Planning a landscape is a bit like designing a quilt — colors and textures add to the visual appeal. Ornamental grasses incorporate both color and texture and can be great plants to include in landscapes.
“What began as the choice for many environmentalists wishing to include native plants in their gardens to sustain wildlife, native ornamental grasses have quickly caught the attention of all gardeners as the go-to poster plant for year-round, drought-resistant beauty and texture in a garden bed,” the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society said in a 2020 blog post.
Mike Long, owner of Jim Long Landshapers, a landscape, hardscape design and installation business started in 1981 by his father, says he talks with customers when beginning a landscape project to determine their desires. Then he looks at their property.
“I like to see if the area we’ll work with is north- or south-facing and if it’s a shaded or sunny area; that helps me decide what plants to use,” he says.
He often incorporates ornamental grasses into the design.“There are so many varieties, which makes them very versatile,” Long says. “They can create a tropical vibe around a pool. Some varieties are great for shady areas, and some don’t require a lot of water.”Another plus: Deer leave them alone, and they’re often disease and pest resistant.Pieter Hegeman, a landscape architect and owner of Hegeman’s Landscaping, agrees that ornamental grasses can be great around a pool or water feature. They not only add texture, but taller varieties can also be grouped to create privacy, he says.As for texture, Better Homes and Gardens offers a number of suggestions in a 2022 post on titled “15 beautiful ways to use ornamental grasses in your landscape.” Balance soft, mounding grasses such as fountain grass with plants that have a bolder texture, the article says, adding that more upright grasses, such as switchgrass, offer a perfect textural contrast to more mounded plants.
And don’t limit ornamental grasses to beds and borders. also recommends using them in containers, whether its fiber optic grass in a small terra cotta pot or tall purple fountaingrass for a more dramatic statement on a deck or patio.
Hegeman says he’s been “playing in the dirt since the mid-1970s” and designs both to fit the customer’s needs and the existing landscape.
“The main concern people most often have today is maintenance,” he says. “They want low-maintenance plants in the landscaping, and ornamental grasses are low maintenance. Once they’re established they don’t usually need a lot of water.”
Long adds that pollinator gardens are trending, and grasses not only attract pollinators, but can act as a shelter and feeding ground for animals such as birds and rabbits. Since they can become a habitat, especially in the winter, people often don’t trim ornamental grasses until early spring, Hegeman says.
He points out that even in winter, when they may be brown, ornamental grasses add texture and create visual interest.
One of the plants Hegeman likes is liriope. It’s shorter and has green or variegated leaves that are green year-round. It produces a purple-tinted bloom spike. “It spreads, so it’s a great ground cover,” he says.
Another low ornamental grassy plant to consider is blue fescue — it has a light blue color.
Hegeman reminds DIY gardeners that ornamental grasses need room to grow and expand, so they should be sure to take that into consideration when planting them.