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You may want to check out these other bamboo store information pages Buying and Planting Bamboo | Growing Bamboo in the UK | Growing Ornamental Grasses | Creating a Feng Shui Garden | Creating a Japanese Zen Garden | Creating a Prairie Garden | Creating a Gravel Gardens | Creating Grass Gardens | Online Shop

'Gravel' or 'Dry Bed' gardening is another style of gardening that has also gained enormous popularity in the last two or three years, and ornamental grasses and in particular miscanthus sinensis and bamboos not only look good in a gravel or dry bed garden but are ideally suited. Low maintenance, quick establishment, the self sufficiency of the plants,environmental and climate change considerations are all benefits that are making this style of gardening so attractive.

A true gravel garden is one situated on a predominantly gravely/sandy soil, rather than simply planting on any soil mulched with gravel. The poor soil conditions and sharp drainage limit the range of plants that can be grown. However miscanthus like this environment. Suitable grasses and plants for a gravel garden are drought tolerant, preferring free draining, low fertile soil which prevents the more vigorous plants from becoming too lush and smothering some of the slower growing plants . Weeding is most intensive in the first few years of establishment, before the ornamental plants develop. After this time removal of surplus self-seeded ornamentals is more likely.

Most species of bamboo and ornamental grasses look fantastic planted in gravel, however similarly to a Japanese style of gardening less is more. You must leave sufficient empty space around discretely placed grasses and bamboo plants to show both grass plants and gravel to their best advantage. Remember that most bamboos do in fact prefer moist ground and although they will grow quite well in a gravel garden you must be prepared to water them, if not stick to the ornamental grasses. Recommended bamboos are Phyllostachys Bissettii, Chimonobambusa Tumidissnoda Phyllostachys Nigra, Fargesia Jui Gravel gardens are very effective in suppressing weeds, conserving moisture and showing off your grass plants to their best advantage. If your garden is a hot one, has a dry micro-climate or is on the coast where steady winds dry both plants and the soil out, a gravel mulch is ideal for conserving valuable moisture and also has the advantage that it will stay put and won't blow away like bark mulch.

Easy to grow, low maintenance, drought tolerant ornamental grasses suited to gravel and dry bed gardening and their companion plants are among natures most interesting prospects. Characteristics include adaptations of the foliage, such as a thick, waxy cuticle, numerous leaf hairs or narrow, strap-like leaves. Tap roots which can draw up deep soil moisture are another prominent distinction, as are hummock-forming growth habits. Many bulbous plants survive the dry summer period by laying dormant during this time. Once established, they require little attention.

Ornamental grasses are extremely tough and alongside their drought tolerant companions offer an amazing and diverse range of shape, colour and seed head to choose from. Recommended plants such as Phyllostachys Fargesia Semiarundinaria bamboos and ornamental grasses Miscanthus Pennisetum Stipa and Panicums can be found here,

Gravel and dry garden grasses and plants need little except for full sunlight and good drainage. Gravel grasses and plants adapt to most conditions and can be grow in a diversity of soil, as long as they are free draining, and are tolerant a wide range of soil fertility and acidity. Remember

• Match plants to your soil type.

• Fit the size of the plants to the size of your garden.

• Improve the drainage by incorporating sand and grit if it is to wet.

• Unless it is to be a focal point keep tall plants to the centre or back.

  Under the gravel mulch it is important to provide another layer of weed-suppressing materials in order to avoid your new gravel garden being invaded by weeds, and particularly to preserve the moisture and low maintenance qualities. You can use weed suppressing cloth available from your local garden centre, nursery, or on-line store, layers of newspaper, or cardboard, even better a thick layer of clean straw or compost covered by newspaper and then weed suppressing cloth or membrane.

  If you are using newspapers you must spread the papers, 6-8 pages or more thick over the area, leaving spaces for the plants. You can butt the paper up against the plants the space for weeds is then reduced and the plant will push out making a bigger hole for itself as it grows.

  Although the prospect of a lowmaintenance, trouble free prairie garden is attractive the biggest job in gravel gardening you will face, if you are growing from see, is controlling weeds during the first two or three years. Grasses in particular spend the first years of their life developing their complex and evolved roots system while common ground weeds put all their energy into producing into above ground growth. That's why we recommended you use good strong pot or nursery grown plants from the P&G as this is quicker and less labour intensive solution.

  Gravel and dry bed gardens require only pruning, weeding and a mulch of 5-8 cm (2-3in) of gravel (or even better compost or straw covered with gravel) will retain a lot of valuable soil moisture while plants are establishing. Gravel levels can be topped up as and when required. No spraying, no irrigating and little, if any, fertilizing saving gravel gardeners loads of dosh and hours of hard work.

  By the third year, there is little for the gavel gardener to do but open a cold one, sit in the middle and enjoy it!

  
  

  You may want to check out these other bamboo store information pages Buying and Planting Bamboo | Growing Bamboo in the UK | Growing Ornamental Grasses | Creating Feng Shui Garden | Creating a Japanese Zen Garden | Creating a Prairie Garden | Creating a Gravel Gardens | Grass Gardens

  
  
  
  
  
  

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