Ornamental Grasses for
Georgia GardensOrnamental Grasses for
Georgia GardensWill Corley, Extension Horticulturist; Carolyn Fjeran, Master Gardener
As landscape designs become less formal, ornamental grasses are beginning to appear in traditional perennial beds, shrub borders and naturalistic areas. The "New American Garden" landscaping concept makes bold uses of grasses in various segments of informal landscapes by adding new elements of colors, textures, movement and sound. This casual design concept is both practical and appealing while making optimum use of low maintenance landscape plants.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE: Raised beds provide the ideal site selection because well drained soils are preferred by most of the ornamental grass species. Placement should be in full sun, although light shade is tolerated by some species such as Upland Sea Oats, Blue Sheep Fescue, Blue Lyme Grass, Miscanthus and Pennisetum. Planting when soil temperatures are warm will result in a greater success rate. Space plants giving each an area as wide as the expected height.
Main cultural requirements involve cutting back to near ground level when unsightly or at winter's end, lightly fertilizing in spring and late summer, and dividing every 3-4 years. Annual varieties will benefit from monthly grooming to promote maximum flowering.
Variegated Giant Reed, Arundo donax versicolor, grows to 10 feet and has highly variegated new growth which reverts to normal green at maturity. It can be somewhat invasive, so treat as clump bamboo. (Perennial)
Feather Reed Grass, Calamagrostis arundinacea, forms distinctly upright 3 foot clumps which bloom with upright flower spikes in early summer. The mature straw color lasts into winter. Performance of this grass is best in Piedmont areas. (Perennial)
Upland Sea Oats or River Oats, Chasmanthium latifolium, grows to 3 feet with very attractive panicles resembling true sea oats of the beach dunes. They tolerate both wet feet and dry soils, making them very versatile. In mulched beds, they tend to self sow. (Perennial)
Pampas Grass, Cortaderia selloana, remains queen of the grasses for specimen effect, reaching 10 feet in height. It is limited to the coastal plains and lower Piedmont by lack of cold hardiness. Plants are dioecious and often variable when seed propagated. (Perennial)
Dwarf Pampas Grass, Cortaderia selloana 'Pumila' or 'Compacta,' grows to 6 feet with many silver, female plumes and added cold tolerance which extends its range through the Piedmont. Being seed sterile, plants are uniform and dependable in performance. (Perennial)
Blue Lyme Grass, Elymus glaucus, grows to 3 feet with medium textured blue foliage. Plumes are somewhat inconspicuous as they emerge green in early summer and quickly dry to straw color. Rhizomes can be slightly invasive in sandy or amended soils. (Perennial)
Ravenna Grass (Hardy Pampas), Erianthus ravennae, is a vigorous clump grass similar in size to standard Pampas, but lacks the quality of plume. It is hardy throughout the continental United States. (Perennial)
Blue Sheep Fescue, Festuca glauca, is small and fine textured with insignificant blooms. Its
lack of heat and drought tolerance restricts it to damp, shady garden areas of the Piedmont. (Perennial)
Maiden Grass, Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus,' is perhaps the most popular of the Miscanthus/Eulalia/Japanese Silver Grass group. The upright, arching 5 to 6 foot plants display dark green, fine textured foliage and rosy plumes in late summer. Flowers mature to silver and persist through winter. 'Morning Light' is slightly smaller in stature with narrow banded white variegation along leaf edges. (Perennial)
Variegated Miscanthus, Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus,' plants are somewhat shorter than Maiden Grass with typical variegation. (Perennial)
Porcupine Grass, Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus,' is an erect form of Zebra Grass. Dramatic garden accent is provided by golden horizontal bands on upward oriented leaves of the 5 to 6 foot plant. Erect, deep straw colored flowers are prominent from September through winter. (Perennial)
Switch Grass, Panicum virgatum, is a 4 to 5 foot erect, clump forming grass of the tall grass prairie. Delicate, airy flowers appear in midsummer. Fall color (straw) persists through winter. Cultivars with both reddish and blue foliage are available. (Perennial)
Dwarf Fountain Grass, Pennisetum alopecuroides, forms dense 2 to 3 foot clumps and is often confused with annual fountain grass. Plumes appear in midsummer and fade from rose-brown to deep straw color. Diminutive cultivars usually require a little extra water and fertilizer for good plant performance. (Perennial)
Purple Dwarf Fountain Grass, Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Purpurascens,' differs from the above by having coarser leaf texture and larger plumes with a chocolate-purple cast which fades to light brown. 'Moudry,' 'Viridescens' and 'Purpurascens' appear to be cultivar synonyms. (Perennial)
Fountain Grass, Pennisetum setaceum, grows 3 feet with a 4 foot spread and has typical green foliage with rose colored plumes. (Annual)
Crimson Fountain Grass, Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum,' grows to similar size with burgandy foliage and panicles. (Annual)
FeatherTop, Pennisetum villosum, has been the top white flowered Pennisetum in our trials. Plant habit is similar to dwarf fountain grass. Young panicles are creamy green and mature to grayish white. This grass is usually treated as an annual in the Piedmont where winter temperatures fall below 10 degrees F. (Annual/Perennial)
Indian Grass, Sorghastrum nutans, is another native grass which grows in erect clumps 5 to 6 feet tall. It can be used as a substitute for feather reed grass in the coastal plain. Brilliant straw color persists through winter and several ecotypes with muted blue color are available. (Perennial)
Reinhardt, Reinhardt and Moskowitz. 1989. Ornamental Grass Gardening: Design Ideas, Functions and Effects. HP Books.
Wasowski and Wasowski. 1993. Gardening with Native Plants of the South. Taylor Publ. Co.
Weatherly and Midcap. 1994. Landscape plant materials for Georgia. Ga. Coop. Ext. Bull. 625.
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