Six Ornamental Grasses For Small Gardens

Panicum 'Northwind'

Maiden grass, Eulalia grass (Miscanthus sinensis), are beautiful in the early autumn landscape. Several cultivars are very invasive in U.S. landscapes. My Fair Maiden™ (6 – 8 ft. tall x 4 ft. wide), ‘Rigoletto’, ‘Morning Light’, ‘Bandwidth, and ‘Zebrinus’ ('Variegata’) produce very low amounts of sterile seed and are rated less invasive.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a U.S. native prairie grass that is an exceptional performer. ‘Northwind’ switch grass grows 4 -5 ft. tall and 2.5 ft. wide and is tightly constricted at its base; airy panicles of feathery flowers in late summer. ‘Shenandoah’ forms a small 3 feet tall clump; summer foliage is dark purple cast on its tips dark, black-purple foliage in fall. ‘Cheyenne Sky’ emerges with blue-green leaves in late spring, forming a tidy and well-behaved mound. In late summer deep wine-red leaf tips and airy sprays of dark-red flowers.

Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutifora 'Karl Foerster' has a strong upright habit and blooms with showy flowers that ripen to tawny seed heads that decorate the plant through the fall and winter months. Other cultivars are: ‘Overdam’ and ‘Avalanche’.

Pink Muhlygrass

Muhlygrass (Muhlenbergia capillaries) produce a loose, airy inflorescence that is nothing less than spectacular pink clouds in early fall. Muhlygrass typically grows to 3 ft. tall x 3 ft. wide when in flower (USDA hardiness zones 6-10). Pink Muhly is the most popular form; ‘White Cloud’ sports white flowers and grows more upright than pink form.

Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) are popular native warm season grasses. 'Standing Ovation' keeps a tight, upright habit through the four seasons.  The sturdy, spiky stems start out bluish-green and mature in the fall with brilliant color array of orange, red, yellow and purplish-brown. Colors do not or flop have a tendency to lodge in late as many varieties do.

Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) is a warm season, clump-forming grass. Fine-textured, hairy, long green leaves (to 20 in. long and 1/16 in. wide) typically form an arching foliage mound to 15 in. tall and 18 in. wide. Foliage takes on a golden with orange hues in fall, and light bronze in winter. Open, branching flower panicles appear on slender stems which rise well above the foliage clump in late summer to 30-36 in. tall. Flowers have pink and brown tints, with a unique coriander fragrance in fall.

2022 Perennial Plant Of The Year - Little Bluestem

The Perennial Plant Association is pleased to promote Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium and cultivars) as the 2022 Perennial Plant of the Year®. The wider selection of Schizachyrium scoparium and cultivars allows the perennial expert in any region to select and promote the cultivars that do best in his or her location!

PPA Board members selected top performers in their regions and shared appealing details about each one. Highlights of each selection are below:

Central region - Richard Hawke of the Chicago Botanic Garden selects Schizachyrium scoparium 'Jazz' for the Central region. Richard notes, "The striking silvery blue leaves of 'Jazz' are most comparable to 'The Blues’, but at 36 inches tall and 30 inches wide, 'Jazz' is a foot shorter than 'The Blues' and has sturdier stems.

Southern region - Shannon Currey of Hoffman Nursery selects Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues' for the Southern region. Shannon comments, "In the South, our humidity, high nighttime temps, and wet springs can slow down some Little Bluestem. ‘The Blues’ is a strong, vigorous grower and has fantastic color. Blues, pinks, purples in the summer followed by reds and oranges in the fall. In the right conditions, it stands out for us."

Canadian region - Tony Post of Brookdale Treeland Nurseries - Valleybrook Farm, choses Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation' for the Canadian region. Tony says, “This selection adds excellent texture to the summer garden. Burgundy highlights add late season interest. Seed heads are attractive, particularly when backlit."

Western region - For the Western region, Nanci Hollerith Allen of MarkWatch Plants notes that Schizachyrium scoparium can be a tricky plant unless you have reasonably dry, well-drained soil. She shares two recommended cultivars for the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountain region: 'The Blues' and 'Standing Ovation'.

Great Lakes region - Patty Steinhauser of Stonehouse Nursery chooses Schizachyrium scoparium 'Carousel' for the Great Lakes region. Patty says, "This uniquely mounded selection forms a wide clump of blue-green foliage that emerges nearly horizontal and matures into strong, upright stems that remain standing through inclement weather and winter. It takes on pink, copper and orange-red tones in fall topped with tiny seed tufts."

Mid-Atlantic region - Taylor Pilker of Cavano’s Perennials suggests 'The Blues', 'Standing Ovation', and 'Jazz'. Taylor likes ‘Blue Heaven’ because “it is taller and has good autumn color with a wide range of shades of burgundy and pink."

Information source: Perennial Plant Association website