Ornamental grasses for master gardeners

Ornamental Grasses

Prepared by Kathy Bagwell

Sedgwick County Extension Master Gardener

Wichita, KS

Quotes

Grass is the hair of the earth – Karl Foerster

Sedges have edges and rushes are round, grasses are hollow and rush all around – author unknown

Landscape Bed

Resources

• http://www.kswildflower.org/ Pictures and information about Kansas grasses

• The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses – Rick Darke

• http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/

• Gardening With Ornamental Grasses - Roger Grounds

http://www.kswildflower.org/



Grass Types• True Grasses

– Native and imported• Belong to the family Poaceae (also known as

Graminaea) – Pronounced Poe uh SEA eigh

• Stems (culms) are cylindrical, hollow, and have swollen joints called nodes

• Leaves alternate along the length of culms; straight veins running parallel to the leaf margins

• Pollinated by the wind

Grass Family - Gramineae

• Also called Poacea

• A very large family – around 650 genera

• Distributed world-wide

• Includes all grains such as rice, wheat, and corn

• Includes bamboo

• Includes turfgrass

• Includes ‘Range’ grasses

Grass Family - Gramineae

• Includes Bamboos

• This was taken in Jamaica

• True wood is absent

• Pronounced gra-min'-ee-aa

Grass-Like Plants• Grass-like appearance

– Sedges• Belong to Cyperaceae family (Carex genus)• Stems lack nodes, are solid with centers filled with

pith and are distinctly triangular in cross-section• Leaves are wrapped around the shoots in 3 ranks

– Rushes• Belong to Juncaceae family (Juncus genus)• Stems are cylindrical, generally a solid pith, and

without nodes• Pointed leaves usually arise from the soil and wrap

tightly around the stems

Rushes

• In Japan, the rush is used to weave tatami, the traditional floor covering in homes.

• In England before light bulbs became the norm, the inner pith was soaked in animal fat or wax, then burned like a candle.

• Some varieties native to the U.S.

• Juncus means ‘to join’ in latin

• Found in wetlands in sun

Examples of Rushes‘Curly Wurly’ Juncus Rush (Juncus decipiens)

• 3-6” tall

• Prefers moist to wet soil

• Full sun to part shade

• Zones 5-9‘Spiralis’ Juncus Rush 12-20” tall

(Juncus effusus)

Soft Rush

‘Blue Arrows’ Juncus inflexus

• 24-36” tall


• Full sun to part shade

• Zones 5-10

Another Rush

Luzula nivea - Snowy Woodrush

• 24” Tall

• Zone 4-9

• Part Shade

• Moderately wet conditions

Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'•Common Names: Golden dwarf sweet flag, Japanese rush

• Spreads with rhizomes, requires some sun

• Yellow stripes

•In genus Acorus, not Juncus

Pronounced: ah-KOR-us gram-IN-ee-us

Sedges

Carex – Gold Fountains ‘Kaga Nishiki’

Sedges

‘Evergold’ Carex oshimensis

• 9-12” tall, 12-18” spread


• Part shade

• Zones 5-9

• Blooms in May

• Evergreen

Sedges‘Aurea’ or ‘Bowles Gold’ Carex elata

• 24-30” tall, 18-20” spread


• Part shade

• Zones 5-9

•Blooms in May

SedgesLeather Leaf Sedge

Carex buchananii

• 1-3’ tall, 1-3’ spread

• Prefers moist to moderate soil

• Full Sun to part shade

• Zones 6-9

•Blooms in fall

‘Red Fox’ Curly Sedge

A brown sedge

Reaches 2-3' tall; zones 6-9

Cinnamon colored year-round

‘Beatlemania’ Sedge

•Mop head look, evergreen

• 6” tall, 10” spread

•USDA Zones 5-9

• 4-6 hours sun, part shade

•Acidic soil to neutral soil

•Average but consistent water needs

Palm Sedge

Branches similar to a palm tree

Native to wooded lowlands – does best in slightly damp soil in shade

Thrives in clay

Used in Rain Gardens

Hardy in Zones 4-7

Carex muskingumensis

True Grasses

Native Grasses• Split-beard Broomsedge

• Side oats Grama

• Big Bluestem

• Northern Sea Oats

• Purple Love Grass

• Switch Grass

• Little Bluestem

• Indian Grass

Introduced Grasses• Reed grass (Calamagrostis) - Not native to

the US, but found in Korea, Europe, and Canada

• Giant Reed grass (Arundo donax) – native to India, Africa, & Mediterranean

• Japanese silver/Maiden grass (Miscanthus) – native to many areas of Asia

• Fountain grasses (Pennisetum) – native to China, Uruguay, Uganda, and other warm temperate areas.

Classification

• Cool-season Grasses– Prefer temps between 60 and 75 degrees– Growth in spring and fall– Bloom in early summer (June)

• Warm-season Grasses– Prefer temps between 80 and 95 degrees– Growth emerges later and grows when

temperatures are warm– Bloom in late summer or fall

Growth Habits of Grasses

• Clumping, generally non-invasive

• Spreading– Stolons – above ground– Rhizomes – below ground

Quick Facts

• Grasses are adaptable and can grow in poorer soils better than many other garden plants – easy to grow. Do not fertilize.

• Grasses require little effort to maintain.

• Grasses come in many heights, colors, textures and have varying water requirements.

Quick Facts

• Grass seed heads and foliage add fall and winter interest.

• Grasses can be used as groundcovers, specimen plants, for erosion control, and as vertical design elements (to name a few).

Maintenance

• True grasses – Remove dead foliage in late winter (Feb. thru March)

• Evergreen grasses/sedges – comb through with hand or hand fork to remove dead foliage (please use gloves).

• Easiest method of trimming grass?– Wrap tightly with duct tape around the 2’

height, then cut with hedge trimmers below the duct tape.

Trimming Ornamental Grasses

Dividing Grasses

Split-Beard Broomsedge• 2-3’ Tall

• Flowers in September

• Creamy white flower

•Likes sandy-loam soils, dry to normal water requirement

•Native

Andropogon ternarius, pronounced: an-dro-PO-gon ter-NAR-ee-us

Split-Beard Broomsedge

Giant Reed Grass (Arundo donax)

• Native to India

• USDA hardiness zone 6-10

• Wetland plant, some states consider it invasive

• Spreads primarily by rhizomes

• Used for erosion control and for stabilizing disturbed riparian areas.

Side Oats Grama• Cultivar ‘Trailway’

• Warm-season grass

•12-18” Tall

• Suited for alkaline soils

Korean Feather Reed Grass

• 2007 “Great Plants of the Great Plains” grass of the year

• Prefers partial shade, ok in sun

• 24-30”• Self seeds, but

easily managed

Eldorado Feather Reed Grass

Perennial Plant of the Year in 2001

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Eldorado’

• 3-5’ tall• 5-6’ with flower• Green/gold mid-

rib variegation• Variegated form

of ‘Karl Foerster’

‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass

‘Karl Foerster’

‘Overdam’ Feather Reed Grass

• Only 3-4’ Tall, shorter than Karl Foerster

• A creamy white vertical stripe on leaf edges

• Gold spikes in early summer

Northern Sea Oats• 2-3’ Tall

•Unique seed head - nice drooping seeds

•Reseeds easily

•Flowers in July & August

•Chasmanthiumlatifolium

Purple Love Grass

• Short grass – 10”• Flowers in August• Great in mass

plantings• Eragrostis spectabilis

Festuca ‘Elijah Blue’

• Cool season grass

• Short lived in clay

• 6-10” Tall

Blue Oat GrassHelictotrichon sempervirens

2-3’ tall, full sun

Cool season, clump forming

Imperata cylindrica

Japanese Blood grass

1-2’ tall, full sun to part shade

Rarely flowers

Considered invasive in Kansas

Melica Red Spire• Deep red plumes

• 12-18” Tall

• Same plant can be in multiple stages of fruiting

• cardinals eat seeds

• Melica transilvanica

‘Cabaret’ Japanese Silver Grass• 7’ tall with flower

• Late season plume (September & October)

‘Central Park’ Maiden Grass

• 4-5’ Tall

• Thin white stripe in center of leaf

‘Cosmopolitan’ Japanese

Silver Grass

• 8 feet tall• reddish-pink

flowers • leaves have white

stripe down the center on one side and on the edge on the other side

‘Gold Bar’ Maiden Grass

• 4-5’ by October• Horizontal stripes• Dense growth• Compact erect

habit• Grow in border or

container• Blooms in late

Oct.

‘Gracillimus’ Maiden Grass

5-6’ Tall

Copper-colored flower plumes

‘Graziella’ Maiden Grass5-6’ tall

Plumes become more cream-colored in fall

‘Little Kitten’ Maiden Grass

2-3’ tall

Thin, silver-green wiry leaves

Silver-white plumes in fall

‘Morning Light’ Maiden Grass

• 4’ tall; 6’ with flower

• White variegation along margin

• Fine textured

‘Super Stripe’ Maiden Grass

• 4’ tall, 7’ with flower• More stripes and

more defined than on older varieties

‘Autumn Red’ Maiden Grass

• Showy red/green/purple foliage in fall

• More compact, vertical grower

• 3-5’ Tall

Variegated Silver Grass

• 6’ with flower• One of oldest

variegated Miscanthus

• May require staking if it has some shade

‘Heavy Metal’ Switch Grass

• 3-5’ tall• Metallic

lavender blue waxy foliage

• Shade will cause it to flop.

‘Northwind’ Switch Grass

‘Prairie Sky’ Switch Grass

• 4-6’ tall• “the bluest, hardiest,

strongest and quickest”

of all the Switch Grasses – Harlan Hamernik (owner of Bluebird Nursery – Nebraska)

‘Prairie Sky’

Fall photo

‘Shenandoah’ Switch Grass2009 Great Plants of the Great Plains – Grass of the Year

Red Switchgrass – 3’ tall; 4’ with flower

‘Hameln’ Dwarf Fountain Grass

2-3’ Tall

Creamy white to tan plumes in late summer.

‘Little Bunny’ Fountain Grass

Dwarf -10-12” tall12” wide

‘Moudry’ Fountain Grass

Black seed heads

Reseeds

‘Foxtrot’ Fountain Grass

Large, vigorous plant 5’ tall; 4’ wide

‘National Arboretum’ Fountain Grass

Dwarf vigorous plant 3’ tall

‘Karly Rose’ Fountain Grass

Deep pink plumes in June. Quick to establish, 3’ tall with plumes.

Purple Fountain GrassPennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’

• Annual in zone 6• Hardy to zone 9-10• 3’ tall• 4’ with flower• Excellent backdrop to

annual beds• May overwinter in

greenhouse

Ribbon Grass (Phalaris arundinacea picta 'Feesey')

• Will grow where other plants will not

• Does spread, but less in shade

• Flowers are white, appear in June

• Grows taller in shade, flops more

Ravenna Grass

‘Blaze’ Little Bluestem

Fall Color

Little Bluestem

• Native to KS• 2 ½’ tall• Reddish brown winter

color• Clump grass• 'The Blues'

Big BluestemAndropogon gerardii (Turkey foot)

‘Silver Sunrise’ BluestemAndropogon gerardi

• A natural hybrid of big and sand bluestem

• Silvery foliage• 5-6’ with flower spike• 2006 release of

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum Assn.

Big Bluestem Grass

‘Indian Steele’ Indian Grass

32-42” tall; 24-32” wide

Upright blue-green form

Hairgrass (Muhlenbergia)

Pink Muhly Grass, Purple Muhly Grass

Japanese Forest Grass

Hakonechloa 'Aureola' with a fern and boxwood

Ways to Use Ornamental GrassesA Summary

Ways to Use Ornamental Grasses

1. Add Privacy or Screen


2. Create Colorful Containers

Fiber Opticgrass with contrasting texture: a gray-blue echeveria


3. Add Texture to Beds & Borders

Fountain grasses and Miscanthus look great with Black-eyed Susan, Lavender, and Hydrangea.


4. Soften Hardscaping

Miscanthus softens the concrete edge of a swimming pool.


4. Soften Hardscaping

Use Sedges or Grasses to soften the rocks.


5. Dress up decks and patios

Annual purple fountaingrass and other tender grasses are good choices for containers.


6. Add a Garden Accent

A clump of fountaingrass complements bold black-eyed Susans, canna, coleus, and petunia on a deck.


7. Create an Edging

Small selections, such as the blue fescue shown here, are best as an edging. Plant the grasses closer together so they become a line.


8. Create End-of-Season Interest

Grasses are just getting going when most annuals and perennials look worn.


9. Attract Wildlife

Grasses are great for attracting wildlife, especially birds. Select grasses native to your region, such as switchgrass shown here.


11. Grow a Pretty Prairie

Create a meadow or prairie effect with grasses. For best success, select grasses that are native to your region. The Joe Pye Weed, Echinacea, sunflowers, and Rudbeckia help with the meadow effect.

Karl Foerster Feather Reed


12. Focal Point

Thank You!

Ornamental grasses for master gardeners

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