/brochure

November Primroses

Farm Shop

Welcome

Farm Shop- Locally Sourced Produce

Daily Fresh Bread

Quality Meats

Cook Ready-Meals

Sustainable Shopping

Potting Shed Café

Garden Shop

Houseplants

Bedding Plants

Gifts

Outdoor Pots

Cafe

A Tour of Carpenter's

Own Grown Veg Update

Our Own Grown Organic Carrots

Try incorporating some grasses into your garden with one of these tall grass varieties.&nbsp;

These top 5 tall grass varieties will add height, texture, sound and beauty to your garden and will look great growing alone or as part of a bigger planting scheme. Grasses can grow in containers with the right care and thrive for many years. Some of the most beautiful garden schemes are planted with grasses, from prairie planting to formal borders. Grasses give interest most of the year, and some will even flower as well. Try incorporating some grasses into your garden with one of these tall varieties.&nbsp;

<h2>Five tall grass varieties</h2>

<ol>
	<li>Miscanthus sinensis (Silvergrass)&nbsp;</li>
</ol>

This grass has tall, upright stems and big fluffy flowers. It grows as a clump and can be split to make more plants. The good thing about Silvergrass is that there are actually many varieties to choose from, including some with stripes on the leaves, various colours and more flowers. It means there is one for every gardener. Silvergrass will need full sun and grow in most fertile soils up to about 1.8m tall.

<ol start="2">
	<li>Stipa gigantia (Giant oat grass)</li>
</ol>

This plant is named Giant oat grass because the flowers look like oat flower heads but giant! They grow above the mound of green foliage and rustle in the wind. Grow them in borders, but towards the back, as it can grow to 2.5m in height as long as it is planted in full sun.&nbsp;

<ol start="3">
	<li>Cortaderia (Pampass Grass)</li>
</ol>

Probably the best known of all grasses, the Pampas grass was a must-have in the 70s and is still grown in large gardens today. It is a clump-forming evergreen with tall, silvery recognisable flowers. It has been used as a focal point or in borders and needs fertile soil and full sun. It will grow up to 2.5m tall. There are more compact varieties, such as Cortaderia pumila, which is more compact.

<ol start="4">
	<li>Carex (Sedge Grass)</li>
</ol>

This is an excellent grass for growing in pots and containers and borders because there are so many to choose from. Mostly evergreen, they are available in a variety of colours from green to bronze with variegated options as well. Plant Carex in fertile, moist soil and they will grow up to 1.2m tall depending on the variety and where it is planted.

<ol start="5">
	<li>Pennisetum (Fountain Grass)</li>
</ol>

With a whole mix of colours to choose from, Fountain grasses can have pink or purple, green or white flowers that look feathery and appear in summer to autumn from green foliage. They can look dramatic on a border or a large container. They tend to grow best in free draining soil that isn&rsquo;t too wet.&nbsp;

Find our selection of grasses in store when you visit us next.

Top 5 tall grass varieties

We&rsquo;ve listed six of our favourite drought-tolerant perennials, which prove that tough plants can still be beautiful!

With summers getting hotter and drier, we need to find ways of gardening more sustainably. That includes finding&nbsp;plants that can cope with dry conditions&nbsp;so that there&rsquo;s less need to spend precious water resources on watering the garden. We&rsquo;ve listed six of our favourite drought-tolerant perennials, which prove that tough plants can still be beautiful!

<h2>Tips for making a drought-tolerant garden</h2>

Choosing drought-tolerant plants is just one of the ways you can help your garden cope with dry weather. Here are our top tips for drought-tolerant gardening.

<ul>
	<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
	Mulch beds annually in autumn with a 5cm (2in) layer of compost, leaf mould or well-rotted farmyard manure. This improves soil structure and helps soils retain moisture, reducing the need to water in dry periods.
	</li>
	<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
	Water in the evening or early morning to reduce water loss through evaporation.
	</li>
	<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
	Avoid watering little and often, as this encourages plant roots to stay shallow and more prone to drying out in hot weather. Instead, a thorough soaking every two to three days encourages the roots to grow deep in search of water, making the plant more able to survive periods of drought.
	</li>
</ul>

<h2 dir="ltr">Drought-tolerant perennials</h2>

Many of our familiar garden plants originally come from hot, dry climates and are well adapted to cope with drought conditions. Here are six of our favourites:

<ol>
	<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
	Stachys byzantina is also known as Lamb&rsquo;s ear because of its furry silver leaves. The woolly covering reduces evaporation from the leaf surface, and this sturdy perennial makes a beautiful groundcover plant for a hot, sunny spot.
	</li>
	<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
	Sedums (ice plants), now renamed as Hylotelephiums, have fleshy leaves that store water, allowing them to thrive in dry conditions. Their flowers appear in mid and late summer and are very popular with pollinators.
	</li>
	<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
	Eryngium (sea holly) is a unique-looking perennial with spiny leaves and thistle-like flowers surrounded by spiky bracts. It&rsquo;s fantastic for attracting bees, and the striking flowers also look great in dried flower arrangements.
	</li>
	<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
	Euphorbia (spurge) are very drought tolerant once established, and with their distinctive form and colourful flowerheads, they make a significant impact on a sunny border. They contain a milky sap which can irritate the skin, so always wear gloves when working with them and avoid getting the liquid on your skin.
	</li>
	<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
	Echinops (globe thistle) is an excellent choice for a pollinator-friendly garden, as bees love the spiky round blue flowers on their tall stems. With their unique form, the flowers are also ideal for cutting.
	</li>
	<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
	Achillea (yarrow) is instantly recognisable, with its flattened flowerheads and feathery foliage. Achilleas are available in a wide range of stunning colours that look great on any sunny border, and these drought-tolerant perennials do best in well-drained soil.
	</li>
</ol>

Whatever your garden needs, you&rsquo;ll find it in our centre, so visit us soon to see what&rsquo;s in store!