dought toleant. Popagate by seed. Zone 6. Native to the Paiies. Wam season. Metallic blue foliage: eddish-bown blooms. Zones 4-9. Upight blue foliage. Zones 4-9. Bette fo the West and vey dy aeas. Zones 4-9. Pennisetum 'Bugundy Giant' (giant bugundy fountain 6' Dak puple foliage and blooms. Annual noth of Zone 10. Fast gowe. Pennisetum alopecuoides (fountain Pennisetum oientate (fountain Pennisetum setaceum (tende fountain (puple fountain Pennisetum villosum (feathetop) 1-5' 1-2-5' 2- Geen foliage. Good cut (lowes. Cvs. include 'Hameln'. 'Little Bunny', and 'National Aboetum'. Zone 6. Native to Asia and India. Long bloom peiod. Compact: good fo containes. Popagate by seed. Zone 6. Clump-foming. Gown as an annual in most of the county. Can be used in containes. Reddish-puple leaves and eddish-pink blooms. Cvs. called by many names, including 'Rubum'. Cupeum'. 'Atosaguineum'. 'Red Riding Hood', and 'Dwaf Rubum'. Best popagated by division. Zone 9. Native to Afica. Excellent cut (lowe and in containes. White (lowes. Popagate by seed. Zone 7. Phalais aundinacea 'Stawbeies and Ceam' (aka 'Feesey') (eed canay Pliyilostachys niga (black bamboo) o 30' Pleioblastus auicomus (compact goldstiped bamboo) Saccliaum auiulinaceum (hady sugacane) Saccliaum giganteum (giant plume Saccliaum ofjicinaum 'Violaceum' (puple-stemmed sugacane) Saccliaum avennae (avenna o 14' Scltizacliyium scopaium (little bluestem) Seslaia autumnalis (autumn moo Sogliastum nutans (Indian 10' 10' Native to Noth Ameica. Bog plant. Cool season. White and geen stiped foliage. Can be invasive. Popagate by division. Native to China and India. Black stems ae vey attactive. Good containe specimen. Can be aggessive in wam aeas. Zone 7. Native to China and Japan. Yellow vaiegated foliage. Extemely aggessive. Popagate by division in sping. Zone 5. Native to India and Asia. Wam season. Blooms look like pink pampas gass. Popagate by seed o division in sping. Zones Native to Noth Ameica. Fall colos ae dak ed to puple. Popagate by division. Zone ' Wam season. Valued fo dak puple stems. Popagate by division. Zone ' Mediteanean native. Flowe stalks ae eddish-oange in fall. Good cut (lowe. Dought toleant. Zone 6. Native to the Paiies. Adaptable to any soil. Clump-foming. Oange fall colo. Popagate by division in sping. Zone 3. Native to Euope. Blooms in late summe and fall. Popagate by division in sping o fall. Native to the Paiies. Wam season. Adaptable to any soil. Upight habit. Popagate by seed o division. Spatina bakei (sand cod 3-4' Native to the Southeast. Cannot withstand salt. Blooms May-June. oleates mashy settings and dought. Spatinapectinata 'Aueomaginata' (paiie cod o 6' Native to Nothen bogs and mashes. Wam season. Bight yellow vaiegated foliage. Salt toleant. Popagate by seed of division. Spodiopogonsibiicus (Sibeian gay bead) Spoobolus lieteolepsis (paiie dopseed) Stipa gigantea (giant feathe ipsacum dactyloides (Easten gama (foliage to 8') Uniola paniculata (sea oats) 4' 8' Native to Asia. Clump-foming. Upight habit. Dak ed fall colo. Belte fo Nothen gadens. Can gow in shade. Popagate by seed o division in sping. Native to the Paiies. Wam season. Excellent oange and usset fall colo. Adaptable to any soil. Fagant flowes. Popagate by seed. Native to the Mediteanean. Popagate by seed. Does not toleate wet conditions. Bette fo cool, moist aeas of the county. Zone 6. Bog plant native to Noth Ameica. Unusual pink and geen flowes. Popagate by seed o division. Zone 5. Native to sand dunes of Noth Ameica. Inteesting oat-like seed. Vey salt toleant. Zone 8.

N.C. Flowe Gowes' Bulletin - Febuay, 2003 Volume 48, Numbe 1 infomation to gowe-etailes. Refeto ou website fo a list of onamental gass supplies. Popagation Cool season gasses gow in sping and fall.

5 N.C. Flowe Gowes' Bulletin - Febuay, 2003 Volume 48, Numbe 1 infomation to gowe-etailes. Refeto ou website fo a list of onamental gass supplies. Popagation Cool season gasses gow in sping and fall. Since they ae domant in summe, tansplanting o dividing is not ecommended at this time of yea. In the landscape, cool season gasses often equie moe division and ae not as dought toleant as wam season gasses. Wam season gasses eally put on gowth in summe. Gasses can also be divided between clump foming and hizome (o stolon) foming. Clump foming gasses do just that. hey ae not invasive and gow by inceasing thei cicumfeence evey yea, so the centes may begin to die out. Rhizome foming gasses ae often called unning gasses, and they can be invasive. Division is the best way to popagate onamental gasses. he best time to divide gasses is in the late fall o winte, afte they ae fully domant. Each division should have at least thee stems (culms). Divisions can be gown in cell packs o pots, but gasses gown in small containes can dy out vey quickly. Divisions and lines, especially of lage o aggessive gasses such as Miscanthus and Pancium, can also be potted diect to final containes (1 o 2 gallon pots). Incopoatea 6-monthcontolled-elease fetilize into the potting medium at planting. Late summe gowth can cause potted gasses to become top-heavy. ConsideBonzi mediadenches at ates of 1 and 2 ppm, as these have been shown to be effective at contolling the height of potted pampas gass. Althoughthe poductionfo most onamentalgasses is much longe than fo annuals, vigoous gasses will develop into lage, maketable plants afte only 12 weeks of gowth. Maketing he key to ceating gass sales is to offe only those plants that gow well in youegion. Many consumes in the Noth wee tuned offwhen the big box stoes sold puplefountain gass as a peennial athethan an annual. Almost evey state has infomation on the adaptability of onamental gasses fo that egion. Refe to ou website fo a list of links to egional ecommendations. gasses aen't oveused. Pomotion of gasses as duable, pest-esistant,low-wateand dought-toleant plants will be enough to sell anybody. Retailes who ae afaidthat gasses won'tsell because "they don't have any colo" should look at puple fountain gass (Pennisetum), zeba gass (Miscanthus), and blooming muhly gass (Muhlenbegia). In the landscape, gasses look best when combined with othe peennials. Mixing gasses into the peennials sales aea will allow customes to see how well these two go togethe. Pay attention to colo hee: mix silvey blue gass foliage with white, blue and puple floweing peennials and annuals. In the heat of summe, nothing looks coole than white, and a lage vaiegated/1undo donaxmakes a poweful statement. Gasses also offe a soft, gaceful fom that is not common among annuals. Rathe than pomoting the compact gasses as goundcoves, offethem as plants to contol eosion. Weeping love gass (Eagostis) is extemelyeffective and is often planted at new highway sites in the South fo this pupose. he John Geenlee Collection of onamental gasses, offeed by Euo-Ameican Popagatos, focuses on compactspecies and cultivas gown especially fo pot cultue. he big sales peiod is late summe and fall, when established gasses ae blooming in the landscape. Unfotunately, pottedgasses can lookstagglyduing this time of yea. How can a gowe ovecome this limitation? Use onamental gasses in the display gaden, and have excellent photos ofthe whole gass, infloescence and all, so that the matue fom can be seen. Onamental gasses will continue to incease in populaity. hey ae the hebaceous giants of the summe bode. Coase o fine, onamental gasses offe textue to the heat-sticken annual bed and soften containes. Customes have begun to appeciate the vesatility of gasses in thei gadens and will continue to expand thei collections. Be eady. Additional infomation and photogaphs can be viewed at thenoth Caolina State Univesity website, listed unde the Retail Reflections icon: So many people ae looking fo low-maintenance plants and landscapes that it'samazingthat onamental

The greenhouse environment, including light and temperature,

The greenhouse environment, including light and temperature, Editos Note: This is the second in a seven-pat seies on Extension, teaching and eseach pogams being pefomed at Pudue Univesity in West Lafayette, Ind. The Geenhouse Envionment: Boilemaking Solutions ecent