5 minute read
Plant Select
10 Ways to Boost Your Curb Appeal With Ornamental Grasses
By Ann Kendall, Plant Select®
All too often, ornamental grasses have been used as problem solvers in home landscapes. They’ve been plopped into spots to hide ugly elements, like water meters or utility boxes. But ornamental grasses have so much more to offer to the overall design from texture, to movement, to seasonal color.
Horticulturist Jennifer Miller of Denver Botanic Gardens believes that ornamental grasses can elevate home landscapes. They can create a sense of lushness as they mature. They can add curb appeal deep into fall and winter. And they can welcome people home.
“Our houses are our sanctuaries,” Miller observes. “When I drive up to my house, I feel my body relaxing, saying ‘I’m home.’ I think grasses have the same effect on us. They have energy, but they’re also very calming in a landscape. They mimic the feeling of ocean waves in the wind. There’s something very meditative and relaxing about them.”
Miller designs and manages multiple gardens at Denver Botanic Gardens, including the Ornamental Grass Garden. She helps visitors discover the versatility of grasses in designs ranging from traditional English gardens, to meadows, to modern designs. Here are 10 of her tips to seamlessly integrate grasses into home landscapes.
#1: Think about your house color. Many popular house colors have muted tones: gray greens, tans, steel blues. You can find a variety of grasses in these colors too, creating cohesion between your landscape and home.
#2: Use grasses in scale to your garden beds and house. Typically, small- to medium-sized grasses work best if you don’t have an extensive yard.
#3: Plant grasses in groups for a bigger “ wow” factor. Use odd numbers of the same grass (sets of three, five, etc.) to create a dynamic and visually pleasing look.
#4: Repeat grasses across your landscape for visual continuity. Miller is fond of running blue-hued grasses through a garden like a river. She lays out her grasses in a meandering, stream-like pattern and then fills in around the stream with contrasting perennials and grasses.
#5: Keep it simple for a modern look. If you prefer a modern design, Miller suggests alternating plants in a checkerboard pattern. Contrasting colors and shapes can look especially attractive together.
#6: Include both cool season and warm season grasses, so you have continuous interest. Cool season grasses like blue oat grass and ornamental fescues leaf out and grow when temperatures are cooler. These beauties shine when paired with late-spring tulips, daffodils and native penstemons. Warm season grasses like little bluestem, blue grama and muhly grass leaf out and grow when it gets hot.
#7: Pair grasses with perennials of contrasting colors and shapes, but avoid overbearing plants that can steal the show. “You don’t want anything that will barge in and take over the grasses,” Miller advises. Some of Miller’ s favorite companion plants include Allium, Artemisia, gayfeather (Liatris), hyssop (Agastache), regal torchlily (Kniphofia), Salvia, Sedum and yarrow (Achillea). Miller also likes pairing grasses with “airy” perennials, such as LITTLE TRUDY® catmint and Wee One dwarf English lavender.
#8: Manicure your grasses. If you prefer a tidier look, it’s okay to trim stray stems and broken inflorescences. Miller suggests giving grasses visible spacing too, so you can see the ground on either side. “The more manicured you keep your grasses,” explains Miller, “the more intentional they will look.”
#9: Understand that not every grass is low water. Some ornamental grasses are very drought tolerant. Others prefer moist soils. To find grasses that fit your conditions, search for grasses by irrigation level on Conservation Garden Park’s website, or check out low-water ornamental grasses from Utah State University Extension.
#10: Take photos of beautiful landscapes with ornamental grasses. Visit places like Red Butte Garden, Conservation Garden Park and Denver Botanic Gardens for inspiration. Miller advises that you don’t have to use the exact plants you see. You can choose plants with a similar appearance. For example, if you’re committed to native plants, you could seek out natives that have a similar look and share comparable growing conditions.
“There’s so much versatility in ornamental grasses,” shares Miller. “They work in so many styles from the modern to the meadow. The only limitation is your imagination.”
