Colourful Ornamental Grasses

In autumn red flowers give way to buff-colored seed heads that hold through the winter. With so many people moving from the suburbs back into urban spaces, there is a trend of finding beautiful small – even dwarf – plants to fit the smaller gardens.

Treat ‘Fireworks' like you would any ornamental grass, shearing it down to the ground in late fall or early spring. This is a tough perennial grass that is easy to care for. The effect is shockingly bright color in your garden from a typically simple...

Even deer tend to leave it alone! Hot Rod is spectacular when planted en masse or used as a border. Hot Rod Switch Grass stays true to its name as the “hot rod” of the grasses—ablaze in color from summer through fall.

(It makes a BIG impact in a SMALL garden! Even if you only have a tiny spot like a pot on a balcony, you will love the gorgeous impression Everlite makes!) It is super hardy and evergreen up to zone 4 and requires very little maintenance.

In the fall the leaves turn gold in color. In late fall or early spring cut the foliage back almost to the ground before growth starts in spring. 'Red Head' begins to show its enormous bottlebrush plumes in mid to late summer.

Nothing does that as well as grasses and sedges. It stands out from other carex with eye-catching spring-green blades with a lime-green edge. It makes a magnificent ground cover or try it in your favorite container.

It is also interesting as a specimen or accent plant, brightening shady areas. Foliage promptly turns yellow after frost. Single specimens are dramatic; masses may be overwhelming.

Clumps slowly expand in circumference by short rhizomes, but retain tight clump shape. It achieves a thick, full clump of billowing, arched foliage quickly, and silver flowers in August.

Typically forms an upright, rounded clump of foliage growing 4-6′ tall. Tolerant of a wide range of soils from well-drained sandy soils to the heavy clays present in much of the St. Louis area.

Tiny pink-tinged flowers appear in tassel-like inflorescences above the foliage in late summer, gradually turning into creamy white plumes by fall as the seeds mature. Less vigorous with decreased flowering and tendency to flop in too much shade.

Plants are similar in appearance to Genus name from Latin means cutter in reference to the sharp leaves and stem edges (rushes are round but sedges have edges) found on most species' plants.

Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Plant Patent PP13,008 issued September 24, 2002. Flowers appear in corymbose panicles of 10-13 racemes (each to 6” long) above the foliage in late summer.

The foliage dries and turns tan-bronze for the winter. Miscanthus Gracillimus' is an old and very popular cultivar. Cut foliage to the ground in late winter just before new shoots appear.

Perfect for grouping in sun and ideal for attracting birds. Late fall's stunning red color is enhanced by delicate, small red flower plumes that float above the foliage. Cut back clumps to the ground in late winter to early spring.

Is a swaying fine textured clump forming grass. Its bright green foliage resembles delicate filaments that arise in elegant, vase-like clumps and spill outward like a soft fountain.

Features metallic-blue leaves which turn yellow in autumn, fading to tan-beige in winter. Looks great combined with Black-eyed Susan. The metallic-blue leaves of Panicum Heavy Metal turn yellow in autumn, fading to tan-beige in winter.

You'll want to water the bushes regularly after planting until they've been well established. “Fertilizer burn” can occur when too much fertilizer is applied, resulting in a drying out of the roots and damage or even death of the plant.It is much,...

Growing to be about 6 feet, this variety makes a striking statement planted in the back of a perennial garden. (Andropogon gerardii) Who doesn't love the ever-changing colors and texture that Ornamental Grasses bring to the garden?

Best in full sun. In Missouri, it most frequently occurs in acidic soils in open woods, glades or openings along roads primarily in central Ozark and western areas south of the Missouri River (see Steyermark).

Plants will grow well in deeper shade (particularly in hot summer climates), but the gold variegation changes to lime green. Plant this grass where it will cascade down slopes, drape over rocks, spill over the edges of walls or in the border or a container...

Flower plumes (1-3' long) may rise to 4 to 5′ tall on erect stems. Female plants produce prodigious amounts of seed and can self-seed freely, often resulting in naturalization that displaces valuable native plants.

Easily grown in moist to wet soils, including standing water to 4” deep, in full sun locations. When dry, the pith could be lit at one end (sometimes both ends) and burned like a candle.

Be careful with products such as miracle-grow as these products can burn newly planted plants when not used at the recommended rates. Carex Blue Zinger reliably blooms on the seasons new growth, so prune to the ground during late winter or very early...

The fine textured grasses, for example, can create dramatic contrast within borders when placed next to other broad-shaped foliage plants and flowers.There are practical reasons for adding ornamental grasses to borders.wait until the weather starts warming...

Most of the problems associated with flopping ornamental grass is because of gardeners taking too much care of the plants, not too little.The most common cause of ornamental grasses falling over isin the soil.

It is often obvious when this needs to be done, as the grass may have a dead patch in the center or simply fail to produce a thick crown of leaves.Propagation of ornamental grasses is through this division or from volunteer plants that have come from...

Deer resistant. Mounds of narrow, elegantly arching leaves grow to 2' tall. Beautiful rose-copper flower plumes begin their entrance in July with new seed heads appearing all the way into September! Rose Fountain Grass is a very easy plant to grow and...