Become a Convert to Ornamental Grasses

Lately the ornamental grasses are one of my favorite plants that help round out my garden. The slender leaves of grass plants offer a contrast to most plants.

Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus'
Item # 70550 		Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus'
Maiden Hair Grass

each $8.79
3 to 6 $8.59
7 or more $8.29
Elytrigia elongata 'Jose Select'
Item # 47050 		Elytrigia elongata 'Jose Select'
Jose Select Tall Wheatgrass

each $8.99
3 to 6 $8.79
7 or more $8.59
  • Topic: Ornamental Grasses
  • Author: Mary Ann Walz
  • Keywords: grass, ornamental grasses, perennials, Grasses
  • Date: April 2003

© All articles are copyrighted by High Country Gardens. Republication is prohibited without Permission.

Photographs, especially black and white ones, are a great way to see exactly what we have in our garden. They divulge differences in height, reveal luminosity, depth of foliage color, and serve as a gentle reminder that flower color is not the most important factor in garden design. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike beautifully colored blooms; I just like to make sure I take other design features into consideration also. What I’m finding lately is that the ornamental grasses are one of my favorite plants that help round out my garden.

Ornamental grasses range from a few inches to several yards high and their variations in width are just as great. They can be very drought tolerant or need damp locations in order to thrive. Ornamental grasses usually prefer full sun but may tolerate some light shade in hot dry climates. They come in a wide spectrum of colors with some varieties having a reputation for great fall color. Ornamental grasses can be used in naturalistic or more formal gardens. The key is picking a variety that matches the conditions and needs in your landscape.

The long, slender leaves of grass plants offer a supple, vertical contrast to most perennial plants. The taller varieties of grass would typically be placed toward the back of a perennial bed with shorter varieties closer to the front. I like to deviate from this in a few places along pathways or steps, placing a soft variety of grass that’s tall enough to run my fingers through as I walk by. Somehow this tactile experience is very satisfying and calming and sensual pleasure is a lot of what a garden is all about. Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem) is one of my favorite grasses for this purpose. I have used the ‘Blaze’ variety because of its striking fall and winter color, placing it in areas where it can re-seed and naturalize. I have selected a space in my moonlight garden to plant the ‘the blues’ this spring. Its striking blue color will serve as a nice accent for my white blooms on moonlit nights and as a bonus, it also has good color for fall days.

An all-time favorite is Helictotrichon sempervirens (Blue Avena Grass). This tall, bluish-gray grass fits well among medium sized perennials. With its four feet tall flower spikes and its width of two feet, this grass can be used as a single specimen plant in smaller beds. Blue Avena has a nice uniform shape, which also lends itself well to uniform borders in a formal garden. Nassella tenuissima (Silky Thread Grass), formerly known as Stipa, is a charming accompaniment to smaller perennials. This native bunch grass has the softest texture of all. It will gracefully sway in the slightest of breezes. Planted near Agave or cacti, this grass offers a stunning contrast in textures.

Very large varieties of grass such as Elytrigia elongata ‘Jose Select’ (Tall Wheatgrass) with seed stalks that can get to four to five feet tall and Miscanthus sinensis (Maidenhair Grass) at around six feet tall are spectacular additions to larger gardens. They can serve as the foundation grasses for an ornamental grass border; and you may find that combined with medium and shorter height grasses of various color tones, perennial blooms aren’t needed. More inspiration can be found in The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses by Rick Darke.

On the small side is Festuca glauca ‘Sea Urchin’ which forms neat rounded mounds suitable as a border for perennial beds or along pathways. It can also be very effective as an accent plant interspersed among low growing groundcovers. It’s especially pretty with the shorter varieties of Veronica and Thymus. Sea Urchin, accompanied with some taller grass varieties, is nice used along dry streambeds in Japanese Gardens.

Don’t forget container plantings when using ornamental grasses. Just like in the perennial border, a small clump of grass adds a pretty contrast to annuals or perennials in large pots. Nassella is a ‘must have’ addition to pots with medium to small blooms. I often use starter pots of ornamental grasses in containers for one summer and then transplant them to a permanent bed in the fall. Even some of the larger varieties can be used in this way.

Do give ornamental grass a try. Your garden will take on a new look, especially in the winter. You’ll wonder why you didn’t use them sooner.