Landscaping grasses offer texture, colour and motion to the lawn. They wave at the gentle breeze and many ornamental varieties produce sound when moving. These low-maintenance plants provide the gardener a vertical component to add to the landscape without the long-term dedication of putting a tree or shrub. Various kinds of ornamental grasses function exactly the identical way as other plants.
Containers
Ornamental grasses provide container plant mixtures height and also showcase fancy pots when planted separately. Placing grass at a container allows more control on the growth of the grass plant. One dark-colored grass variety suitable to grow in containers is “Festival Burgundy” cordyline (Cordyline hybrida var. JURed “Festival Burgundy”), which grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. The shiny purplish-red blades have a bushy form with cascading leaves reaching 1 to 3 feet tall. Showy pink flowers appear in the spring and summertime. Ruby grass (Melinus nerviglumis) forms clumps of blue-green blades 1 to 3 feet tall with pink fluffy summer flower plumes 8 to 12 inches long. The plumes flip the color of root beer foam as they age in USDA zones 8 through 11.
Ground Compatibility
Other grasses besides lawn grasses grow as ground covers. The greatest ornamental grasses for this function form clumps involving other plants while propagating out. For drought areas, Atlas fescue (Festuca mairei) functions well in USDA zones 4 through 10 with khaki evergreen leaves, which curved close to the edge of the 3-foot-tall clump. Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) form clumps of blue-green blades at USDA zones 4 through 9, which flip rust-colored in fall through winter. The silvery seed heads hit 24 inches tall.
Hedges
A traditional hedge is often made of shrubs, but ornamental grasses reaching 5 feet tall or greater form barriers and screens when planted close together. One instance is “Karl Foerster” feather reed grass (Calamagrostis “Karl Foerster”), that rises upright to 6 feet tall in USDA zones 4 through 10. This deep-green grass produces clumps of purplish-green feathery plumes in early summer. “Morning Light” maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis “Morning Light”) produces green variegated leaves with white borders in zones 5 through 9. Normally this grass reaches just 5 feet tall spreading 2 feet broad, but late summer red flower plumes grow to 6 feet high.
Perennial Companions
Ornamental grasses grow well when combined in with perennial blossoms. Evergreen varieties remain green throughout the winter while the blossoms are dormant. “Little Kitten” maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis “Little Kitten”) grows best in full sun exposure in USDA zones 5 through 9 with narrow green blades that turn gold in the fall. Blonde flower spikes reach 36 inches tall, staying on the grass from late summer throughout winter. Variegated Tatki grass (Carex trifida “Rekohu Sunrise”) stays evergreen in zones 7 through 10, reaching around 3 feet tall and wide. The gold-edged, broad green leaves cascade around the outer edge of the clump with dense brown flower spikes appearing in the summertime.