Ornamental Grasses For Your Landscape
Ornamental grasses can be a striking addition to most landscapes and are available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Different varieties can provide multi-season interest, structure, texture, movement. They even provide a relaxing, whispering whooshing sound as the breeze cuts through them. Ornamental grasses can be dwarf size, being small and compact and suitable for edging and rock gardens, and range all the way to incredibly tall, offering a distinct linearity to your landscape. Green, blue and variegated foliage are most common and many have decorative seed heads or flowers spikes that can even come in shades of white, pink, red and purple. Seed heads will attract birds in winter, further adding to the beauty of your landscape.
Ornamental grasses almost always very simple in terms of growing and maintenance, and, with a few exceptions, thrive in full sun and average soil. Once grasses are established, they require very little water or fertilizer. Most grasses will grow in neat mounds or clumps, are generally non-invasive and will grow in girth slowly over time. Dividing your plants is always an option and sometimes encouraged. You can do this every 4 or 5 years: from early spring to summer, simply dig straight down using a spade and cut out part of the clump to replant elsewhere or share with friends. Also, cutting back your grass is completely acceptable but not required, do this in late fall if you decide. Ensuring your grasses look their best during Spring and Summer, cutting back last years dry foliage and stem stalks is encouraged. They should be cut back to 4-6 inches before new shoots appear in late April or early May. Adding a grass to your landscape will give you multi-season interest, movement in your garden, height, functionality and much more.
Below you will find various types of grasses that you can potentially add to your own landscape!
Weston Nurseries. “Ornamental Grass.” Weston Nurseries, 31 Oct. 2022, www.westonnurseries.com/ornamental-grass/.