In the garden: Make room for prairie plants

The penultimate weekend in January! It can be a tough month weather-wise, and we are generally limited in the garden jobs that we can get done as soil conditions are not great and it is a little early in the year to be tackling too much in the way of seed-sowing and propagation.

January is certainly the month for hibernation as it generally is the coldest of the year with average temperatures between 0-8C. This is why it is a good idea not to do too much tidying and to leave some piles of leaves strategically located for insects to overwinter in during more adverse weather.

There can be plenty of planning done at this time of year and it is a great time to order seeds and plan for what to grow this year. It is also a good time to consult plant catalogues of nurseries and get orders for particular plants in early, as the more sought after varieties can sell out early in the season.

It is always exciting to introduce new planting to the garden from time to time. It can be inspired by garden visits or by leafing through some books, discovering new planting styles, and marrying a style to your garden or particular growing conditions.

Certainly, the trend for gardening has been a more naturalistic one in recent years, with consideration given for nature, creating habitat, and allowing wilder areas to exist alongside, if not as an integral part of the garden.

Herbaceous and prairie style planting are having a moment with designers like Piet Oudolf, Nigel Dunnet, Oliver Schurmann and Dan Pearson all having some serious influence here in Ireland and all over the world.

It is encouraging to notice more herbaceous planting as part of urban developments in different parts of the country.

Clonakilty has always had a great reputation for greening its outdoor spaces and it continues to reinvent itself with new street paving and planting in the town centre making the outdoor areas more inviting.

Westport is another town which has increased planting in the town centre, softening roundabouts and streetscapes with grasses and herbaceous planting in recent years.

This additional layer of planting is aesthetically pleasing, colourful and provides seasonality on a level that what would otherwise be all hard landscaping.

Trees are always a welcome addition to a streetscape, and with the added bonus of some herbaceous, planting it makes for a softer, more inviting space.

Since the realisation of the harm chemicals can do to nature and wildlife, there has been a move to a deeper understanding of how nature works.

It has led to an acknowledgement that working in harmony with nature can be more beneficial to everyone involved and result in a healthier and more sustainable landscapes into the future.

The title of this year’s Garden & Landscape Designers Association (GLDA) conference, being held next mont,h is ‘The Interconnection of All Things’, and it promises to be a great day of information exchange about all things design, horticulture, and connections.

“This year’s speakers reflect a broad spectrum of ways in which designers, horticulturists, and thinkers engage with the living world - from historical gardens and ecological technology to landscape design, restoration, and the philosophy of our relationship with nature,” said a GLDA statement.

This year’s speakers include Neil Porteus, Galen Fulford, Margie Ruddick, Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt. Check out www.glda.ie for more information about tickets and location.

It is a great way to kick-start the year, attending an event to inspire where images of completed projects and planting schemes will give ideas and motivation for planned projects for the year ahead.

Plant of the Week

All of the discussion about prairie planting this week naturally leads to grasses that look good in wintertime. Some hold up better than others, and Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ is one of the best with its upright growing habit.

It is suitable for smaller spaces and looks great in the winter months, retaining its foliage in bleached white hues. It has feathery flowers with a reddish hue, borne in summer, and gets to a height of about two metres. It looks great when mass planted or as an individual specimen. It can be used as a screen or hedging also.

This grass prefers full sun or partial shade and a moist but well-drained soil. It is frost-hardy and drought-tolerant once established.

Early spring is a great time to plant and divide grasses. Dividing in the autumn can result in plants rotting in a cold and wet soil over winter, so from February onwards will be a good time to consider division and/or planting.

Once planted and established, they need very little care, with plants cut down in late winter/early spring each year to reveal new growth from the base. Keep weed-free and water for the first year after planting in periods of drought.

These ornamental grasses look great partnered with some airier herbaceous plants like Verbena bonariensis, Eupatorium and Veronicastrum.

Summer flowering bulbs such as Alliums can look great emerging among the grassy foliage also.

There are plenty of grasses to choose from and some research regarding soils and aspect before planting will ensure the best choice for a particular location.

The association of well-drained soil and open aspect in their native north American grasslands can be overcome on wetter sites as some grasses will be more tolerant of heavier clay soils and partial shade.

Happy prairie planting this spring!