Moving Blog to New Location

Please go to the current grasstalk blog at:
grasstalk.wordpress.com
see you there!
Mary Meyer,  March 31, 2011

In the Twin Cities, the winter of 2010-11 had 80.2 inches of snow by March 15, 7th snowiest on record and well above the 52.5 inch average. Grasses at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's collection were buried, especially from a November heavy and wet snow. Only the giant miscanthus remains standing in this photo taken in mid-March.

Dwarf toetoe, Chionochloa flavicans, is a showy ornamental, often found in landscape plantings. Its numerous flowers are often nodding. Above at the Auckland Botanic Gardens and below in a planting at the Wellington Botanic Gardens. Note that birds, (sparrows, I think) are feeding on the grass seedheads in the photo below. Also propagated from seed and only hardy to zone 8 for us in the US.   

Chionochloa conspicua, toetoe hunangamhoho is a common native along roadsides and in higher elevations in New Zealand. It grows to 7 feet and has showy flowers, similar to Cortaderia or pampas grass.

Red tussock grasslands in New Zealand of Chionochloa rubra, above and below. 

This clump forming grass is widely distributed, especially in the south island of New Zealand. It is often grown in landscapes for its thick clumping form. The flowers are borne in the foliage and not especially showy. Hardy to only zone 8, it is usually propagated from seed.

Water fountain in Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.

The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney are almost 200 years old (2016), with many historic plants and herbarium specimens. They are adjacent to the famous opera house and the beautiful harbor area.