Big Plant Nursery Ltd. Grasses and Herbaceous

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Begonia grandis evansiana A hardy begonia with long, deeply veined foliage and fragrant light pink flowers. Plant in fertile soil and mulch well with bark or compost. The top growth should be hardy to around -2 degrees Centigrade and so tends to die down to ground level each year and reappear in late spring. An attractive plant for borders and jungly beds which is also tolerant of the shade.


	Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' - Feather Reed Grass This is often commented on as bring one of the most popular grasses we stock. It has very dark green lush foliage which is topped by tall, feathery flower spikes in mid to late summer which can reach up to 2 metres in height. It works very well as a specimen grass and does not need staking to keep it upright. Plant in full sun and prune back in early spring.


Carex 'Frosted Curls' One of our favourite small grasses, growing only to around 40cm square. It has a very frothy appearance due to the masses of thin silvery-green leaves which have a tendency to curl over at their tips (hence the name). It looks fantastic planted around palms and other spikey plants but can work well in drifts or planted in pots.


	Carex 'Sparkler' A very different Carex which produces upright red stems topped with sprays of variegated leaves which are flushed with pink when they first appear in the spring. It grows nor more than 30cm tall but will spread out to form a large clump. Plant in good, rich soil in full sun to get the best results.


Carex buchananii - Leatherleaf Sedge This is one of those grasses that you either love or hate - it forms a short clump or thick bronze leaves which are joined by small brown flowers in mid summer. It should be planted in full sun to show it off to its best and looks particularly good in a container. It benefits from an occasional haircut in the early spring to promote loads of fresh growth.


	Cortaderia richardii Toe-toe. A very beautiful and densely tufted, clump-forming perennial grass from New Zealand. It produces mounds of long narrow, leathery, green leaves which set off the tall stems of dense silvery-white plumes that are produced in the summer. It looks magnificent planted as a specimen plant, reaching up to 2 metres in height but also works very well planted in drifts of 3 or 5.


Elymus hispidus One of the few truly blue grasses. This tall grass produces long, thin, sky-blue leaves and creamy-blue flower spikes in mid summer. It can reach up to 60cm in height and will spread to form a larger and larger clump each year. It will die back each winter but readily regrows from the base each spring. Plant in full sun to appreciate the colour to its full potential.


Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' A very narrow-leaved Miscanthus, this is a particular favourite with most of our customers due to its many appealing characteristics. The striking foliage is offset well against the fluffy pink flower spikes in the summer. The flower spikes often remain well into the winter and provide some welcome structure to the garden when all else has died back.


	Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus' - Zebra Grass Zebra Grass. This has to be the most well-known of all the Miscanthus group. Its dark green leaves are horizontally striped with wide bands of yellow giving it the look of a zebra (although there aren't too many green and yellow zebras around that I've seen). Don't be too concerned if the leaves are plain green when they first emerge - they can take a few days before the stripes appear.


Stipa arundinacea - Pheasant's Tail Grass This has to be one of our favourite evergreen grasses. It has narrow leathery dark green arching leaves which, once frosted, turn varying shades of orange and red. The pendant purplish-green flower spikes are produced from late summer and remain on the plant through until late winter. This is an excellent ground cover grass and should be planted in full sun to part shade.


	Stipa tenuissima - Feather Grass If you are after a well-behaved fluffy grass which is going to sway enticingly in the slightest of breezes, then this is the one for you. It will only reach around 50cm in height and has very feathery flower spikes. It looks wonderful planted in drifts where it almost looks alive when the wind blows.


Zantedeschia aethiopica - Arum Lily The well known South African Arum Lily, widely planted by the Victorians, is often overlooked as a jungly foliage plant. Plant in rich soil in a shady spot for dramatic spear-shaped leaves topped by creamy-white flowers during the summer and autumn months. It can also be grown as an aquatic marginal plant or in the border. Mulch well in the winter.