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.