Spring and Bamboo in Long Island, New York.

Spring is arriving. Everything in the garden is about to burst into new growth, including the bamboo! Will be posting tips on how to plant, prune and get ready for the new growth.Stay tune!

Calamagrostis ”Karl Forrester”

Calamagrostis 'Karl Forester' is an excellent season grower with dark green, shiny foliage that appears in early spring and lasts until late fall. Flowers will appear in June which is earlier than many other ornamental grasses. During the early stage, they are loose, feathery and pinkish in color, then, through the summer, flowers become very narrow and gradually turning a wheaten color that lasts through the fall. The flower stems grow upright and stand up well through summer and winter.

Bamboo Companion Plant - Petasites Japonicus

Fully grown Petasites japonicus .Easily grown in consistently moist to wet soils in part shade to full shade. If grown in full sun, leaves will typically wilt during hot days. Best grown at the shoreline of large natural ponds, on the banks of streams or in bogs. Tolerates a wide range of soils as long as consistent moisture is present.

Ornamental Grasses

Learning lessons from simple growing things...

Ornamental Grasses - Year Round Stunner

Calamagrostis Brachytricha- This photo shows the grass in full bloom on Long Island in late August. This grass will bloom from mid-August until frost, but it will also maintain winter interest in its faded blooms.

Ornamental grasses and its beauty.

Eco Fashion

Ways to go green continuing to grow for eco-fashionistas

Bamboo=Grass

Here is something that everybody should know when dealing with bamboo. Bamboo is grass and not tree...

Bamboo Versatility

Bamboo, along with being one of the most treasured plants, is one of the fastest growing grass/plants. Bamboo nowadays is being recognized as environmentally friendly material that is gaining a lot on interest around the world. Ways to go green continuing to grow for eco-fashionistas.

Sporobolus heterolepsis

Freshly dug Sporobolus heterolepsis. A native prairie grass which forms handsome, arching clumps. The fine textured, green leaves are about 1/16" wide and produce a flowing mound. It turns golden hues in the fall and in August will produce long, refined, airy panicles. This grass is extremely drought tolerant. The fragrance of the plume has been compared to sort of like burnt buttered popcorn. It requires at least four years to attain significant size. This long-lived, trouble-free plant just keeps getting bigger for decades without any center dieback or need for renewal.

Bamboo Companion Plant - Petasites Japonicus

Picture shows the developing flower bud of petasitas japonicus which is an excellent under story/ground cover plant for a bamboo grove. The flower bud emerges before the large tropical leaves, up to three feet across, develop.

Miscanthus Grass

This is an example of an urban planting of Miscanthus grass still showing good structure and seasonal interest in late winter.
Photo taken at Chelsea Waterside Park, Manhattan, New York. April 2008

Calamagrostis ”Karl Forrester”

Calamagrostis ”Karl Forrester” – Spring digging getting large clumps ready for their new urban home.

Panicum Virgatum – This is another example of urban use of this versatile native grass for river bank stabilization and as a buffer zone. Photo taken at Gantry Plaza State Park, Long Island City, New York. Jan 2008

Panicum Virgatum - Green Plant

Panicum Virgatum Grass - Metro New York urban use. Photo taken at Gantry Plaza State Park, Long Island City, New York. Jan 2008

Panicum Virgatum

Panicum Virgatum - Here is a prime example of how our native grasses can be used in the urban setting.This grass will provide interest from early Spring through winter - changing with the seasons. It is very drought and flood resistant and will also give cover for wildlife. This grass will not need any pesticides or fertilizers and will not need to be irrigated once established.

**photo taken at Gantry Plaza State Park, Long Island City, New York. Jan 2008

The Many Looks of Grasses - Winter

Fargesia Nitida " Ems River " - Starting to flower

Bamboo flowering- this shot shows the early stages of flowering of the clumping bamboo Fargesia nitida " Ems River"

Spring has sprung in the Hamptons

Petasites japonicus- flower used as vegetable in Japan.

Colors of Spring

The Many Looks of Grasses - Summer