Curb appeal with ornamental grasses!

“July is hollyhocks and hammocks, fireworks and vacations, hot and steamy weather, cool and refreshing swims, beach picnics, and vegetables all out of the garden.” — Jean Hersey.

“Tears of joy are like the summer rain drops pierced by sunbeams.” — Hosea Ballou.

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” — John Lubbock.

“Summer afternoon—to me, those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” — Henry James.

Look around you and see all the green covering the floor of the landscape which sets the stage for play, competition, curb appeal and erosion control.

When the topic of grasses comes around, so often our attention goes to lawns and sports, then to mowing and maintenance. But, wait a moment, there’s a whole different group of grasses with alternate applications – the ornamental kind used in the landscape beds and containers.

Ornamental grasses can be used in landscapes for lasting performance, strength, and visual impact. Unlike lawn or turfgrass cultivars, ornamental grasses are encouraged to grow without mowing expectations. Landscaping with ornamental grasses exposes the many varieties, sizes, shapes, and colors available. Also, ornamental grasses have great applications in container gardens and offer deer tolerance.

Ornamental grasses provide curb appeal throughout each season. From their vivid vegetative qualities and attractive seedhead displays during the growing season to their eye-catching dormant stage in the winter months, they offer unique characteristics and value to the landscape.

Native ornamental grasses include the following: Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is an awesome, tough prairie native which exhibits gray-green leaf blades that turn strong shades of purple, red, and orange in the fall season. Reaching upwards to three feet tall, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is the beautiful blue color in summer and its effective fall coloration.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a favorite grass to many horticulturalists with its airy plumes in the late summer and fall, its blue-gray foliage during the season, and its brilliant shades of gold or red in the fall. Reaching upwards to a height of five feet, it prefers full sun or part shade and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its beautiful fall color, shade tolerance, and wildlife goodness. Dallas Blues is an excellent cultivar.

Fiber Opticgrass (Isolepis cernua) is an unusual tender perennial which is often grown as an annual in colder climates. It brings a fine texture and a low, mounding habit on target for container gardens to our landscapes.

Reaching a height of 6-inches, it prefers full sun or part shade and moist soils. The value of this grass is its unusual appearance and small space friendliness.

Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) is a fast-growing species with interesting seedheads that hang from the stems like wind chimes. Reaching a height of three feet, it prefers full sun or part shade and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its speed of growth (plant with care) and attractive fall seedheads.

Those ornamental grasses that are introduced and not native but offer sustainability characteristics include: Feather Reedgrass (Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’) is a very popular ornamental grass offering a distinct upright growth habit which maintains its aesthetics throughout the winter season. Reaching a height of six feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its toughness and architectural shape.

Fountaingrass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) is an attractive, mounding plant which exhibits beautiful shape and soft, feathery plumes that dance in the wind. Reaching a height of five feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils.

The value of this grass is in its graceful, arching shape and attractive plumes

Blue Oatgrass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) is a low maintenance grass with steel-blue color and an amazing mounded habit of growth. Reaching a height of four feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its attractive silvery-blue color.

Purple Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is an extremely tough annual grass with amazing burgundy foliage and rich purple seedheads that look like fluffy cattails. These grasses are very beautiful and attract birds. Reaching a height of five feet, it prefers full sun or part shade and well-drained soils.

The value of this grass is its burgundy foliage and rich purple seedheads.

Japanese Forestgrass (Hakonechloa macra) is a favorite low-growing species offering an excellent mounding growth habit. ‘Aureola’ and ‘All Gold’ are variegated selections exhibiting brightly colored foliage that work well in shady areas. Reaching a height of one foot, it prefers part shade and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is in its color attributes to brighten up shade gardens.

Maidengrass (Miscanthus sinensis) is a very common ornamental grass which is very easy to grow. Its characteristics include narrow, arching foliage (many variegated selections are available) which add color to landscapes and silvery plumes that offer captivating appearances. Reaching upward to 8-feet tall, it prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soils. The value of this grass is in its attractive plumes and elegant arching habit of growth.

Ravennagrass (Saccharum ravennae) is a gigantic, fast-growing perennial which produces tall silvery plumes making an effective impression in the fall landscape. Reaching heights of 12 feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is in its height and attractive plumes.

Purple Fountaingrass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Purpureum’) is a gardening favorite exhibiting burgundy-red foliage throughout the season. It is a tender perennial and is frequently used in container gardens. Reaching a height of three feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. The value of this grass is in its rich, deep purple color.

Zebragrass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’) offers a bold color with each leaf blade featuring a series of bright yellow bands. Zebragrass offers strong focalization in the landscape with its color and upright growth habit that does well in a perennial border. Reaching a height of five feet, it prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its strong colors of the foliage.

Purple Moorgrass (Molinia caerulea) is an ornamental grass offering attractive, mounding foliage that turns brilliant gold in the fall. Reaching a height of five feet, it prefers full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soils. The value of this grass is in its bold shape, effective fall color, and shade tolerance.

Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa) is an evergreen, ornamental grass with airy plumes in shades of golden, silver, purple, and green with an effective mounding growth habit. Reaching a height of six feet, it prefers full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soils. The value of this grass is its shade and moisture tolerance.

The time you spend selecting and planting ornamental grasses will provide seasons and years of personal satisfaction.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1. “In [Christ] and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:12. Above [the Lord] were seraphs, each with six wings ... and they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah 6:2-3. “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.” Psalm 18:30. “You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.” 1 Peter 1:8.