Ornamental Grasses for Fall Landscapes

Ornamental Grasses are becoming extremely popular in low maintenance landscapes as a way to add beauty and color without a great deal of hard work in the garden. Another great way to implement ornamental grasses is for fall landscapes. Many ornamental grasses for fall landscapes will last throughout the fall and winter months and will add texture and form to any fall garden design. Keep in mind that most, but not all, ornamental grasses for fall landscapes can be grown in almost any type of soil and usually until temperatures reach the low to mid 40s overnight. All of the following ornamental grasses are excellent suggestions for most average fall landscapes, but for those living in extreme conditions, it is best to research these grasses before adding them to your fall landscape design.

Blue Oat Grass
Without a doubt, Blue Oat Grass is one of the most popular ornamental grasses for fall landscapes. The large, densely blue colored foliage is attractive year round, but also provides beautiful flowers from June to August. While Blue Oat Grass does well in most mild to moderate climate zones, it is also fairly drought tolerant, only needing water every 1-2 weeks. For these mild to moderate climate zones, Blue Oat Grass can also make a great winter landscape choice as well.

Fountain Grass
Another large ornamental grass, Fountain Grass is another favorite choice of gardeners who prefer ornamental grasses for fall landscapes. Fountain Grass produces beautiful green foliage through the year, but the grass turns a golden yellow in the fall, adding to your fall landscape. This large ornamental grass can reach anywhere from 1 to 3 feet at full maturity. Keep in mind that this is an excellent summer landscape choice as it also offers beautiful white to purple flowers that will last until early winter.

Big Bluestem
A beautiful, tall prairie-like ornamental grass, the Big Bluestem can reach up to 8 feet in height, so be very careful where this ornamental grass is planted. The Big Bluestem truly is one of the perfect ornamental grasses for fall landscapes as the flowers wait until late summer or early fall to bloom and the fall foliage is also a vibrant orange color. Throughout the rest of the year, the foliage remains a bluish-green. While it does not have much presence throughout the winter months, it will begin to grow in April and become beautiful again by the early summer months.

Feather Reed Grass
A wonderful, medium sized plant, growing 3 to 5 feet at total maturity, Feather Reed Grass is another favorite among ornamental grasses for fall landscapes. This is also a favorite year round plant that grows well in almost any climate zone, although it may grow smaller in extremely warm climate zones. Flowers will occur in the mid summer months, a white to red color and will change to a beige color in the fall and into the winter months. Keep in mind that the wonderful temperament of this plant means that it can withstand excessive watering, sun or even lots of shade.