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Hi. My name is Kirsten Segler from The Greenery and in this segment, we want
to talk about
basket stuffer grasses and what we mean by basket stuffer grasses
are grasses that can be used in
mixed containers or centerpieces or larger
pots, etc. These are not varieties that would be typically used in your perrenial
garden.
So we have a great display here behind us with some of our
favorite varieties and we're going to introduce them to you in the next few minutes.
The first type of grass we want to talk about is the Pennisetum
or Fountain Grass. This is by far the most popular
annual type grasses used in the landscape and the containers, etc.
Over here, this would be sort of a basic,
generic strains seed variety called Pennisetum setaceum
or Rosy Fountain Grass. Just plain green blades of grass
with a really nice pinky plume to it.
Most affordable out of the varieties I want to talk about
but may be the most ordinary. Getting over here
we jump up a notch. Purple Fountain Grass or
Pennisteum setaceum 'Rubrum'. It is by far the
top-selling annual type grass there is.
In the spring, it starts up with sort of a bright green foliage,
a little bit of a purple tinge to it. As the season progresses, we get them
planted outside
and the days get hotter and
that's when the change will occur real slowly. We get this burgundy form
developing on the foliage and now being second week of September
is when you really see the full effect because we still have great,
hot sunny days but quite cool nights and that's what brings out this
vibrant burgundy tone to the foliage and then just a
great burgundy plume to it as well. It starts out really dark and as they mature,
they lighten up like this. Great form to it.
Nice arching habit. Doesn't really ever flop.
I just love it. One my absolute favorites. Up front here,
would be probably my favorite variety. It's only been out a few years
actually been on two. It is called Fireworks.
In the early season it would have a
foliage that to has a lot of white, pink and green in it.
Again, as the season progresses, now being
second week of September, all these pink
pigments in the foliage will darken up and become more
burgundy and then the white becomes kind of lighter,
burgundier pink tone. And again that same beautiful
burgundy flowering habit to it. Just awesome full sun
grasses for planters and
annual beds. One final note with
the fountain grass family, the plumes make
great flower arrangements
in the house. So at the end of the season, when we go take out
the grass, make sure you cut these off and bunch them up together and you can use them
into a
nice, interior fall decoration in a vase.
It just have a great look to them.
This next type of Pennisteum here is called Pennisteum pupureum.
Strictly grown for their foliage here
in our northern climate
being in BC, the season isn't long enough for them to produce the flowers.
Down south in the southern states,
where the growing season is quite a bit longer, well, they may eventually will
have
a flowering habit to it. But here, we strictly grow them for their foliage.
We're just getting into these. Next season actually
inour first few we'll be carrying any kind of a selection in this type of grass.
I believe this one here in front of me is called Prince and next year we will be
carrying
Prince, Princess, Majestic,
which is a really tall one and has an arching habit to it. I think it's about six feet tall.
Just a massive specimen and
the blackest leaf grass out there one called
First Knight. We're really looking forward to being able to carry that
for you people. This grass here in front of me is actually Pampas Grass. We sell it as
just a first-year seedling plant in the basket stuffer section
and they do need more than one year before they
will bloom but this is still very popular just to have
as a very sturdy centerpiece in the planter. And we have this cool, little
arch to the foliage at the end. Structurally
very strong and rigid with a nice, little
arching habit to the top. Now, if you want to over-winter this,
it wouldn't be that hard because they are almost hardy enough for the Okanagan.
So simply just cut it back and bring the container into the garage,
keep it quite dry
and as things warm up in the spring, you will actually start to see some little green
shoots coming out there, especially that window on the ground. It's just perfect
setting for it.
Just put in the ground, don't over-water or they'll rot
and bring it back out in spring and it'll come back from the crown
and then you should start to see some flowers in the 2nd or 3rd year
if you're really interested in the big, white plumes that
Pampas Grass can create.