Discover why so many people are utilizing less lawn and more grass.

Carolyn and Larry Kolb, owners of Wind Dancer Garden in West Salem, Oregon, have been raising ornamental grasses since 1999.  Wanting to indulge our love of growing plants and connecting with other gardeners, who we find to be genuinely interesting  people,  we settled on 1 ½ acres on a hill overlooking Salem and the Cascade Mountain range.

The learning curve was a little steep, as we struggled to make the Latin names of ornamental grasses fall authoritatively from our tongues.  It was good fortune that our first 10 varieties of grasses were not faint of heart, proving to be hardy and tough in situations where many plants would succumb.  Each variety was planted in neat rows which made the care and maintenance a breeze, but a few years later, looked trite and uninteresting.  Thus began the construction of a display garden with raised beds and curvy paths.

Catering to the grasses’ love of good drainage,  we used a mix of compost, ¼ 10 gravel, and native soil, bounded by flat rocks.  With the addition of drip irrigation, the grasses thrived, giving visitors to the garden a idea of how each grass looked in a landscape situation.  (Sometimes that is quite different from what the label says.)

As of 2010 we are celebrating our first 10 years in business and we now grow over 100 varieties of grasses, phormium and bamboo.  Each year, exciting new varieties become available, and we work diligently to provide a selection from many parts of the country.  However, we do concentrate on growing plants that thrive in our climate, and that are not invasive.   We provide honest information about hardiness, as we want you to be pleased with your grasses for many years to come.

Carolyn  is happy to suggest varieties for your particular landscape needs.  She also provides landscape design using ornamental grasses and their companion plants for residential and commercial applications.

Get a quote for your next landscape design project. Contact Carolyn.