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Grasses and grass-like plants 2011
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Many gardeners don’t use grasses (other than lawn grass) very much. But grasses are important for holding the soil in place and as larval host plants for many butterflies. They add peaceful, natural forms to a planting and are particularly beautiful in and next to water. Experiment with grasses if you want your garden to mimic nature.
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Andropogon eucomus
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Snowflake Grass
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1m, sun, perennial, decorative white flowerheads
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Aristida junciformis
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Ngongoni Three-awn
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Ornamental tufted grass, 1m, honey-coloured flowers; thrives in poor soils.
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Carex ecklonii
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Cape Fen Grass
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Clumping grass from the Eastern Cape for damp areas
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Chlorophytum saundersiae
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Weeping Anthericum
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40cm, sun/shade, white flowers all year.
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Chondropetalum tectorum
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Dekriet
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1m. Low maintenance feature plant. Sun, damp to dry sandy soil.
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Cyperus prolifer
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Dwarf Papyrus
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70cm dwarf sedge, sun, damp soil. Very attractive.
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Cyperus textilis
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Star Sedge
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60cm sedge, damp to wet soil. Nest material for birds.
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Dietes bicolor
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Peacock Flower
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1m clumping with grass-like leaves, sun/semi-shade; pretty yellow flowers.
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Dietes flavida
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Natal Wild Iris
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70cm, sun/shade, attractive, pale yellow flowers
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Dietes grandiflora
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Large Wild Iris
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1m, sun/shade; pretty, large white flowers all year.
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Elegia equisetacea
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Fonteinriet
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Decorative clumping restio for moist sunny areas in sandy soil
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Eragrostis capensis
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Heartgrass
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Medium clumping grass with attractive inflorescence
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Eragrostis curvula
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Weeping Love Grass
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Sun; robust tufted grass good for stabilising exposed soil
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Ischyrolepis sieberi
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Dryland restio
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Interesting, tangled, light green foliage, well drained soil, sun or semi
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Juncus effusus
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Spreading Rush
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Tufted perennial, 1m, damp to wet soil.
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Juncus kraussii
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Matting Rush
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1.5 m, sun, damp-marshy soil, ornamental,
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Juncus lomatophyllus
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Leafy Juncus
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Attractive rush for marshy soil.
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Mariscus solidus
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Saw Sedge
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1.5m, sun, damp to wet areas, massive brown flowerhead
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Melinis nerviglumis
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Bristle-leaved Red Top
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1m, perennial, tufted grass. Lovely red inflorescence.
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Melinus repens
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Natal Red Top
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Grass, 1m, sun. Red inflorescence used in floral arrangements.
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Miscanthus capensis
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Daba Grass
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Up to 2m tufted grass with silky red-brown inflorescence, damp areas
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Restio similis
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Grassy Restio
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Attractive grass-like restio - clumping flecked foliage
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Rhodocoma foliosa
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Langebergriet
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1m + attractive upright spreading clumps with tall gold-brown inflorescence
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Scleria angusta
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Swamp Forest Scleria
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Rare ornamental forest sedge grows in water in shade
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Setaria megaphylla
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Broad-leaved Bristle Grass
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2m, sun/shade. Mannekins love the seeds.
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Thamnochortus cinereus
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Silver reed
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Silver-green foliage, tough compact form, acid soil in sun
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Thamnochortus insignis
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Dekriet
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Ornamental for moist areas, upright tufted plant with golden spikelets
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Themeda triandra
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Rooigras
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Tufted perennial, 60cm, leaf blades reddish when old
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