Ornamental grasses are a beautiful, tranquil addition to your lawn and garden. However, their allure is often overlooked, so we want to take a few minutes and inspire you to plant a few.
Ornamental grasses are both true grass species and plants with grass-like features that are used similarly. They don’t flower, nor do they bear fruit—their only purpose is decoration, but it’s a purpose they fulfill wonderfully. Plants bring movement to your landscape with their numerous shoots, offer visual interest with their seed heads or plumes, and create a quiet backdrop for any planting.
When choosing grasses for your landscape, there are three things you should consider.
What function do I want them to serve?
Grasses can be solely ornamental, just to fill an open space. They can create privacy or dampen noise. Some are great for wildlife habitats and help draw in birds and other small creatures. Plants may create 4-season interest, bringing beauty to your space even through the winter.
How tall do I want them when they are mature?
Ornamental grasses are classified as either tall, medium, or small based on their mature height. Make sure to plant specimens that fit in the space, so you don’t have to move them down the road.
What colors are suitable?
You can find grasses in various colors, well beyond green. Some have blades in shades of blue or are tinged with streaks of red. Others are golden yellow or bright green. You can even find varieties in soft pinks and dark purples. Plus, their plumes add another layer of color late in the growing season.
Here are some of the common grasses that are incorporated into both residential and commercial landscape designs. This list isn’t comprehensive—there are many more choices—but it will help get you started in your search.
Also known as monkey grass, black mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens') is a dramatic evergreen perennial with black, grass-like foliage that creates contrast and interest in the landscape. This one-of-a-kind plant performs well by itself or in group plantings in any soil condition. Attractive and hardy, black mondo grass is unique, easy to grow, and requires little care.
Sedges like Evergold, Ice Dance, and Prairie Fire (Carex spp.) are low-growing plants that bring incredible color and texture to a moist, shady garden. They can be used as underplantings to larger shrubs and trees, as edging pathways, or to provide a bright evergreen pop of color in containers. Carex grasses love part-sun to shade and make an excellent companion to shade-loving flowers.
Whether you choose dwarf or standard types, fountain grasses (Pennisetum spp.) are a landscaping standard for adding colorful, soft interest to garden beds and containers. Their large, fluffy seed head plumes bring shades of gray-brown to pale pink to full sun or part-shade spots as the summer goes by. Many species are hardy down to USDA growing zone 6.
The Miscanthus genus has about twenty ornamental grasses, including Zebra Grass, Gracillimus, Morning Light, and Yaku Jima. Also broadly known as silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis), the different plants have graceful vase-like shapes and delicately striped leaves. Their arching form brings an airy texture to your landscape, offering late-season visual interest with silvery-white plumes.
A favorite of landscapers, feather reed grasses (Calamagrostis x acutiflora) prefer moisture-retentive soil and lots of sunshine. Feathery stalks emerge reddish-brown in spring and transform to a rich golden color come fall, topped with pink or purple-tinged inflorescence. Plants grow 3-5’ tall when fully mature and need very little care.
Pampas grasses (Cortaderia selloana) are perhaps some of the most well-recognized ornamental grasses because of their large white or pinkish plumes. They make an incredible statement in your landscape, with standard varieties growing up to 10’ tall. Native to South America, they thrive in full sun and grow in tough spots where other plants may struggle.
Native to North America, switchgrasses (Panicum virgatum) have strong upright growth and form dense clumps. They are used extensively for prairie meadow restoration because they adapt well to poor soils, but they also thrive in full-sun gardens. Bright green foliage is tinged with a hint of blue or red, forming light, airy silvery-red flower clusters in late fall.
Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra) is a stunning perennial ornamental grass. Another rare type that loves shady conditions. With its arching, lance-shaped leaves in shades of green touched with variegation, this slow-growing grass does not spread invasively.
Photo Credit: Thomas Quine | Flickr | CC BY 2.0
Blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) grows 2’ tall and 3’ wide, with long, wiry ½” wide steely-blue leaves. Plants prefer cool climates and form clumps with graceful plumes rising vertically from the middle of the plant. In midsummer, pale blue flowers form on beige panicles.
Photo Credit: Drew Avery | Flickr | CC BY 2.0
Pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a beautiful, low-maintenance ornamental grass. Plants grow at a moderate rate, sending up slender, long shoots of green during the spring and summer. As fall draws near, soft, fuzzy pink flowers reminiscent of cotton candy appear, bringing sweet color to the landscape. Flowers lose their color as fall temperatures drop, but the dried plumes offer visual appeal all winter.
Photo Credit: Heather Paul | Flickr | CC BY-ND 2.0
Our mission at Providence Nursery is to enrich the world through the cultivation of beautiful plants. Our farm is situated in the prime Willamette Valley—one of the country’s best growing regions—allowing us to provide the healthiest and happiest plants you’ll find anywhere.
If you’re interested in ordering nursery plants from our team, we’d love to help you make your landscaping dreams a reality. Explore our available grasses for sale, and contact us to get started!
Low-maintenance shrubs make an excellent addition to your landscaping by reducing the time you spend taking care of them throughout the season. Surprisingly, low maintenance doesn’t always mean you’re stuck with dull, green shrubs that look like every other hedge up and down your block.
If you’re looking for a brilliantly-colored, low-needs landscape shrub, look no further than the beautiful barberry!
