Grass is not just for the lawn, there is also ornamental grasses which can be used in the landscape. Ornamental grasses can add another dimension to the landscape by their gentle motion as the foliage sways in the wind and the sound that is created from that motion. Many grasses have year round interest as some have interesting flower heads that remain throughout the fall/winter and others remain green throughout the year or until covered with snow. They have always been a part of natures landscape but they are now becoming a larger part of residential and commercial landscapes even in the Prince George area. Use them as fillers, borders, backgrounds, on their own or in groups, they can be used in containers, and are a perfect companion for flowers or a more natural landscape. Grasses are grown for their foliage which comes in shades of green, blue, red, and variegated and different varieties have different types of foliage. Many of the grasses also have interesting flowers such as 'Blue Gamma Mosquito grass' which has silver flowers that grow on an angle and resemble small combs or mosquito larvae and when mature the flowers become red making them ideal for fresh or dried floral arrangements. 'Foersters Feather grass' has pink feathery flower heads that change to a golden tan. This is a tall straight plant and can be used as a screen when planted in a row. 'Ravenna' is another very tall upright grass resembling 'Pampas grass' which has the spreading flowers.
Other grasses can add beautiful foliage colour to the landscape such as 'Blue Oat Grass' or the smaller Blue Fescues. The Blue oat grass is an evergreen and has long wiry leaves that are an intense steel blue. We have had some growing in our landscape at home for the past few years and they have done very well. In the spring we clean up any of the dead foliage and clip it back 8 -10 inches, and right now it is already standing 18 inches tall and forming the flower heads which will stand 2-3 feet above the foliage. A smaller and more fine textured blue grass the blue fescue as it only grows 6-10 inches tall and wide. 'Morning Light Miscanthus' is not blue but it has green foliage with a white midrib and white threads around the edges giving it a "inner light", and 'Variegated Moor Grass' has green and creamy white tapered grass blades. 'Flame Grass' has nice fall colour as the thin green blades turn red in fall. The named varieties are a few of the varieties available for the Prince George area.
Although no plant is completely maintenance free, ornamental grasses come very near to that. Once they have been established they do not require very much care and they are often drought tolerant, soil tolerant, and are rarely bothered by pests and disease. They often grow where other plants may have a difficult time. When planting them, give them their space as they will get larger and they can get crowded. A general rule of thumb is to space them as far apart as the mature plant is tall. So if the plant will be 2 feet tall then space them 2 feet apart. Clump forming grasses do not spread but rather form a clump so they will not take over a flower bed. There are cool season grasses that start to grow in early spring and warm season grasses that need a couple of weeks of warm temperatures to get them growing.
Ornamental grasses a wonderful and easy addition to any landscape and with so many different varieties, there is a grass for any situation!
