This book by Neil Lucas has opened up a whole world for me.  I don’t think I ever looked at grass as anything beyond mowing the lawn. But this book has opened my eyes. I didn’t think of rain gardens as an important “garden” until a new local building arranged for small vegetable gardens with some deeper water spots that would save  heavy rains. I didn’t know there was Miscanthus or Feather Reed Grass.  I didn’t know about beautiful  Penniestum grass. But Neil is giving me a chance to learn a lot about Grasses.

It was when I started reading this book that I learned there are many many types of Carex grasses. This Carex grass is in my garden but I am now ready to include some other Carex grasses, – and other grasses.

The Discovering Grasses chapter gives quick information about many types of grasses. There are cities like New York where there is the Highline – welcoming visitors to see the city – and the beautiful plants, like Carex plants. The Natural Rhythm chapter offers all types of grasses including Hakone and Pennisetum which can give summer flowers.

It maybe a while before I start working with Chapter 3 Designing with Grasses but I am going to try. I do understand the grasses in the sun will shine in the light beautifully but it will also provide shadow. This chapter continues with Color and Continuity, Texture and Shape, Matrix and Mass, Transparency, and Repetition. Those words help us to think about color and forms that may surprise us with unexpected beauty. There are five more useful chapters that certainly woke me up.

I have two Hakone grasses in my garden and I am planning to get a couple more. They are so beautiful with cascades. They like part shade, and want well drained soil, and welcome moist humus.

This grass has beautiful color with lovely shape and form. It is “virtually unique with deep red to burgundy stems, foliage, and exquisite red with very tactile arching flowers that will gradually fade to beige.”

This grass is in front of a local house. I crept up to check and see how it was arranged, and saw that it was planted and knew how to ‘explode’.

This book gives many options. And the end of the book provides information about where in the United States you can see these grasses in at least 20 Botanical gardens.  You can also see where you can buy Grasses in the US beginning with the Digging Dog Nursery, 31101 Middle Ridge Road CA 95410. www.diggingdog.com.  and Wind River Seed, 3075 Lane 51-1/2.   I checked in on the catalog to see www.plantdelights.com in Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, NC. I have occasionally ordered plants from them, and their Grasses collection is wonderful.  There are also Resources and References in the book to  give even more information.

GRASSES for Gardens and Landscapes is written by Neil Lucas, Copywrite 2023 by Neil Lucas.  Timber Press.