Landscaping with Grasses

Ornamental grasses rarely steal the show, but their subtle beauty is never far from the limelight. From 6-inch mounds perfect for edging to towering 20-foot screens, there's a grass for every garden nook. Choose from a wide range of textures, seasonal colors, and outlines. Use their features to separate color swaths, to soften edges, and to blend boundaries.

Happily, most grasses are adaptable and a cinch to grow. In spring or fall, plant varieties suited to your local environment in soil enriched with compost. Each spring, after giving grasses a short haircut, work a low-nitrogen, slow-release fertilizer into the soil around the plants. Divide when necessary in early spring. Most will require watering only during dry spells.

Grasses reward good care with all-season beauty. Since most don't drop foliage during dormancy, they provide shape, color, texture, movement, and wind song long after frost-shy plants have finished their performances.

Related Slide Show: The Beauty of Ornamental Grassses

Related Article: Keeping Ornamental Grasses Happy