ored with the landscaping
around your home? Perhaps
you put it in years ago and
have made no improvements
since. Or maybe it was there when you
moved in and simply continues in the
same "blah" way.
It's time for a change, and spring is
the perfect season to undertake green-
thumb projects. Consider the following
ideas to perk up a tired setting.

Ornamental Grasses

A major trend right now is utilization
of ornamental grasses. Note the em-
phasis on the word "ornamental."
These are not the normal lawn grasses
that are sown or sodded and then
mowed regularly to look like green
carpets.
Clumps of the luscious ornamental

types are given their heads, so to
speak, and allowed to grow as tall as
they wish, developing glorious seed
plumes in late summer and on into fall.
These can be cut and used for dra-
matic effect in flower arrangements or
left through the winter months for
unusual shapes in the garden.
It's hard to believe how many dif-
ferent kinds of ornamental grasses are
now available at local garden centers
and nurseries. These grasses can
range in height from two to seven feet
tall. The secret of success is choosing
the right one for the right garden. If the
area is minute, the gardener will prob-
ably want to go with the smaller types.
But where there's plenty of space im-
agine how dramatic a clump of tall
ones would be. Individual plants can
be used or groupings.

A backyard lot
is completely
brick-paved, the
vegetable and
flower plantings
confined to
raised beds
along the sides
as well as to
pots and
containers. Two
view show the
table and chairs
placed under
the tree, and
the ornamental
mini-pool. Part
of the lot is
used as a
garage, with an
overhead frame
for the
automatic
garage door.

SPRING '90

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