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Joshua Peede
Landscape Designer & Gardener
ISCO Landscaping • Wilson, NC
SCC Landscape Gardening Graduate
Home Grown
Botanicals with SCC Graduate
Ornamental Grasses
by Joshua Peede
When people hear the mention of
ornamental grasses in a landscape, they often
think of Liriope, Pampas Grass, or Mondo.
These three could be identified among
ornamental grasses, but are only the tip of
the iceberg. There are so many more to learn
about and utilize in your own landscape for
their beauty and function. By the way they
move in the breeze, while also contrasting
many bolder textures with their fine foliage,
ornamental grasses add value in a landscape.
When visiting the ocean, you may notice how
the dune grasses’ gentle sway in the sea breeze
calms your spirit, even before reaching the
dune’s crest to view the vast expanse of water
spread before you. This particular example
of a natural occurrence of ornamental grass
exemplifies how we can recreate similar
effects in our own gardens if we make proper
selections for their specific uses.
As a landscape designer, I have had the
privilege of using many different types of
grasses in my plantings. In the list below, I will
group together different types of grasses, along
with their uses, appearance, requirements,
and my personal opinions about them based
on my experiences.
Just like turf grass, ornamental grasses can
be subdivided into warm and cool-season.
This just means that their time to grow and
thrive in the landscape will differ, based on
temperatures. Below, my list contains the
plant genus and further information about
each plant. Some of the plants below are
actually flags or sedges, but for the purpose of
this study, we will look at them together.
Acorus gramineus • This waxy-leaved flag
grows well in wet or dry locations, usually
reaches a height of 6 to 12 inches, and fits well
in a rain garden setting. This sweet flag can be
green or yellow, depending on variety. A good
yellow cultivar is ‘Ogon.'
Carex divulsa • This cool season sedge has
a fine-textured foliage that is a deep green.
It does well when planted in a semi-shade
location such as the north or east side of a
structure. Contrasts well with broad-textured
foliage and softens up bed borders. Common
name is Grassland Sedge.
Carex EverColor ‘Everillo’ • The EverColor
Carex hybrid series has different varieties
with intriguing foliage. My favorite is called
Everillo. It has chartreuse foliage, grows
about 8 inches tall and 18-24 inches wide. It
has an arching or weeping habit, and unlike
most Carex, this one can take full sun as well
as shade. Plant in mass or put one or two in a
planter with an evergreen and be amazed by
the contrast!
Calamagrostis x acutifolia • This warm
season grass reaches 4 to 5 feet with its
seedheads, and provides a unique interest
with its vertical habit. Looks great in a mass
planting or inner planted with flowering
summer perennials. ‘Karl Foerster’ is a great
cultivar. Adapts well to dry soils.
Chasmanthium latifolium • Northern Sea
Oats. Although this plant needs plenty of room
to spread and multiply, it gives a most unique
look with its oak-like seed heads that droop
with weight. Plant in an area that receives
shade to part shade, possibly under canopy
trees. Be aware that Sea Oats will spread, so
plant it where it can have plenty of room.
During the winter months, leave the goldenbrown
foliage for a most unique display.
Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’ • This
shade loving, cool-season grass bears widebladed,
golden foliage that has a flowy
appearance. When planted in mass under
a small ornamental tree or along a wooded
creek bank, it creates such a dramatic scene.
This grass reaches about 6 to 8 inches tall by
1 to 2 feet wide, and looks most impressive
when planted in mass. Common name is
Japanese Forest Grass.
Miscanthus sinensis • Maidengrass –
Members of this genus have a good tolerance
for heat and really put on a show with their
beautiful seed heads in late summer and fall,
as they are all warm season grasses. Two of
my favorites are ‘Adagio’ and ‘Morning Light.’
Members of this genus have a good tolerance
for heat, and really put on a show with their
beautiful seed heads in late summer and fall,
as they are all warm season grasses. Two of
my favorites are ‘Adagio’ and ‘Morning Light’.
‘Adagio’ grows 3 to 4 feet tall with a compact,
full habit that remains fairly upright. ‘Morning
Light’ is a larger, variegated selection with
a size of roughly 6 feet tall at maturity. All
Miscanthus sinensis handle full sun well and
adapt quickly when planted.
Muhlenbergia capillaris • A favorite warm
season grass in the Carolinas, that is mostly
known by its spectacular pink, airy seed heads
that appear in early fall, almost resembling
fluffy pink clouds. A common name for this
grass is Pink Muhly. One of the most beautiful
things about this grass is seeing the sunlight
sparkle on early morning dew in fall. ‘White
Cloud’ is a white seeded variety of Muhly
grass that may interest you as well.
Panicum virgatum • Switchgrass is the
common name for this warm season grass
and is another one of my favorites because
it fits a unique mold. Switchgrass can get 6
feet tall while only spreading a couple feet
wide at the base. It provides a unique ability
for this grass to fit in areas where little bed
space is available, but where there is a need
for screening or creating a vertical element
in the landscape. ‘Shenandoah’ is a good
variety with shades of green to burgundy in its
foliage. This variety typically grows 4 to 5 feet
tall. ‘Northwind’, ‘Dallas Blues’, and ‘Heavy
Metal’ are all blue-gray cultivars that provide
a height of 5 to 6 feet.
Pennisetum aloepecuroides ‘Cassian’ •
A perennial, warm season grass that grows
well in full sun, but prefers a morning drink
of water to keep from drying out, especially
in the first year. Once established, water
requirements lessen, and during summer, this
2 to 3 foot grass takes the show in the garden
with its foxtail-like seed heads that move ever
so freely in the slightest breeze. ‘Little Bunny’
is an adorable miniature cultivar that gets
only 1 foot tall.
Shizachyrium scoparium • This selection
rounds out my top picks with a very drought
tolerant, blue-gray grass. This is also a warm
season grass that loves to bake in a full sun
setting and doesn’t require much water once
established. Commonly called Little Bluestem,
I have two choices of cultivars I am suggesting
today—‘The Blues’, and ‘Twilight Zone.’ ‘The
Blues’ has a blue–green appearance and
reaches about 4 feet tall. ‘Twilight Zone’ is
so unique because of its multicolored beauty
of blue-green foliage on the inner plant and
reddish-purple on the leaf tips. This provides
quite the contrast for an outstanding selection.
I’m hoping that this personal list of mine
will give you a little insight into all the different
applications for ornamental grasses in your
landscape. ☐
Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’
No. 140 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.29