Create a gorgeous, low-maintenance landscape with these North American beauties that also support wildlife.
Carson Downing
Ornamental grasses make beautiful,low-maintenance additions to any garden.
However, some types can spread aggressively or are considered invasive, so it’s important to choose carefully.
Credit:Carson Downing
They’ll add height and texture to your plant combinations, mixing well withperennials,annuals, andbulbs.
The size and shape offer a perfect choice, especiallytoward the front of garden beds.
Give it space to show off its graceful, fine-textured leaves and seed heads.
Credit:Bob Stefko
Thisdeer-resistant grasscombines beautifully with other garden plants and will not travel (invade other parts of your garden).
Some say the plant has a strong popcorn scent.
The blue-green foliage with reddish tones in fall gives the plant unique beauty.
Credit:Denny Schrock
Place it inwell-drained soilwhere it will get plenty of sunlight.
Although growing in the prairie close to other plants, don’t crowd little bluestem in your garden.
In rich garden soils, this grass may flop, preferring leaner soil conditions.
Credit:Agnieszka Kwiecień / Wikimedia Commons
These ornamental seed stalks make this grass one of the most attractive and planted native grasses.
They appear red when the stamens are shedding pollen.
Small bright purple and orange flowers are especially attractive when the grass blooms.
Credit:Denny Schrock
Sideoats grama is a larval host plant for several Skipper butterflies and moths.
Bluish-gray leaves turngolden brown in autumn, sometimes also developing interesting hues of orange and red.
Blue grama canhandle hot and dry sites.
Credit:Liane M. / Getty Images
The leaves take on golden tones late in the season.
Thisnative ornamental grass doesn’t mind wet soiland will grow in some shade.
Several butterflies in North America use tufted hairgrass as a larval food plant.
Credit:Dean Schoeppner
The leaf branching creates a wider plant than other tall grasses.
Drought and deer-resistant, Indiangrass helps support wildlife,including various songbirds.
Each branch has a purple spike that turns bronze in the fall.
Credit:Kezar Media
The foliage changes color from green to blue-green in summer, to a deep red-bronze in the fall.
It provides interest well into the winter.
The growth stays compact until midsummer and compliments other perennials without overpowering them.
Credit:Bob Stefko
This grass is a host plant for numerous species of skippers, and it provides shelter andfood for songbirds.
Leaf color ranges from deep green to gray green to greenish purple.
Airy, bronze to beige panicles of flowers appear in mid-summer above the upright foliage.
Credit:Jacob Fox
This native grass is attractive throughout every season, evenproviding winter interest.
Form and foliage color vary widely between varieties.
The bobbing flat seed heads look like seeds of agricultural oats but the two plants aren’t related.
Lime green in the summer, the seed heads mature to a golden bronze.
The green leaves in spring change to copper in fall and to brown in winter.
Zones:4 to 9
Note:This native grass may become aggressive in ideal garden conditions and increase byself-seeding.
It adapts to a wide range of growing conditions.
This evergreen native grass has gray-green leaves thathold their color even through droughts.
The showy, slender flowers emerge grayish and mature to buff and persist into winter.
