Because of their color, texture and movement, ornamental grasses are wonderful additions to the landscape. Even better, you get all this beauty for little work–once established, just water during drought and cut them back in early spring. And they withstand pests (even deer avoid them).
Grasses add interest to a garden by changing with the seasons. One season brings striking foliage, the next the elegant plume of bloom, and then frosted grass spikes in the early light of a cold winter’s day. Use them to create a backdrop that sets off your finest flowers, or choose plumed varieties that will become their own focal point. Taller varieties are excellent for creating living privacy walls.
There are many varieties available, so finding one to suit your garden style and growing conditions as well as your taste should be easy.
Blonde Ambition Blue Grama
Striking ,flag-like summer flowers are chartreuse, turn blonde as the season progresses and persist through winter. They are held on stiff stems at a 90 degree angle to the blue-green foliage. Grows 30 to 36 inches tall and wide.
Mexican Feather
Southwest native, among the finest textured of all Ornamental Grasses. Silvery flowers appear among dense green foliage in late spring. Grows to 1 to 2 feet tall and wide.
Elijah Blue Fescue
A hardy bright-blue Ornamental Grass that has golden brown blooms in summer. This vigorous grower matures at 6 to 8 inches tall and wide with a mounded, round habit.
Dwarf Hameln Fountain
This perennial grass is a compact grower with tan-colored bloom panicles that appear from late summer through fall. Green foliage turns golden in fall. This drought tolerant plant reaches 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide.
Little Bunny Fountain
The most dwarf of the fountain grasses at 10 to 12” with fluffy, buff-colored blooms. Foliage turns golden russet in fall. Adds interest and texture to containers.
Maiden
A tall, graceful, clumping Ornamental Grass growing 4 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide, up to 8 to 10 feet tall when in flower. The slender, weeping leaves are silvery-green and turn golden bronze in fall. The flowers are white fan-shaped plumes in fall that extend above the foliage.
Adagio Maiden
Compact clump-forming grass with slender silvery foliage that becomes orange, gold and burgundy in fall. Flowers emerge pink in summer, changing to a silvery white. This vigorous grower reaches a height of 4 to 5 feet and a width of 3 feet.
Little Zebra Maiden
Green and yellow banding on the foliage is held all season. Has the desirable trait of flowering during late summer so its lovely reddish purple plumes are borne reliably every year, even during seasons of cool weather. Grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide.
Gold Bar Maiden
Dense, dramatic gold stripes accent every leaf of this bright green grass. Burgundy plumes provide winter interest. The compact, upright habit grows 4 to 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
Variegated Maiden
A creamy-white variegated grass. Reddish-brown feathery seed heads turn to white plumes and contribute to the striking appearance of this grass. Matures at 6 to 8 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide. An excellent alternative to Pampas Grass.
Pink Muhly
This is a showy clump-forming grass that grows to 3 feet tall and wide. The purplish-red or pink inflorescence is a diffuse, silky panicle, 18 inches long and 10 inches wide. It appears in late summer, and persists for 6 to 8 weeks.
Black Moudry
Lush green foliage forms dense upright mounded clumps 18 to 26 inches tall and as wide. Flowers emerge a dark pearly brown in fall and appear almost black at their peak.
Ivory Feathers Dwarf Pampas
A beautiful landscape specimen prized for its handsome fall flowers. The long stalks of dramatic, creamy white plumes are held above the dense clump of green foliage. This perennial grass is wind and drought tolerant, and provides a showy windbreak or screen. Foliage reaches 3 to 5 ft. tall, 4 to 6 ft. wide; plumes 8 to 10 ft. tall.
Blue Dune Lyme
Bright blue foliage and stems and blooms readily throughout the summer. This vigorous grower reaches 2 to 3 feet tall and wide.
Horsetail Reed
Striking reed-like plant that bears dark green, jointed stems. A spreading variety used in bogs and water gardens and will grow in up to 4 inches of water. Upright habit grows up to 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. One of the oldest plants on earth.
Karl Forester Feather Reed
Cool season grass with upright growth habit. Has reddish-brown to golden panicles summer through fall and prefers a sunny location. Thrives in wet clay soil. Foliage grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide with blooms up to 6 feet tall.
Variegated Japanese Sedge (Carex)
A mound of creamy-yellow and green striped stiff leaves that grow to 1 foot tall and wide.
Japanese Forest
This cool season dwarf grass is lush and graceful. The cascading, satin-like foliage is broad and variegated with cream, chartreuse and green. This slow-spreading plant reaches 1 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide.
Inland Sea Oats
Very showy flat seed heads in large numbers are a prime feature in the fall and winter. This Ornamental Grass grows 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide and sports dark green to reddish-brown seed heads in summer. Foliage turns reddish-brown during the winter.
