Ornamental grasses are often overlooked when it comes to garden spaces. However, their low-maintenance options can add a perfect touch of texture, variety, and beauty to any garden.
What Are Ornamental Grasses?
Grasses are categorized as ‘ornamental’ for two main reasons according to TheSpruce.com:
- The grasses are pretty to look at.
- These grasses are often not walked on, therefore negating any urgent need to keep it at a shorter height.
Essentially, the phrase ‘ornamental grass’ refers to grasses that are not ‘lawn’ grass. A typical ‘lawn’ grass is seen as negative space; a space where people can walk around; a space separate from the garden.
In contrast, ornamental grasses are like a feature in the yard. Their presence adds to the aesthetic appeal a space can have. Oftentimes, ornamental grasses are mixed with plants to fill gardens and flower beds, adding more texture and diversity to the space.
Different Kinds
When thinking of how to compose these areas, it is best to layer plants. This means placing the shortest plants in the front, the tallest in the back, and the rest in the middle. Due to this desired composition, we separate ornamental grasses by their height for the few examples below.
Maiden Grass
Maiden Grass is a taller variety of ornamental grass. While some varieties are known to grow up to eight feet tall, others will add a whitish silver inflorescence to the garden’s beauty. Additionally, there are no known pest or disease problems to be wary of other than rust. To avoid rust, make sure the leaf blades are able to dry off quickly by watering the plants from under the foliage.
To help the plant grow, make sure it is placed in an area with full sun. The plant is tolerant to excess moisture, dry conditions, acidic soils, and even hard clay, so ensuring proper climate or soil is not as important with this plant.
Purple Fountain
An ornamental grass that is more of a medium height when fully grown is the purple fountain. This grass gives off warm tones of purple while mimicking arcs of falling water.
Purple fountain grass will grow about three feet high and four feet wide, making them the perfect option for adding a pop of color and texture to the garden. Alternatively, the grass is also known to thrive in containers, allowing gardeners to add colorful accents around any outdoor area.
To ensure the plant thrives, place the grass in a clear spot that will receive full sun.
Lilyturf
Lilyturf is a shorter ornamental grass, growing up to two feet tall. The long-lasting plant will have lavender blooms that appear in the late summer, attracting pollinators.
The lilyturf looks great when used for rock gardens, containers, ground cover, or as edging in a garden. Plus, with the plant’s natural tolerance to drought and deer, moderate salt tolerance, and relative toughness, there is no wonder why it is so popular.
The lilyturf thrives in areas that receive partial shade with well-draining soil.
