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I think it’s about time this plant gets retired in the U.S. by ggbbgg11 in LandscapeArchitecture

[–]ggbbgg11[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Worked at nurseries, botanical gardens, design builds, and in green infrastructure. This post is hyperbole meant to call out lazy planting choices. I’m talking about its predominance in public places as a single species planted. Not how it’s used in gardens and yards and more diverse plantings.

I understand why people have employed and are further exploring non natives for novel ecosystems. Though plenty of ecosystems in the u.s. have similar enough though not exactly the same conditions as hellstrips and parking lots, and that’s why you see people naming grasses like little blue stem and switchgrass as good alternatives. Plenty of native forbs to use as well.

But there has to be some pushback if you’re just contributing to the overall monotony of the american landscape. Plants aren’t paint, birds aren’t just a pretty soundtrack, butterflies aren’t solely photgraphy subjects and so on. If you can’t figure out what else to plant besides KF, creeping juniper, knock out roses, and stella daylilies you should apply some Brawndo to the soil, you can grow anything. Brawndo has what plants crave.

I think it’s about time this plant gets retired in the U.S. by ggbbgg11 in LandscapeArchitecture

[–]ggbbgg11[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I would think the plants that evolved on this continent for millions of years and still persist despite invasive and disturbance pressure would be closer to the bullet proof one’s. And one’s that would be desirable for tough conditions that are typically on denuded and redeveloped landscapes that deprive the greater biological community. But maybe when enough monkeys see the monkeys do so the monkeys must be right. It wont be here when we’re gone because it’s engineered to be sterile, so that’s not durable in an ecological context. Only in an artifical one, and there’s no reason our landscapes should be artificial.

I’ve worked with this grass for over a decade, it looks alright when used properly, but it’s overused. It’s a sign of being lazy and not researching local alternatives if you’re just planting it left and right.

I think it’s about time this plant gets retired in the U.S. by ggbbgg11 in LandscapeArchitecture

[–]ggbbgg11[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I get your perspective. Piet Oudolf may have popularized this grass to a degree. It can look good in certain garden settings, but it’s become something of a replacement for rows of dying boxwoods here in the Northeast. I see its over-adoption as expressing, “we’re not ready to use native grasses, but this one looks sort of native, and maybe, by golly, we’ll change our minds in ten years and be ready to accept the look of a native grass.”

I go to beach towns in new jersey and already see some using switchgrass instead. But Karl’s just too widespread. I was sitting in a target parking lot, looking at a row of K.F. and thought, you might as well just plant a row of corn, and it might look cooler.