Where to Buy Ornamental Grass...
Popular ornamental grass varieties include:
- Calamagrostis or Feather Reed Grass, a taller variety used in landscapes and container plantings.
- Carex or Sweet Flag, often used in container gardens, or near ponds or water features.
- Juncus or Rush, versatile thin bladed grass used near water features or in native landscapes.
Using Ornamental Grass In The Landscape
Ornamental grasses have been gaining popularity each year with gardeners
as they discover the versatility and ease of care associated with these
hardy perennial plants. Many ornamental grasses are also able to endure
the repeated soil freezing and thawing typical of northern winters,
making them a useful addition to the Northern garden. Ornamental grasses
are also a part of the growing popularity of water gardening, as
marginal plantings between dry land and water features such as ponds,
fountains, or creek beds.
2. Ornamental grasses require little effort to maintain.
3. Cold hardy ornamental grasses come in many heights, colors, textures and have varying water requirements.
4. Ornamental grass seed heads and foliage add fall and winter interest, and provide shelter for birds.
5. Dried grasses have many decorative uses indoors and out. Add the dried plumes to fall wreaths and decorations.
6. Perennial ornamental grasses can be used as groundcovers, specimen plants, for erosion control, in container plantings with annuals or perennials, and as vertical design elements.
Ornamental grass foliage catches the wind, adding a sense of motion to the landscape. The native prairies of the Midwest were often described as an inland sea. Tall grasses also rustle in the wind, adding sound as a new dimension to the landscape. In a border, grasses can be used as edging or background plants, while larger specimens can be accent plants or screens. Diminutive species can be utilized in rock gardens. Combining grasses with woody or herbaceous perennial plants, such as shrub roses, Sedum 'Autumn Joy', or Rudbeckia ‘Herbstonne’, help create a beautiful and low input, sustainable landscape.
QUICK FACTS ABOUT ORNAMENTAL GRASSES:
1. Hardy ornamental grasses are adaptable and can grow in poorer soils better than many other garden plants.2. Ornamental grasses require little effort to maintain.
3. Cold hardy ornamental grasses come in many heights, colors, textures and have varying water requirements.
4. Ornamental grass seed heads and foliage add fall and winter interest, and provide shelter for birds.
5. Dried grasses have many decorative uses indoors and out. Add the dried plumes to fall wreaths and decorations.
6. Perennial ornamental grasses can be used as groundcovers, specimen plants, for erosion control, in container plantings with annuals or perennials, and as vertical design elements.
Ornamental grass foliage catches the wind, adding a sense of motion to the landscape. The native prairies of the Midwest were often described as an inland sea. Tall grasses also rustle in the wind, adding sound as a new dimension to the landscape. In a border, grasses can be used as edging or background plants, while larger specimens can be accent plants or screens. Diminutive species can be utilized in rock gardens. Combining grasses with woody or herbaceous perennial plants, such as shrub roses, Sedum 'Autumn Joy', or Rudbeckia ‘Herbstonne’, help create a beautiful and low input, sustainable landscape. 