Best Ways To Use Ornamental Grasses
Is your landscape at a late-summer standstill? We’ve all been there–you’ve added endless flower beds, rows of evergreen trees and flowering shrubs galore, but it still feels like something is missing! That missing factor just might be the added texture and flare that an ornamental grass brings to a yard.
Initially, the idea of planting grass may feel mundane and pointless, but there are so many beautiful varieties of ornamental grasses that will easily transform a space! And while many plants are tired and left lifeless after a long and hot summer season, mid to late summer into fall is the ornamental grass’s time to shine!
Still not convinced that you need a grassy addition to your yard? Read on to learn the different ways that ornamental grasses can make an impact on your landscape and your life!
Add Texture To Flower Beds
The first game changing impact that perennial grasses make is the added beauty and unique flare they can bring to a space.
As a means of breaking up flowerbeds and defining perennial borders, tall arching grasses are a great structural and stylistic addition to a yard. The texture and beauty of these grasses also works as a stand alone focal point, as many grasses offer eye catching silvery blooms, and bright colored blades of foliage.
Some great options for adding this means of style and bold excitement are Pink Muhly Grass, Little Zebra Grass, and Standing Ovation Little Bluestem. All different and special in their own ways, these ornamental plants make a grand statement in the garden.
Instill Grassy Privacy Barriers
If you’re on the hunt for more natural ways to add privacy to your property, but privacy trees just aren’t your style, then a tall grassy privacy screen just may be the way to go. You can opt for one variety of tall grass to plant along yard borders, or you could get a little crazy and do a fun mixture!
The main factors to keep in mind when choosing an ornamental grass for a privacy screen are: knowing your USDA growzone, and choosing a grass that reaches your desired height of coverage. Some of our favorite options for grassy privacy screens include Porcupine Grass, Miscanthus Adagio, and Miscanthus Morning Light. All of these options grow thick and reach heights between 7 and 8 feet tall!
Protect Local Pollinators and Better Your Environment
The next, and possibly the most valuable benefit of planting ornamental grasses is their ability to benefit your local ecosystem. From offering shelter and protection of local pollinators, to aiding in the control of erosion, ornamental grasses are the environmental guru you didn’t know you needed!
Any ornamental grass options are great for benefiting the environment, but in choosing to plant native grasses you will boost those benefits even more! A few of our favorite native grasses include Purple Love Grass, Shenandoah Switch Grass, and Foerester’s Feather Reed Grass!
Add Serenity and Peace To Your Life
The last reason you may want to add ornamental grasses to your life would be for the serenity and peace that they can bring to a space. The soothing sounds and motion of the grasses moving in the wind is like music to your ears.
The sound is so distinct and beautiful that the grasses have their own word for the sounds they make. The whispering and rustling of the featherlike foliage moving in the breeze is called susurration!
One of our all time favorite grasses for the purpose for relaxation and calming sounds is the Chasmanthium Latifolium – also known as Northern Sea Oats. Plant this beauty in your yard and thank us later for the added relaxation and stress relief you endure!
Shop Ornamental Grasses
Whether you’re looking to add a little spice to your life, or just need some added relaxation, we have the ornamental grasses you need to make all the difference in your landscape!