Ornamental Grasses
Make the most of these versatile plants.
While most people think of their lawn or sod when they hear the word
"grass," there's another category of grasses that have gained some longdeserved attention as garden plants.
There is a wide range of ornamental grasses and they come in every shape,
size and form imaginable. and most are very low-maintenance. Their
versatility allows them to fill a number of roles in the garden, including
erosion control, specimen plants, borders, components in containers,
backdrops, winter interest and more.
A few questions to ask yourself before buying ornamental grasses:
Are you planting a decorative border or looking to use as a screen?
Do you need a small, medium or tall grass for your location?
Is the location sun or shade?
Do you want a single accent plant or a mass planting?
If it's a mass planting, do you want a "layered" look with different types
of grasses or do you want to use just one kind?
Do you want the grass to survive the Winter?
Here's a quick list of the different types of grasses out there.
Clumping grasses - Look for this type if you don't want it to invade the space. These grasses grow into a neat
mound or clump and will grow in size slowly over time.
Rhizome grasses - Rhizome simply means that this type of grass will spread via underground roots or
rhizomes. They can invade a perennial bed quickly, so be sure to use them in places where you want this
type of growth or where they can be contained - like a bed bordered by concrete. A few examples of this grass
are blue lymegrass, cordgrass and ribbongrass.
Cool-season grasses - These start growing earlier, usually perform well during the Autumn months and go
dormant or turn brown during the Summer. They generally need to be divided more often than warm-season
grasses. Examples include blue fescue, feather reed grass, blue oat grass, tufted hair grass and autumn
moor grass.
Warm-season grasses - These prefer temps of 75 to 85°F (24 to 29°C) and are great for covering up spent
Spring bulbs during the Summer months. Good examples of these grasses are Miscanthus, fountain grass,
prairie cord grass, northern sea oats, switch grass and pampas grass.
Planting and care tips:
Plant ornamentals grasses in the Spring or Autumn. If
planting in the fall, put down a layer of straw or hay to
protect after the first few frosts.
Plant in beds that have been prepared with composted,
organic matter in the soil. Don't plant any deeper than the
soil line and water immediately after planting.
Don't overfeed, as most grasses don't like high levels of
fertiliser.
Water whenever the soil is dry.
With perennial grasses, cut back the foliage to a height
of about 4 to 6 in. (10 to 15 cm) in the Spring before new
growth starts to emerge.
If you start to see die-out in the center of the plant, it's
time to divide it. Either do this in early Spring before new
growth starts or after the growing season is over in
Autumn.
Ask your local garden centre for assistance when choosing
grasses that are right for you.