Bulbous ryegrass (Arrhenatherum bulbosum 'variegatum') is a subspecies of French ryegrass (not to be confused with ryegrass of the chaff genus (Lólium). Favorite cereal plant of landscape designers: both the appearance is unusual (you can even get the shape of a ball), and the aggressiveness is low (during the season, the root system does not spread, nearby cultivated plants are not oppressed).
Bulbous ryegrass: description
Ornamental grass refers to perennial plants. Its root system lies shallow, almost at the surface of the soil, consists of small nodules (the plant is therefore called bulbous ryegrass), tightly pressed, almost stuck, to each other. It is from them that narrow linear striped white-green silky leaves grow up to 30 centimeters high. Heading (the release of a stem with a future ear) occurs in late May-early June. Blooms in June-July. At this time, if the summer is very hot and dry, bulbous ryegrass loses its inherent decorativeness of both leaves and shape. Very quickly (in a week) after pruning, the plant regains a beautiful shape and color.
Content Features
Bulbous ryegrass, although a perennial cereal, but under mediumRF strips hibernate difficultly: its root system is located close to the soil surface, new growing nodules tend to be located above the main ones - old ones, after three years almost all of them lie on the soil surface.
The plant is photophilous, although it can grow without light, when planting it must be given a sunny place. Bulbous ryegrass without the sun loses its decorative effect, becomes almost completely green.
The cereal is drought-resistant, does not lose its qualities if it is forgotten to be watered.
Requires minimal watering, and with excess moisture can completely get wet.
Care
Bulbous ryegrass is one of those plants that do not require a lot of attention and care. The grass needs a decorative haircut (closer to the roots) three times per season. If this is not done, the ryegrass stretches, the tips and bases of the leaves turn yellow, the plant turns from tender, silky to hard.
Watering it requires moderate as the soil surface dries up. Excess moisture is harmful, corms begin to oppress, get wet.
Container maintenance of the plant requires a fairly intensive complex organo-mineral top dressing twice a month. When planting ryegrass in the ground (light loamy soils), top dressing is moderate, preferably with diluted compost once a month and before wintering.
In the case of using the plant in open ground plantings, ryegrass must be prepared for wintering. Before the onset of stable cold weather, the plant must be cut, sprinkled with compost, coveredspruce branches at the onset of persistent frosts with a temperature of 2-3 degrees. In winter, be sure to sprinkle with snow.
Container content allows you to harvest ryegrass in greenhouses, covering it with just compost.
Reproduction
Decorative ryegrass (photo in the article) is propagated exclusively by dividing the rhizomes (bulbs). You can do this even in the first year after purchase. And if you do not separate the plant, then in three years all the bulbs will lie on the ground and just dry. The grass will lose its ornamental appeal.
You can grow bulbous ryegrass from seeds. But getting a stable turf of the right density requires a special approach and patience.
In order to create landscape solutions, plants are usually bought in containers. And in the middle zone of the Russian Federation, they don’t even try to transplant them, since decorative ryegrass can freeze in winter. He is also afraid of spring return frosts.
Ryegrass bulbous in landscape design
Cereal plants attract the attention of designers because they are very easy to fit into compositional solutions, without requiring huge care.
Ryegrass bulbous meets all the requirements for creating complex and not very garden compositions.
If it is placed in the foreground, it beautifully sets off the bright juicy greens of bushes and conifers.
Placed among roses, ryegrass with its gray highlights the bright beauty of roses and peonies.
Daffodils become even softer and whiter against its background.
Adorable tulips placed behind ryegrass.
Large-flowered perennials and ryegrass fit easily into landscape compositions.
Gentle swaying and rustling of ryegrass leaves following the breeze gives a feeling of merging with pristine nature.
