Bouteloua: 7 Pairing Ideas

A drought-resistant border

The past few summers have made us increasingly aware of the need to adapt our plantings to conditions of drought that can be marked and prolonged. Bouteloua, with its undemanding nature, fits perfectly into this approach.

Combine for example Bouteloua curtipendula, which is taller, with other grasses for well-drained soil that enjoy sunny exposure, like Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Standing Ovation’, whose blue foliage reveals stunning orange to red tones in autumn. Giant Stipes create a misty backdrop, while their cousins, Angel Hair, dress the border with their unparalleled flexibility, inserted between clumps of steel-blue Fescue like Festuca ‘Elijah Blue’.

In terms of flowering, you can rely on the endless blooms of a Kalimeris, close to asters, a Creeping Geranium ‘Pink Pouffe’ in a lovely washed pink, a Sea Holly ‘Big Blue’ with a bold graphic presence, or large Sedums that bloom in late summer and autumn. Choose them with green foliage or more original dark purple like that of Sedum ‘Dark Magic’. White or pink Gauras, as well as Nepetas (which come in blue, pink, or white) can complete this scene that requires very little watering.

Bouteloua curtipendula, Creeping Geranium ‘Pink Pouffe’, Sea Holly ‘Big Blue’, Gauras, and Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Standing Ovation’

A border with the appearance of a natural meadow

Grasses are the key element of a meadow, and Bouteloua logically fits into this type of arrangement, alongside Andropogon (‘Blackhawks features almost black foliage that creates beautiful contrasts), Stipa pulcherrima with its long silver spikes, Sporobolus ‘Wisconsin Strain’ whose reddish spikes emit a spicy fragrance, Schizachyrium ‘Prairie Blues’ with its bluish foliage, or even large clumps of Miscanthus whose flowering is a true spectacle at the end of the season.

In the foreground, the grey foliage of a Artemisia ludoviciana creates a beautiful border. Scattered among the grasses according to their height, play with the colours offered by the flowering of Asclepias, Achillea, Agastache, or even Scabiosa. Other possible candidates include large Monardas, such as Monarda ‘Gardenview Scarlet’, in a scarlet red, or Monarda ‘Scorpion’, which is more mauve. Bring forth clumps of the giant Eupatorium ‘Atropurpureum’, with its beautiful purple summer flowering, and Silphium perfoliatum, a perennial sun topped with bright yellow discs. Also count on Helenium to bring warm colours, and on Helianthus and Aster for a slightly later flowering.

Bouteloua gracilis, Monarda ‘Gardenview Scarlet’, Eupatorium ‘Atropurpureum’, Silphium perfoliatum and Aster ageratoides ‘Stardust’

A flowerbed like a chorus of cicadas

Versatile, Bouteloua can easily fit into a Mediterranean border. In a sufficiently warm climate, with well-drained, sunny soil, pair it with the iconic Cypress of Provence or Italy (in small gardens, Juniperus ‘Pyramidalis’ or ‘Sentinel’ are good options). For shrubs, also consider Olive trees, Cistus with evergreen foliage and crinkled flowers, the Strawberry tree whose flowers and fruits coexisting are particularly decorative in autumn and winter, or Oleanders, some of which are highly fragrant, not to mention the essential Lavenders.

Among perennials, choose Agapanthus with large graphic umbels, Catananche, Delosperma (perfect as groundcover), fragrant Pinks, the resilient Erigeron, or even Euphorbia.

Bouteloua curtipendula, Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’, Italian Cypress, Oleander ‘Emilie’ and Erigeron karvinskianus

An ungrateful bank to beautify

A bank is not always easy to landscape or maintain. Your Bouteloua adds a touch of lightness among easy-care companions like creeping bushes, which, in addition to being beautiful, help limit weeding.

Ceanothus prostratus forms a low, evergreen groundcover perfect for the foreground, brightened by its generous blue flowering. Among the Cotoneasters, Cotoneaster dammeri and its varieties combine beautiful flowering with colourful berries. Also consider roses, some of which thrive on a bank, along with Lavender, Rosemary, which you can also use in cooking, or bushy sages like Salvia microphylla, whose flowering extends over several months. Among the perennials, opt for Nepeta, hardy geraniums like Geranium cinereum, or Achilleas, which are longer-lived in well-drained soil.

Ceanothus prostratus, Cotoneaster dammeri, Geranium cinereum v. subcaulescens, Bouteloua curtipendula, Salvia microphylla

A contemporary flower bed for an urban garden

The architecture of your house or your tastes may lead you to create a graphic garden with contemporary lines. Choose a few different plants and use them in repetition, starting with Bouteloua gracilis and its small brush-like spikes. Other low-growing grasses or gramineous perennials such as Carex, Fescues, or Ophiopogon can serve as evergreen groundcover, while Bamboos create a permanent backdrop. With these, play with the shapes, thicknesses, and colours of the culms, rich in nuances.

A few clumps of upright grasses, such as Calamagrostis or Upright Panics, can accompany the immaculate trunks of Himalayan Birches (or copper-orange of Betula utilis ‘Nepalese Orange’), while clumps of perennials like Agapanthus, Decorative Alliums, or Tulbaghia violacea ‘Silver Lace’ create beautiful punctuation. To awaken your garden in the early days of spring, focus on early-flowering bulbs such as Iphéions, Reticulated Irises, Chionodoxa, or Snowdrops.

Bouteloua gracilis (John Rusk – Flick-r), Agapanthus ‘Charlotte’, Phyllostachys aureosulcata ‘Aureocaulis’, Ipheion ‘Rolf Fiedler’, Ophiopogon japonicus

A sunny rockery

The marriage of rock and greenery often makes for a good combination, and it’s an opportunity to create beautiful, exotic rockeries, in which Bouteloua brings a lightness that softens the harsher lines of stone, a softness that you can further enhance with clumps of Stipa tenuifolia. Choose rock garden conifers, which have a slow growth rate and moderate development.

Chamaecyparis ‘Blue Moon’ displays fine, blue-tinged foliage, a colour you can echo with ‘Intense Blue’ Fescues. For a contrast with bronze tones, Cryptomeria ‘Globosa Nana’ pairs well with Carex ‘Bronco’, which takes on similar hues under the influence of winter cold. Regarding flowering, spring can be brightened by the corollas of Arabis, Aubrietes, or Basket of Gold, combined with small early-season flowering bulbs. Summer and autumn, on the other hand, welcome small Coreopsis, Diascias, fragrant Pinks, and Sedums.

Coreopsis grandiflora ‘Sunray’, Diascia vigilis, Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Blue Moon’, Festuca ‘Intense Blue’ and Bouteloua gracilis (Patrick Alexander – Flick-r)

A colourful scree garden

The mineral can also be expressed through scree gardens, which require almost no watering, demand limited maintenance, and can be very aesthetically pleasing. The light silhouette of Bouteloua gracilis or curtipendula stands out well against this uniform background, just like that of Pennisetum or Calamagrostis. The Siberian Sage ‘Blue Spire’, with its tall and airy silhouette, blooms abundantly in fine blue spikes above silver foliage. Also tall, Agapanthus allows for play with pure white or bicoloured shades.

You can contrast these cool colours with the warmer tones of a Helianthemum ‘Fire Dragon’, to place at their feet, or an Achillea ‘Terracotta’, to intersperse here and there. A few stems of the transparent Buenos Aires Verbena punctuate the bed with their fine leafless stems topped with small purple pom-poms that renew throughout the season and self-seed generously. To tie everything together, focus on the downy foliage of a Ballota, whose colours waver between almond green and grey, providing a lovely backdrop for its neighbours. If you have space, do not hesitate to create a taller background using Buddleia, Callistemon, or Grevillea.

Bouteloua curtipendula, Achillea millefolium ‘Terracotta’, Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Blue Spire’, Grevillea juniperina ‘Canberra Gem’ and Ballota pseudodictamnus

For further reading...

• Order your Bouteloua online easily!
• Discover 10 drought-resistant perennial plants.
• Our selection of the most beautiful plants for a naturalistic meadow.
• 7 essential tips to create a Mediterranean garden!
• Why and how to mulch a slope?
• Create a contemporary-looking balcony, which plants to choose?
• All the steps to create a rockery!
• How to design a gravel garden?