Short or Tall grasses? For what situations? Foliage ? Flowers?

Theirs a few experts on here our friend @Verdun certainly knows his onions

 

Yep, and his grasses.... and perennials. Not a bad teacher I reckon.... shutup - we don`t want him to get big headed

 

With thanks to @Verdun
I have stripped your suggested grass types out of your very extensive and useful post, hope it's OK . I am going to have a ponder on this over the next couple of days !

Acorus Ogon
arrhenatherum bulbosum
Bowles Golden Grass
calamagrostis avalanche
calamagrostis karl foster
Carex Testacea
Comans Bronze
Deschampsias
Elymus magellanicus
hackonechloa macra aureola
helictotrichon
hordeum jubatum
Imperata Red Baron
libertias....Goldfinger
Miscanthus variegatus
ophiopogon nigrescens
Pennisetums Villosum,
Pennisetums Hamlyn
Stipa arundinacea
Stipa tennuissima

 

Not strictly a grass martin but nice. Has pinkywhite flowers in summer too.

 

Harry....brilliant.
(I guess Ive made you a little poorer!! Worth it though)

 

We have a nursery a couple of miles away that specialises in ornamental grasses . I have not visited it yet . When things are getting going in mid spring I'll pay a call.
I find garden centres tend to charge £7-8 for grasses . I am growing another 3 types from seed now.

 

I like this one ....pics off the net. I could seriously get into grasses!



It's called hakonechloa macra aureola. It's good for shade.

And this one.....



Hakonechloa macra 'Nicolas'

 

I've been impressed with the variety of grasses shown on here.
Ours are not so. In fact one of them I dug up and reduced the clump significantly before replanting as it was taking over. It was one of several we bought one year when we were on holiday in Cornwall. I've also cut the spread back of the others, as we've now an acer, another azalea and a hydrangea in there now.

We always brought something back, our most durable are the cyclamen we bought from the same garden centre, near Charlestown.

 

The finest of all grasses fern4
I have several varieties of hackonechloa here ....in large containers and in the ground. They add a classy look to the garden. Yes, great for shade but I also have them in sunshine but dont let them dry out
Another variety is All Gold.....superb with purple perennials
Envious of your acer DHR......they dont like it here; too near the coast

 

Thank you Verdun this is it.

 

Dig it up......you should be able to separate some good pieces. Add a little compost to the soil at planting time Martin. I like to grow them on in pots first.
Its a difficult one to place in the garden......in a terracotta pot is good. Nice with a yellow perennial......campanula Dicksons Gold, for example....or a red heuchera. Or grasses like blue festuca and yellow Bowles Golden Grass

 

Thank you Verdun, it comes under the fence every year, the last few ive dug it out but its grown on me ,

I made a little rockery/waterfall by the pond and i think it would look nice there i do have a blue festuca in there and a few heather's, i think i will gradually lose the heather's to a different area and replace them with grasses.

 

Fern , I have just ordered a packet of seeds for hakonechloa macra aureola. Looks a lovely grass , just that the name is such a mouthful !

 

Yep it looks really nice. I think it would brighten up a shady corner. I might get some seeds myself. Where did you buy yours from?

 

@Fern4 , from Ebay £2.50 for 30 seeds. Don't have any cultural instructions yet . If I get fairly good germination that should make 2 or 3 clumps to grow on and plant out.Hakonechloa macra Aureola Golden Hakone Grass 30 Seeds Hardy Perennial UKFreeP&P | eBay
The grasses I grew last year from seed all did well especially Anemanthele sirocco , which seems to have several names one being Pheasants tail, Google photo below. Seeds on ebay as well