A Pretty Pathway with Grasses and Charming Perennials

Perennial Combinations, Plant Combinations, Summer Borders, Fall Borders

Garden Ideas, Border ideas, Perennial Planting, Perennial combination, Summer Borders, Fall Borders, Sanguisorba Tenuifolia, Astilbe, Pennisetum Rubrum, Centranthus ruber, Valerian, Milk Parsley, Burnet,

A beautiful combination of ornamental grasses and perennials turn this path into a welcoming walkway. The flowing foliage of Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’ (Purple Fountain Grass), Pennisetum thunbergii ‘Red Buttons’ (Fountain Grass), and Stipa tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass) helps soften the abrupt transition between the paving and the plantings.

Adding a delicate airiness to the path with their white umbels floating atop mounds of lacy foliage, Cenolophium denudatum (Baltic Parsley) and Selinum wallichianum (Milk Parsley) mingle with unmatched elegance with the grasses. They are paired with soft-colored Astilbes, Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian), and Sanguisorba tenuifolia (Burnet) and wave a lovely tapestry that will gracefully sway in the breeze from mid-summer to fall.

Garden Information

Hardiness	8
Exposure	Full Sun
Season of Interest	Summer (Mid, Late), Fall
Maintenance	Low
Water Needs	Average
Soil Type	Loam
Soil pH	Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage	Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics	Cut Flowers, Showy
Attracts	Birds, Butterflies
Landscaping Ideas	Beds And Borders, Pathways
Garden Styles	Informal and Cottage

Plants In This Garden

Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian)

Bushy, well-branched, with one of the longest blooming seasons, Red Valerian is a popular perennial grown for its ornamental and showy star-shaped flowers. Fragrant, this border beauty is also easy to grow, fairly pest and disease free and attracts butterflies. What else to ask for?

Hardiness	5 - 8
Plant type	Perennials
Seasons	Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' (Purple Fountain Grass)

Requiring very little care and providing striking color as well as graceful movement in the garden or patio, Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’ (Purple Fountain Grass) has become a real favorite among gardeners

Hardiness	9 - 11
Plant type	Ornamental Grasses
Seasons	Summer (Mid, Late), Fall
Height	3' - 5' (90cm - 150cm)
Spread	2' - 4' (60cm - 120cm)

Sanguisorba tenuifolia 'Pink Elephant' (Burnet)

Highly decorative with its profuse and attractive, lipstick-pink, bottlebrush flowers rising on tall slender stems, Sanguisorba tenuifolia ‘Pink Elephant’ is a lovely addition to the garden. Attractive to butterflies and pollinators, the flowers bobble in the air and produce charming floating dots of color in the border.

Hardiness	4 - 8
Plant type	Perennials
Seasons	Summer (Mid, Late), Fall
Height	3' - 5' (90cm - 150cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Cenolophium denudatum (Baltic Parsley)

Adding a delicate airiness to the summer border, Cenolophium denudatum (Baltic Parsley) is a lovely hardy perennial plant with profuse, flat-topped umbels, 5 in. wide (12 cm), of creamy white flowers, floating atop mounds of dark-green, semi-evergreen fern-like foliage.

Hardiness	6 - 9
Plant type	Perennials
Seasons	Summer (Mid, Late), Fall
Height	3' - 4' (90cm - 120cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Pennisetum thunbergii 'Red Buttons' (Fountain Grass)

Noted for its elegant, rosy-red feathery flowers, Pennisetum thunbergii ‘Red Buttons’ (Fountain Grass) is a graceful, deciduous grass that forms a compact, upright clump of narrow grassy leaves. In late summer, showy, elongated, red flower plumes are produced at the tips of long graceful stems. They rise high above the foliage, arching upward or outward, and gradually fade to buff as they mature.

Hardiness	8 - 11
Plant type	Ornamental Grasses
Seasons	Summer (Late), Fall
Height	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)

Stipa tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass)

Mexican Feather Grass (Stipa tenuissima) is a stunning ornamental grass with slender, silvery-green foliage that dances in the breeze, adding elegance to any garden.

Hardiness	7 - 11
Plant type	Ornamental Grasses
Seasons	Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Selinum wallichianum (Milk Parsley)

Highly praised by most gardeners, Selinum wallichianum (Milk Parsley) is a clump-forming perennial with a profusion of large, flattened umbels composed of tiny, star-shaped, white flowers. Sitting atop strong ribbed red stems, they float above a pretty dome-shaped mound of large, intricately divided, emerald-green leaves. Blooming over an extremely long flowering period.

Hardiness	6 - 10
Plant type	Perennials
Seasons	Summer (Mid, Late), Fall
Height	3' - 6' (90cm - 180cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Astilbe 'Bressingham Beauty' (Arendsii Hybrid)

Astilbe ‘Bressingham Beauty’ (Astilbe arendsii) is a tall, clump-forming perennial boasting bright pink flowers held in long, gracefully arching plumes. Blooming in early to mid-summer, each plume consists of hundreds of densely packed tiny flowers opening in succession for a long-lasting floral display.

Hardiness	4 - 9
Plant type	Perennials
Seasons	Summer (Early, Mid)
Height	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)

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Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas

Astilbe Pennisetum (Fountain Grass) Sanguisorba (Burnet) Stipa (Feather Grass)

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Alternative Plants to Consider

Astilbe ‘Sprite’ (Simplicifolia Hybrid)

Astilbe ‘Hyacinth’ (Arendsii Hybrid)

Astilbe ‘Delft Lace’

Astilbe ‘Darwin’s Dream’ (Arendsii Hybrid)

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While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.