101 Series: Ornamental Grass

101 Series:

Ornamental Grass

Perennial Ornamental Grass

There are many varieties of ornamental grasses suitable for planting in your landscape. Advantages of using grasses in the garden are:

1. Ease of and minimal maintenance

2. Dramatic effect

3. Height

4. Winter interest

Selecting depends on what look you are trying to achieve; ie creating tall architectural backdrops versus front of garden edging grasses.

Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis) is upright in growth habit. The variety called "Karl Forester" is the most commonly used in landscaping and won the coveted title of "Perennial of the Year" in 2001.

Japanese or Chinese Silver Grass (Miscanthus sinensus) encompasses a number of varieties including some with variegated foliage.

Purple Moor Grasses (Molinia) are not actually purple in colour. These typically have dense foliage at the base and long scapes with sparse panicles at the top. They have a see-through look to them.

Japanese Blood Grass, Blue Oat Grass, Blue Fescue, Japanese Forest Grass are all beautiful when used near the front of a garden.

Annual Ornamental Grass

The only grasses that we use which are NOT perennial and must be planted every year are Fountain Grasses. These are the dark purple or red coloured grasses and are well worth the expense of replacing every year!

Care of Grasses

Plant perennial ornamental grasses in the spring if you know exactly which variety you want. Otherwise, it would be recommended that you do your research in the fall by visiting garden centres or botanical gardens to view grasses at the peak of their season. This way you can write down the name of the grasses you like and plant them the following spring.

Best practice is to cut the grasses to within 3"-6" from the base in the spring before new growth appears. They will provide winter interest to your garden during the months you need it the most. If you do not wish to have the grasses up all winter, they can be cut in the fall with no adverse effects.