With their high-impact featherlike textures, billowing silhouettes, and delicate seed heads, ornamental grasses are stars of the autumn garden. Colorful, hardy, and easy to maintain and with sizes ranging from dwarf to towering. No garden should be without at least a few of these delightful plants.
While most provide multi-season interest, here are 5 that look especially great in September.
Malepartus Maiden Grass
Begins blooming in midsummer and continues right into fall. This allows even cool climate gardens to be graced with its full beauty. Up to 5 ft. tall and wide; plumes to 7 ft. tall. Full sun. Zone: 5 – 9
Overdam Feather Reed Grass
Beautiful foliage with very tall, red-brown, feathery summer plumes that turn a rich gold color in fall. Sterile, doesn’t produce unwanted seedlings. Full sun. Up to 2 ft. tall and wide; flower stalks up to 6 ft. tall. Zone: 4 – 9
Plumetastic® Pink Muhly Grass
Glittering clouds of vivid purple plumes lend rich color to the garden from late summer to fall. Plant where flower plumes can be back-lit by the afternoon sunlight. Up to 3 ft. tall; flower spikes to 4 ft. tall. Partial to full sun. Zone 7 – 10
Heavy Metal Blue Switch Grass
Metallic-blue blades topped by airy pink-tinged panicles and brilliant foliage in fall. This distinguishes this carefree native grass perfect for a wild garden or meadow. Winter food for birds. Up to 3 ft. tall and wide. Partial to full sun. Zone: 4 – 9
Blonde Ambition Blue Grama Grass
This rugged-but-glam native North American grass features blue-green foliage and striking, flag-like summer-into-fall flowers on stiff, weather resistant stems. Up to 3 ft. tall and wide. Partial to full sun. Zone: 4 – 9
Find more info about how to use these fabulously versatile grasses in the landscape: How to design with ornamental grasses.
Need to learn more about how to prune ornamental grasses later this season? Step-by-step info here.
More? Here are a few for very cold and very warm zones.
