Late summer and fall beckon even the most flower-loving gardener to admire the textures and colors of ornamental grasses. Rich red, orange, yellow, and purple colors and an abundance of shiny, airy, fluffy, and precious seed heads put on stunning seasonal shows. As if their beauty wasn’t enough, grasses also offer protection and food for birds, winter interest in the landscape, and some, like little bluestem, are larval hosts for several butterfly species. The attractive seedheads on many grasses make nice additions to cut flower bouquets, too.
Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’
Shenandoah switch grass starts off with cute red growing tips in spring and later puts on adorable airy red flowers that add loads of dainty natural texture. Green throughout summer, this grass shows rich burgundy colors in fall. The cute flowers and fall color make this a very useful choice for mass plantings and fall decorating. Looks amazing in containers!
Panicum virgatum ‘Gunsmoke’
This switch grass nativar has beautiful billowy seedheads atop a robust grass with a wide habit. The steel blue foliage adds even more to the smokey effect. Beautiful in masses, as a specimen, or in large containers. Stays standing strong throughout winter for interest in the garden and protection for birds.
Fun fact: switch grass is named for the peaceful swishing sound it makes when blowing in the wind.
Schizachyrium scoparium Blue Heaven
This little bluestem was selected by Mary Meyer at the University of Minnesota. Blue Heaven is taller and more upright than the species. It survives tough dry sites like a champ and is a good choice for eroded sites as well. The handsome steely blue color gives way to purple, red, and copper tones in the fall and topped by cute seed heads. An extremely ornamental grass that pulls its weight as much as any flower.
Sorghastrum nutans ‘Golden Sunset’
A native selection great for vertical accents. This grass grows tall, 5-6 feet, and flowers late in the season. Wheat-like golden seedheads rise above the wide leaves in late summer and can reach a foot long. They hold their form through winter, too. From the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’
A beautiful feather reed grass with striped green, white, and pink tinged foliage. This unique grass offers the same vertical interest as Karl Foerster but with a showy variegated twist. The golden seed heads look marvelous at the end of the season, and the plumes carry interest through the winter. Awesome accent or mass planting.
Using Grasses in the Garden
Grasses are surprisingly versatile plants in the landscape. Start by considering their ultimate height and follow up with noting whether they are cool or warm season. Many of our ornamental grasses are warm season grasses and don’t really get going until the soil temperatures have warmed up, so don’t plant them alone in a place that you would like spring interest. Look for a nice sunny spot with good drainage unless otherwise noted for a particular grass.
Other late summer and fall bloomers like sedum, asters, and mums look amazing with grasses. Try a tidy mounded sedum like Pure Joy in front of an upright grass like Overdam feather reed grass or the hazy Gunsmoke switch grass. How about Autumn Joy sedum and woods asters nestled against a backdrop of Shenandoah switch grass or Blue Heaven little bluestem? A grouping of mums with their pleasing rounded form would look lovely against Blue Heaven or Golden Sunset. There are as many combinations as there are gardeners to plant them!
Still have a hankering for grassy goodness? We have many other grasses, including native species, so swing on by and have a look at our glorious grasses!
