Ornamental grasses come in many varieties and can be another way to add character to your garden. There are lots of colors of ornamental grasses including blues and reds, and many have showy flower spikes.

Grasses can be divided into two main groups, warm season and cool season grasses. Cool season grasses will begin putting on new growth in the spring and can tolerate the temperature fluctuations that often occur during this time of year.

Warm season grasses need more stable temperatures and can grow well under hotter and drier conditions. During the summer, cool season grasses may require more water than warm season grasses and may need to be divided frequently to keep them healthy. You can cut warm season grasses back to about 5 inches in the spring to remove the dead growth from the previous season. Warm season grasses generally require less division than cool season grasses.

Additionally, ornamental grasses grow by either forming clumps or by spreading through rhizomes. Clumping grasses are not a risk for your flower garden as they will grow slowly and are easy to trim back and maintain neat and clean.

Spreading grasses are best planted in an area where they can be controlled by landscape features such as sidewalks, brick separators, containers, etc. Spreading grasses can quickly take over the area where they are planted, so make sure you are careful about your choices and where your plant them.

Attractive ornamental grasses include Pennisetum Fountain Grasses, Japanese Blood Grass, Blue Fescue, Maiden Grass, Blue Lymegrass, and Prairie Dropseed.

Groundcovers are those plants you use in your garden to cover a large area. They are usually low-lying and fast growing. Some groundcovers such as Junipers can grow quite tall. There are literally hundreds of kinds of groundcovers you can use in your flower garden.

Groundcovers include grasses, spurges, succulents, vines, and herbs, among other kinds of plants. You can choose to plant annuals or perennial groundcovers and well as evergreen or deciduous. Some groundcovers can be quite woody, others more herbaceous.

Groundcovers can serve many purposes in your landscaping or flower garden. They can help to set apart certain areas of your garden, accenting different colors and softening others. If you have landscaping features such as stepping stones or bricks, groundcovers such as thyme can fill in the spaces between the steps and help bring out their colors. They are also very useful for retaining soil moisture, controlling weeds, and preventing erosion.

Examples of popular groundcovers include Coral Bells, Junipers, Hosta, Lungwort, Soapwort, Creeping Speedwell, Dragon’s Blood Sedum, Lamb’s Ear, Sweet Pea, Variegated Vinca, and the herb Thyme.

If you aren't making your own compost, then you aren't a real gardener! Compost is the black gold of gardening, and it improves any type of soil, organically and naturally. This compost bin is a perfect way to start collecting yard and kitchen scraps.

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