Moor grass 'Greenlee'
Sesleria 'Greenlee' ·
A low, dense, tidy tuft of grey-green blades, with slender, purple-tinted flower spikes from spring to autumn.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid May to late August
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around moor grass 'Greenlee'
The planner designed this bed around moor grass 'Greenlee' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why moor grass 'Greenlee' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 8, tan
- 2 Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips' × 5, blue
- 3 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 4 Purple milkweed × 5, purple
- 5 Pieris 'Little Heath' × 1, variegated leaves
- 6 Golden ragwort × 14, yellow
- 7 Giant snowdrop × 3, white
- 8 Grecian windflower × 7, pink
Why this plant
- Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
- The only spires. The others are open bowls, daisies, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only tan. Tan sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 12 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 68% of the edge.
- 8 plants in 2 runs (5 and 3). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
- Fine leaf against bold. Purple milkweed is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for 15 weeks. From mid May to late August.
- Part of the bed's peak. With Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips' and purple milkweed in late June: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
- Stands through winter. Left uncut, it holds its shape until March, when the perennials have gone.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 53% of the planted ground. There is more golden ragwort than anything else, 14 plants in all. In winter there are still moor grass 'Greenlee' and pieris 'Little Heath' to look at.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where moor grass 'Greenlee' goes in a border
At 12 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
A groundcover grass that asks for nothing and looks the same in sun or part shade. Much used as the matrix between perennials in naturalistic plantings.
- A matrix grass between perennials
- Groundcover in sun or part shade
- Edging
What to plant with moor grass 'Greenlee'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Purple coneflower: in flower together for nine weeks, from late June; tall enough (3 ft) to stand behind it.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': in flower together for 12 weeks, from early June; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Coral bells: its burgundy leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
Questions about moor grass 'Greenlee'
Does moor grass 'Greenlee' need sun or shade?
Moor grass 'Greenlee' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does moor grass 'Greenlee' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does moor grass 'Greenlee' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid May to late August. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Mid May to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early May to late August |
| Zone 7 | Early May to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Late April to mid August |
| Zone 9 | Mid April to early August |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should moor grass 'Greenlee' be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many moor grass 'Greenlee' plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
Is there a native plant like moor grass 'Greenlee'?
Moor grass 'Greenlee' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Woodland strawberry: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in shorter, 4 in narrower.
- Lowbush blueberry: the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, flowers early May to late May.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after moor grass 'Greenlee'?
Moor grass 'Greenlee' is over by late August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall.
What does moor grass 'Greenlee' look like in winter?
Moor grass 'Greenlee' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Sesleria
- Autumn moor grass Sesleria autumnalis
- Blue moor grass Sesleria caerulea
In these guides
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Groundcover plants
- Ornamental grasses under 3 feet
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid May to late August; upright spires; tan, purple
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; green, blue-green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.