Ornamental grasses in pots — movement and lightness on the balcony

Fine foliage that sways in the slightest breeze, bluish, golden, variegated or red clumps, golden plumes at the end of summer: ornamental grasses bring something few plants offer to the balcony, movement and lightness. Easy-going, undemanding on water and mostly evergreen, they stay decorative all year round, in pots or window boxes, alone or mixed.

Evergreen grasses

Blue fescue 'Azura Blue' (Festuca glauca) forms a small ball of fine silvery-blue leaves, perfect in full sun and dry spots. Carex 'Ice Dance' (Carex morrowii) unfurls green leaves edged with cream, very bright in partial shade and evergreen in winter. Lomandra 'White Sands', or Australian mat rush, offers fine, supple variegated foliage that is very drought tolerant and happy in sun or partial shade.

Tall grasses

Miscanthus 'Strictus' (Miscanthus sinensis), or porcupine grass, stands out with its leaves banded with horizontal yellow stripes and its strongly upright habit. It is covered in plumes at the end of summer and dries out in winter, keeping a decorative silhouette until it is cut back at the end of winter. In a large container, it forms a light green screen, ideal for privacy.

Grass collections

To create a contrasting window box with ease, our sets combine several colours: the Festuca, Carex and Stipa trio brings together the blue of fescue, the yellow of carex and the blond green of stipa, with leaves as fine as angel hair. The set of 4 grasses adds Uncinia, with bright red foliage, for a touch of warm colour all year round.

Planting and caring for grasses in pots

Choose a pot with drainage holes and a free-draining compost, lightened with sand or clay pebbles for fescue and stipa, which dislike excess water. Water moderately, when the surface of the compost is dry; carex and uncinia appreciate slightly more regular moisture. In spring, comb out evergreen grasses with your fingers to remove dry leaves, and cut miscanthus to the ground before new growth. A light feed in spring is enough.

Grasses in winter

Most grasses are hardy and spend the winter outdoors without difficulty: they are among our cold and frost hardy plants. In pots, simply protect the container in very cold weather. Their evergreen foliage and the dry plumes of miscanthus keep a balcony alive even in the depths of winter.

Combining grasses on the balcony

Grasses set off neighbouring flowers: tuck flower bulbs at their feet for spring, or pair them with evergreen shrubs such as nandina and with hellebores for winter. They are also ideal for styling a balcony that is contemporary and easy to maintain.