Ornamental grasses have many benefits, add beauty

Beautiful, graceful, colorful, soft, feminine, billowing, feathery, dainty, gentle, cooling and awesome are ways of describing ornamental grasses. They are quickly becoming more popular as people find out about them. You have a chance to take a tour of these beauties at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Gardens at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd. Price for admission is $11 for nonmembers and $9 for members.

Ornamental grass flowers are in all their majestic beauty right now. Here are reasons to consider them in your landscape:

• They introduce movement and sound.

• They have a great ability to weave landscapes together.

• Their flowers become translucent and glow as sunbeams pass through them.

• They continue to show off through the winter, even after becoming straw colored.

• They make your landscape look like a happy family rather than a bunch of strangers.

• They range in heights from ankle tops to 10 feet tall.

• They make great companions for potted flowers, perennials, herbs and succulents.

• Their flowers are attractive in fresh or dried arrangements and last a long time.

• When planted along a dry stream, they help accent shoreline and direction to a creek.

• They make excellent slope coverers and erosion preventers.

• They become good poolside plants.

• They are heat tolerant.

• They require little care.

• Few pests bother them.

• They are very low water-users.

About all you need to know about ornamental grasses is planting them right, feeding them, enjoying their show through the fall and winter and then cutting them back in the spring. Shortly thereafter, new leaves emerge and by late summer they are back to full size.

Now these special grasses are becoming part of golf courses. They are designing waterless hazards using ornamental grasses to connote a water effect. They also use grasses among boulders, and as angle points in place of shrubs and trees. With the texture of the grasses, they have good contrast and once established, get by on very little water. In fact, overwatering these beauties forces the ornamental grasses to grow taller and sprawl, something the courses don't want.

Ornamental grasses are more than just turf, they are ornamentals! Come meet the many grasses we have available.

NOVEMBER GARDENING TIPS

November, with its shortened days and cooler temperatures, signals there is still prime time to garden. Here are some tips for better gardening this month.

Fall is for planting: It is the best time to plant and generate an additional year of roots before hot weather returns. Your nursery has some hot deals for budget-minded gardeners.

Roses: After a frost, cut back water to force roses into dormancy and don't feed them until January. Tie up climbing roses to keep them from whipping around. It's hard, but discard those varieties you don't like and plant new varieties before Valentine's Day.

Rose clinic: On Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Las Vegas Valley Rose Society will be available at Plant World Nursery, 5301 W. Charleston Blvd., to answer all of your rose questions. If you don't know the name of your roses, bring a cutting in bloom for positive identification. The society will have a display and if you want to show off yours, bring them with you.

Mums: This is a great fall annual flower. They come in a wide range of colors and shapes. Stake existing mums to keep them from falling over. When they do frost down, cut them and forget them until next spring.

Mum show: Plan on coming to the mum flower show Nov. 17 and 18 at the Nevada Garden Club Center Building, 3333 W. Washington Ave.

Winter flowers: Plant snapdragon, pansy, calendula, sweet alyssum, viola, bells of Ireland, candytuft and stocks in a sunny location in clusters for more of an impact.

Sow flowers: Try sowing annuals for next spring. Include forget-me-nots, California and Shirley poppies, bachelor's button, larkspurs, sweet peas and Johnny-jump-ups.

Vegetables: Plant asparagus, horseradish, artichoke and Jerusalem artichoke. You treat these veggies as ornamental edibles. Feed your fall vegetables to keep the produce coming.

Bulbs: Plant bulbs early to experience cold weather for a greater bang of spring color.

Houseplants: Yellowing and falling leaves are readjusting to winter conditions. They will stabilize in a few weeks. Check for spider mites if plants appear dry. With reduced light and cooler temperatures, houseplants won't need as much water. If soil settles around plants, repot.

Trees for autumn color: Plant Chinese pistachio, Chinese tallow Modesto ash, honey locust, crape myrtle and Texas umbrella. The intensity of color varies within species.

Fruit trees: Fertilize fruit trees after they drop leaves or before they begin blooming again.

Holiday plants: Select your holiday plants and place them in sunny spots that will be cool at night. Keep them away from windowpanes, doors, TV sets and fireplaces.

Lawns: Feed fescue lawns around Thanksgiving to keep them green through the winter and to speed the green-up next spring. Surprisingly, this feeding doesn't make the grass grow but beefs up turf for the coming season. Add potassium so the lawn will withstand the cold. Mow winter lawns lower to thicken turf. Reduce watering to once a week to conserve water.

Knotty roots: When removing vegetables, check for large, knotty growths, which indicate nematodes. They will ruin next year's crop if they are not controlled. Check your nursery for a control.

Weeds: Eliminate weeds with a hoe or stop them with a pre-emergent herbicide as you see them.

POMEGRANATE ART FESTIVAL

Learn how to make deliciously refreshing pomegranate juice, jams and jellies, which are high in vitamins and antioxidants, at this pomegranate-themed festival. It is a great opportunity to do some early Christmas shopping. The festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the old Logandale School, 3011 N. Moapa Valley Blvd., in Logandale. Expect to find ripe pomegranates and jelly available, along with note cards, recipe books and works of art to carry out the theme. It is like an old-fashioned country fair everyone will enjoy.

Linn Mills writes a gardening column each Thursday. You can reach him at lmills@reviewjournal.com or at the Gardens at the Springs Preserve at 822-7754.