GRACEFUL GRASSES

Faithful readers, I have done you a disservice. I was looking back on over 10 years of articles in my archives, and not a single one was about ornamental grasses! I’m not sure how I missed them in my litany of love letters to plants over the years. Granted, it’s too late to plant them this year, but I’m guessing you are still enjoying them in the landscapes even though fall is nearing its end and winter is fast approaching. That’s what makes the grasses so great — they look good in summer, fall and winter!

Right now, in my garden I have seven different types of grasses just loving this cool weather and showing off some magnificent coloring. There are tons of others in just about any size you could want. Here’s some of my favorites to look for to plant in your garden for NEXT year! Again, my apologies for leaving this amazing family of plants out of the discussion. Go forth and plant grasses!  MISCANTHUS: This family of grasses is the most diverse of what grows in our area. Most are referred to as maiden grasses, and they have that familiar arching shape and are usually quite tall — topping out at anywhere from 4 feet up to over 10 feet. Their graceful flowers resemble corn tassels and can be pink, deep red or white and then go to seed in late October and turn a puffy white. Their foliage is usually thin and can sometimes have a white stripe on the leaf. The favorite ‘Zebra’ grass has dark gold vertical stripes on larger bladed leaves. My favorite is probably ‘Gracillimus’ because it has delicate blades with very large and numerous deep red inflorescence (their flowers).  PENNISETUM: These are the fountain grasses. Usually ranging in size from 18 inches up to around 3.5 feet, they are an easy, tough grass for just about any garden. They reward the gardener with thousands of bottlebrush flowers in late summer. Their fall color is a rich gold too! Give them some space as their foliage arches all the way to the ground.  PANICUM: The switch grasses are mostly native grasses that are known for their tall, narrow upright habit. Most have some hues of blue and red to them at various times of the season. A favorite is ‘Heavy Metal’ — which has steely blue foliage and deep burgundy tips that get darker and more pronounced as the weather cools.

 SCHIZACHRYIUM: I’ll give you points if you can pronounce that correctly! The little bluestems are NATIVE grasses that have magnificent color and poise in the

garden. ‘Carousel’ is a native that most closely resembles the bluestems that used to roam the prairies of Illinois. The newer cultivars like ‘Twilight Zone’ and ‘Standing Ovation’ are a bit taller and narrower, but the colors they throw out in fall are just amazing. ‘Twilight Zone’ in my garden is iridescent purple, pink, white, blue and a pinch of yellow right now!  ANDROPOGON: Big bluestems aren’t as popular, but they should be! These are the turkey-foot flowering stalwarts of the native prairie. Giant plumes reach up to 8 feet into the sky from 3-foot-tall foliage. The new introduction ‘Blackhawks’ is gorgeous with deep burgundy foliage all summer that deepens with color as the temps cool. Excellent companion with black-eyed Susan, daisies, phlox and other bold-colored perennials.  SPOROBOLUS: The dropseeds are one of my most favorite grasses. These, too, are native to the Illinois prairies. When prairies are burned, you can see the charred tufts of dropseed dotting the prairiescape. They are tough, drought-tolerant, long-lived native grasses that are graceful and soft in the garden. I always locate them where the sun can shine through them in the fall as their colors are amazing. It will make you stop and relax and enjoy the garden when you see the sun setting through their graceful plumes, which smell like buttered popcorn when they bloom! There are a few other odds and ends in the grass family that are equally pretty as these guys above; I just don’t have room for all of them. But you can safely start with any of these guys in your garden and you will fall in love and add more and more each year. Grasses are about as zero maintenance as you can get, so there is no reason NOT to have them. One quick cut down each spring all the way to the ground and you’re done for the year!

Meagan is the Senior Landscape Designer at Wasco Nursery in St. Charles. She can be reached at 630-584-4424 or design@wasconursery.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!