Ornamental Grasses Tall and Short
Ornamental grasses are popular in large commercial settings such as airports and hospitals. They are equally at home in large pots, small ponds and garden beds. The variety of grasses range from ones that can be used as a lawn substitute to those that grow 8 feet tall and remain standing throughout the cold months adding winter interest to your landscape. Many of the plants we call ornamental grasses are actually Cyperaceae or sedge family and Juncaceae or rush family. Mondo grass is Ophiopogon and Liriope is lilyturf. True grasses are in the plant family Gramineae. Annual, biennial and perennial ornamental grasses grow easily in average soil. Many can be grown from seed and most are insect and disease free. Popular annual grasses include big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), switch grass (Panicum virgatum), and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans). Perennial grasses can take a couple of years to become established so plan to put annuals in the planting spot that first year to fill ...