Tonight, Charlie's looking beyond the obvious heroes of your garden and giving an un-sung hero the spotlight for a change: grass. But it's not the grass you might think. Charlie's talking about ornamental grass. There are varieties for all types of locations and conditions, so whether you're in a hot and dry area or cool and rainy, there's an ornamental grass perfect for your garden.
WATCH: Charlie Albone shows you how to use ornamental grass in your garden
If ever there was a quiet achiever in a well-designed garden, it is an ornamental grass. On a passing glance, it appears to be used as filler or as a backdrop to the more exuberant stars of your garden.
Sue Ferris
But ornamental grasses are more than a garden's backbone. They have a graceful and elegant beauty and, in being a subtle visual break in a bed of flowering plants, provide different shapes and textures, as well as contrast and softness.
Plant miscanthus on the side of a path and you'll never be able to resist touching the feathery fronds as you walk past
Sue Ferris
They also have the unique ability among garden bed plants for their wispy leaf blades and flowering stalks to dance up a delight at the slightest of breezes.
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), miscanthus and pennisetum add another dimension to low-growing plants
Sue Ferris
Benefits of ornamental grasses
Their tall flower heads shimmer in the afternoon sun
Charlie Albone Charlie has worked internationally and in Australia for the past 17 years, designing and building gardens that are timeless, inspiring and enjoyable to spend time in. In 2015 and 2016, he was awarded two Silver gilt medals for his own gardens at the world’s most prestigious flower show The Chelsea Flower Show.