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Ornamental Grass Types

Medha Godbole
A significant part of landscaping is used by ornamental grasses. They add beauty and aesthetic appeal to your garden. Here are some types of ornamental grasses that you can plant in your garden.
Ornamental grasses add color and beauty to your garden. Their aesthetic appeal is the reason for their fast-gaining popularity in gardening. 
Most often, they are grown for flowers and for their unique color. There are many types of ornamental grass, the most common and popular is bamboo and pampas.

Warm Season Grasses
These flourish in warm weather. Unless the weather is warm, they would not grow well. The grass varieties in the category are as follows:

Miscanthus

This grass can flaunt its flowers, but only in warm climates. It is one of the clump forming grasses and is generally perennial. This specification actually applies to a wide range of grasses varying in height and blade width.

Fountain

Another clump forming grass, fountain grass has pretty flowers. It appears like the tail of a fox. Some of these tend to be weedy, especially when you travel south of Rhode Island.

Switch

This is a perennial warm season grass which begins to grow well in late spring. Its seeds take a pink or dull purple tinge when ripe. The foliage turns golden brown in the fall. One of the species also has blue foliage. It is eye-catching in flower gardens.
This is a perennial warm season grass which begins to grow well in late spring. Its seeds take on a pink or dull purple tinge when ripe. The foliage turns golden brown during the fall. One of the species of this grass also has blue foliage. It is dramatic and eye-catching in flower gardens.

Purple Moor

It grows into a little green mound with lovely, bright green foliage. Its flower stalks stand 5-8 feet high and fan out a little from the center. The grass can be identified by its long, narrow, purple spikelets. Acidic soils, well drained sites, full sunlight is needed for this.

Cool Season Grasses
These grow well in the spring and cooler climates, and get dormant with the initial signs of warm weather.

Fescue

This is a clump-forming grass; it loves cool weather. It has a unique silvery-blue shade.
It goes great with other colorful flowers and perennials. This would look even better when planted in a rock garden or as a border around other plants.

Blue Oat

A native to Central Europe this grass is pale green with a tinge of blue. It grows in an arching shape and is evergreen, retaining its color through winter. This is also a clump-forming grass.

Feather Reed

This species blooms with a reddish-white color, and the blades are compact and narrow.

Ribbon

This grass prefers cooler climates and grows where nothing else seems to flourish. These are believed to be very invasive except for a couple of species like the Picata and Feesey varieties.
Planting this grass in the shade will result in a subdued invasive growth. It has white flowers and they bloom between June and October.

Northern Sea Oats

This is a perennial plant with narrow and upright blades. The seed heads turn tan, brown, or bronze in the winter, and this along with the similar colored foliage makes a great sight. It is best grown in partial shade and flowering occurs from June to September.
In addition to these, there is the ever-popular bamboo. Apart from these, there are a couple of other categories in which you can classify these grasses.

Categories

✦ Grasses for Dry Sites: These grasses best grown in the areas which receive scanty rainfall and negligible irrigation.

✦ Running Grasses: These have rhizomes or underground runners which contribute to their expanse. These are great for mass plantation or ground covers.

✦ Grasses for Moist Sites: These grow best in areas that receive adequate rainfall.
While buying ornamental grass, you have to consider the climate in your area. What makes your garden or landscape look different and refreshing is what matters. So go for the grasses which fit the bill.