Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
Search

Grasses

Grasses: A Field Guide

So many grasses, so little time. To select the best variety of grass for your garden, you can narrow down the choices by knowing the basics: There are three main categories, including ornamental grasses (the darlings of designers who want to create hazy swaths in a landscape) to rushes, to turf grasses (the wall-to-wall outdoor carpeting known as a lawn).

Turf grasses have a bad reputation for being water hogs, but that’s not a fair assessment. For instance, Zoysia (the golf-course grass) will turn brown if not watered, but will perk right back up next spring.

Rushes (which belong to the Juncaceae plant family) look like grasses, act like grasses, and talk like grasses. A main difference is in their appearance; the foliage looks like long, cylindrical reeds. Both Cape rush (named for its home in South Africa) and wood rush are easy-going perennials to add texture to a garden.

Ornamental grasses have revolutionized landscapes in recent years, creating airy backdrops to flower beds and introducing new choices for environmentally friendly, low-water plants in garden design. Ornamental grasses often grow in clumps or mounds which look good almost anywhere: in garden beds (planted i among the perennials), in meadows (mixed with native wildflowers), and in large-scale landscapes (sprawled in painterly drifts). As Dutch master gardener Piet Oudolf does, a home gardener may want to leave the skeletal winter stalks in place to create architectural interest.)

Perennial ornamental grasses are workhorses. They’re hardy, drought-tolerant four-season performers. Unlike turf grasses with running roots that can choke other plants, ornamental grasses tend to spread slowly like mats (as sedges (Carex) and maiden grasses (Miscanthus) do) or to form clumps (as do Stipa, Hakonechloa, and Muhlenbergia). See more inspiration in 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Superstar Dutch Designer Master Piet Oudolf.

(Visited 4,073 times, 4 visits today)

Gardening 101: Field Guides for Grasses

Bamboo
Basket Grass
Blue Grama Grass
Bowles’ Golden Grass
Cape Rush
Feather Reed Grass
Fescue
Fountain Grass
Hakone Grass
Inland Sea Oats
Japanese Bloodgrass
Kentucky Bluegrass
Little Bluestem Grass
Lyme Grass
Maiden Grass
Moor Grass
Muhly Grass
New Zealand Flax
Pampas Grass
Quaking Grass
Ribbon Grass
Sedge
Stipa Grass
St. Augustine Grass
Sweet Flag Grass
Switchgrass
Wood Rush
Zoysia Grass

Inspiration & Design Ideas: Grasses

Favorite Grasses to Plant

How to Identify Grasses

All Posts About Grasses

Some of Our Favorite Products to Use with Grasses

v5.0