PB1626-Ornamental Grasses in the Landscape

Ornamental grasses add texture, contrast, color and year-round interest to the landscape. Just like other groups of landscape plants, ornamental grasses are a diverse group that expand the plant palette of designers. They come in a range of sizes from the dwarf hakone grass to the giant ravenna grass. There are golden or white variegated cultivars. Some provide shades of silver and blue. Others are tinged red. Grasses that emerge late in the spring can fill voids left by spring-flowering bulbs and early spring perennials. The seed-heads or plumes of late-season grasses add ornamental value that persists into the winter. Most are suited to full sun; some handle shade. Some grasses can be easily integrated into bog or water gardens; others handle the heat and drought of mid-summer. Some spread vigorously; others form neat clumps. As a group, they tend to be free of disease and insect pests.