One man went to grow

But just think about the differences between the lush, billowing Feather Reed Grass, whose slender yellow spikes appear in June but which hang on well into winter, and the trimmed and crimped greenery surrounded by beds and borders.

There are grasses, and there are grasses. And for once, it’s the ornamentals which receive the attention they deserve.

They are growing in popularity; many more gardeners are valuing them for their form, their colour and their movement. The ornamentals, especially the big ornamentals, bring grace to a garden.

But before you dash out and start planting, you should also understand the growth habit of the grass.

Grasses can be either clump-forming or rhizome-forming. The clump-forming grasses will grow in accommodating, neat mounds or clumps. They tend to mix well with other perennials and will not become invasive.

But the rhizome-forming grasses, which spread by underground stems, have all the invasive tendencies of Napoleon. These grasses have their place, but it’s not in a well-tended perennial border.

Before planting a grass, know what you’re getting. Some grasses look wonderful as specimen plants ; colourful, shapely and a visual delight; others are more at home as ground-coverers. Some grasses produce beautiful seedheads; others have stems which could have been fashioned in an artist’s studio.

Perhaps the most recognisable ornamental is Pampas Grass, (Cortaderia selloana), with its huge seed plumes on tall stems. It is a beauty; it can also be a menace, so think before you plant it.

Consider Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampsia caespitosa) with its pale green and purple-tinged seedheads and dark green foliage. It reaches just two feet in height, is hardy and will grow well in a shaded or sunny spot.

Or Fox-Tail Barley (Hordeum jubatum) whose beautiful drooping spikes are at their best in a border in summer. After it’s flowered, cut it back.

Or look at the wonderful Porcupine Grass (Miscanthus sinensis) with its eye-catching foliage.

Grass needn’t be simply green and cut twice a week in summer; you can have ornamental grasses in beds and borders, in pots on patios, in groups or as single, stately specimens.

They’re fun, which is what all gardening should be.