21 Greatest Decorative Grasses for Full Solar

Decorative grasses are tremendously helpful within the panorama. Are you rising a pocket prairie? Including at the very least one native grass species will diversify your plot. Are you making an attempt to draw birds to your yard? Grasses present meals and shelter for a lot of species of birds. Do you want a bigger floor cowl to fill a nook of your cottage backyard? Select a densely mounded bunchgrass. It doesn’t matter what sort of backyard you’ve gotten, there may be nearly definitely a decorative grass to match. 

Grasses are extensively tailored to many various climates and rising situations. The grasses on this listing will thrive in full solar, however concentrate on soil situations. Some grasses want moist soils, whereas others want dry situations. Take a look at the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map to be taught your zone. This may assist you discover the most effective grasses on your area. 

On the whole, decorative grasses are simple to develop. Most will develop very properly with none additional coaxing. Annual grasses will in all probability re-seed themselves every year, whereas perennial species will sometimes go dormant for the winter, although a couple of species are evergreen. When plant vigor begins to say no or a grass clump has outgrown its allotted area, it’s time to do some thinning. It’s also possible to take away undesirable seedlings every spring to assist management inhabitants development. 

Are you able to introduce some uniquely showy vegetation into your panorama? Let’s dig slightly deeper into 21 lovely varieties of decorative grass that make nice landscaping crops on your sunniest places.

Seeds Talked about in This Article

Blue Grama Grass

Decorative Millet

Purple Majesty Decorative Millet Seeds

Frosted Explosion

Frosted Explosion Grass Seeds

Autumn Flame Grass

	botanical identify Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’
	solar necessities Full solar to partial shade
	peak 4 – 5 toes
	hardiness zones 5 – 9

Autumn flame grass is a superbly showy grass with sensible crimson fall foliage. This decorative grass may be very versatile and straightforward to develop. Use it as an accent plant, particularly the place its foliage could be seen and appreciated within the cooler autumn months when the fluffy seed plumes and colourful foliage will complement some close by fall-blooming flowers reminiscent of chrysanthemums and asters. 

Autumn flame grass will do properly in average-quality, well-drained soil that stays considerably moist. Since this plant can simply attain 5 toes tall and three toes throughout, it requires a location with loads of rising area. Clumps of this grass will unfold by rhizomes, retaining a really enticing and densely packed upright kind.

Blue Fescue ‘Elijah Blue’ 

	botanical identify Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 0.75 – 1 foot
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

There are a number of lovely types of blue fescue grass, and ‘Elijah Blue’ is a well-liked and extensively obtainable cultivar. Due to its compact kind, ‘Elijah Blue’ is a nice plant for a rock backyard or to be used alongside a walkway or flower backyard border. 

Blue fescue grasses might keep evergreen in favorable situations. These crops will die again in very chilly climates and in sizzling summers. Clumps of ‘Elijah Blue’ will unfold to kind dense mounds, however these crops don’t unfold aggressively. If you wish to use this grass as a floor cowl, you’ll need to plant a number of clumps carefully collectively and benefit from the mass of skinny, silvery inexperienced foliage.

Blue Grama Grass

	botanical identify Bouteloua gracilis
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 0.75 – 2 toes
	hardiness zones 3 – 10

Blue grama grass is a wonderful decorative grass native to southern and western North America. It’s simply grown from seed and can self-seed in best situations, spreading to kind giant, enticing clusters.

Blue grama grass has skinny, wiry foliage gracefully arching in rounded tufts. In the course of the summer season, it blooms with showy inflorescences that department outward from the stems at dramatic angles. These flowers make a pleasant addition to a contemporary or dried flower association. Within the autumn, the grassy foliage turns bronze with maybe a tinge of crimson.

Blue Oat Grass

	botanical identify Helictotrichon sempervirens
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 2 – 3 toes
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

Blue oat grass is an easy-to-grow decorative grass with showy leaves and flowers. It seems to be nice when grown in a big container or as a part of a xeriscape or prairie-themed panorama.

Blue oat grass produces dense, rounded clumps of very skinny, pale inexperienced foliage. In gentle climates, the foliage might keep semi-evergreen, retaining its attraction even by the winter. In late spring to early summer season, many tall flowering stems bearing skinny panicles attain up above the foliage to create an interesting floral show. 

‘Dancing Wind’ Large Bluestem

	botanical identify Andropogon gerardii ‘Dancing Wind’
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 5 – 6 toes
	hardiness zones 4 – 9

‘Dancing Wind’ is a giant bluestem cultivar with gorgeous fall coloration. This decorative grass develops broad, dense, upright clusters of largely inexperienced leaves. Dramatic reddish-bronze panicles bloom in late summer season, giving method to enticing, long-standing seedheads. The leaves change to an excellent scarlet crimson for a wonderful fall show. 

Go away ‘Dancing Wind’ standing by the winter to benefit from the colourful and long-lasting fantastic thing about this plant. Birds will cease by to forage on the seeds and search shelter in and across the vegetation clumps. ‘Dancing Wind’ is a showy grass that may thrive in a sunny location with well-drained soil. Enable it loads of area to keep away from crowding with close by crops.

Deergrass

	botanical identify Muhlenbergia rigens
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 3 – 6 toes
	hardiness zones 6 – 10

Deergrass is an easy-to-grow bunchgrass native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It could possibly develop as much as six toes tall and 4 toes extensive, so that you’ll need to give it loads of area in your xeriscape backyard. 

Deergrass develops giant, rounded mounds of thin-bladed, pale inexperienced vegetation. Within the spring, it produces a number of tall yellowish flowering panicles. Birds will come to feed on the seeds, and ground-foraging birds will search shelter within the vegetation. Deergrass is evergreen and can appear to at all times have a mix of inexperienced and yellow-brown leaves.

‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass

	botanical identify Pennisetum setaceum ‘Fireworks’
	solar necessities Full solar to partial shade
	peak 3 – 4 toes
	hardiness zones 9 – 10

‘Fireworks’ is an especially showy fountain grass cultivar. This grass has lovely, deep crimson and inexperienced striped leaves that kind dense, bushy clusters. It retains its vibrant colours all through the whole rising season, finally reaching three to 4 toes tall and as much as three toes extensive. 

You’ll need to be sure you place ‘Fireworks’ in a location the place you’ll be able to totally see and respect its high-quality foliage. Develop this grass in full solar or mild, dappled shade with medium-moisture, well-drained soil. Except you reside in a really heat local weather zone, you’ll must develop your ‘Fireworks’ as an annual.

‘First Knight’ Fountain Grass

	botanical identify Pennisetum ‘First Knight’
	solar necessities Full solar to partial shade
	peak 4 – 5 toes
	hardiness zones 7 – 11

‘First Knight’ is a fountain grass cultivar with lovely, darkish purple-green leaves. ‘First Knight’ prefers wealthy, moist, well-drained soil. This grass is finest grown in hotter climates the place it’s a perennial. In cooler local weather zones, nevertheless, it may nonetheless be grown as an annual.

‘First Knight’ can develop fairly giant, reaching as much as 5 toes tall and three toes throughout. It is a nice plant for a bigger sunny perennial backyard, or due to its giant measurement, you’ll be able to develop it alongside some decorative shrubs for some contrasting foliage kinds.  

‘Hameln’ Dwarf Fountain Grass

	botanical identify Cenchrus alopecuroides ‘Hameln’
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 2 – 3 toes
	hardiness zones 5 – 9

‘Hameln’ is a compact fountain grass cultivar. It grows to a few toes tall and can carry out finest, with essentially the most dense development, in full solar. This plant wants well-drained soil and can be a sensible choice for a xeriscape or giant container. Many fountain grass crops can turn out to be weedy, however this cultivar is reported to have sterile seeds and shouldn’t unfold aggressively. 

‘Hameln’ produces dense mounts of skinny, wiry, darkish inexperienced foliage. In late summer season and fall, ‘Hameln’ produces many tall flowering spikes with a dense bottlebrush look. The flowers vary from white to creamy pink or lavender hues. These are long-standing on the plant and could be left to present decorative worth by the winter. The flowerheads additionally make an excellent addition to dried flower preparations. 

‘Hush Pet’ Fountain Grass

	botanical identify Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hush Pet’
	solar necessities Full solar to partial shade
	peak 2.5 – 3 toes
	hardiness zones 5 – 9

‘Hush Pet’ is a wonderful decorative grass cultivar. It’s bred to be sterile and shouldn’t self-seed or turn out to be invasive, although it would unfold outward by root rhizomes. Clusters will turn out to be bigger and bushier because the plant grows older, creating lovely fluffy-tufted clumps.

The foliage of this fountain grass stays pretty compact, reaching as much as three toes tall. The leaves are skinny and gently arching. Spectacular flowering spikes bloom in late summer season. The flowers are mushy and bushy with a pale pink tinge. At full bloom, a mature ‘Hush Pet’ grass plant will seem like lined with feathery pink flowers.

Should you love the look of delicate, wispy grasses that work superbly as bouquet filler, additionally try ‘Frosted Explosion’ grass, with shimmery panicles that shine within the solar.

‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass

	botanical identify Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 3 – 5 toes
	hardiness zones 5 – 9

‘Karl Foerster’ grass is a big and showy cultivar of feather reed grass. It is a superb grass for a big, open space with loads of daylight. ‘Karl Foerster’ isn’t too choosy about soil varieties. It is a cool-season grass, and the foliage will look its finest within the winter and spring earlier than the peak of summer season and sizzling climate, particularly in hotter climates.

‘Karl Foerster’ is a really dramatic grass that may develop as much as 5 toes tall. It produces a mass of creamy bronze flower spikes that sway gently, even in very slight breezes. When grown in giant lots, this offers the impact of undulating ocean waves. 

Little Bluestem

	botanical identify Schizachyrium scoparium
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 2 – 4 toes
	hardiness zones 3 – 9

Little bluestem is an understated bunchgrass native to jap North America. It grows properly in a variety of situations. Little bluestem is an efficient wildlife-friendly grass that pulls each butterflies and birds.

There are a number of attention-grabbing little bluestem cultivars obtainable commercially with some variability in stem, leaf, and flower coloration. Most little bluestem crops have mild greenish-blue leaves, some with reddish ideas. The flower panicles bloom in late summer season and fall with a purple-bronze seedhead. Develop little bluestem in bunches in a naturalized space and even in a big container.

Northern Sea Oats

	botanical identify Chasmanthium latifolium
	solar necessities Full solar to partial shade
	peak 2 – 5 toes
	hardiness zones 3 – 8

Northern sea oats, additionally referred to as river oats, is a unique-looking decorative grass native to the jap United States. Develop it as a wetland border plant or in a rain backyard the place it may get pleasure from constantly moist soil. This grass grows properly each in full solar or partial shade and will also be grown alongside a woodland edge.

Northern sea oats kind spreading clumps of tall, grassy vegetation. Within the fall, tall flowering seedheads kind, wanting like feathery growths of quite a few flattened, nodding oats. The dried seedheads make a beautiful addition to a dried flower association or nature craft initiatives.

Birds additionally get pleasure from consuming the dried seeds. Northern sea oats can unfold shortly, so be ready to do some weeding every spring to take away undesirable seedlings.

‘Overdam’ Feather Reed Grass

	botanical identify Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 2.5 – 3 toes
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

‘Overdam’ is a hybridized species of feather reed grass that makes a fascinating landscaping plant. This medium-sized bunchgrass would make a high-quality addition to a rain backyard or wetland border.

‘Overdam’ feather reed grass develops a mix of skinny, upright, and arching leaves, giving it a considerably uneven however extra compact look than many bigger decorative grasses. The leaves are variegated yellow and inexperienced and kind dense clumps. Its pinkish-green flowers bloom within the late summer season and fall and appeal to seed-eating birds.

Pink Muhly Grass

	botanical identify Muhlenbergia capillaris
	solar necessities Full solar to partial shade
	peak 2 – 3 toes
	hardiness zones 5 – 11

Pink muhly grass is likely one of the showiest decorative grasses round. This lovely and colourful grass is native to central and jap North America, the place it grows in dry grasslands and open woodlands. As a landscaping plant, pink muhly grass will carry out finest with essentially the most ample flowers in full solar, though it would additionally tolerate mild shade. The soil ought to be properly drained with dry to medium moisture. 

Pink muhly grass has skinny leaves that develop into dense, rounded clumps. For many of the rising season, you could suppose that’s all there may be to this plant, however within the autumn, it explodes into bloom with quite a few delicate pink panicles.

A mature plant in full bloom is sort of a spectacle, showing to have a wealthy pink haze throughout it. Go away your pink muhly grass standing by the winter for construction and curiosity all through the colder months of the yr. 

Prairie Dropseed

	botanical identify Sporobolus heterolepis
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 2 – 3 toes
	hardiness zones 3 – 9

Prairie dropseed is native all through a lot of central and jap North America however prefers barely cooler climates. Develop it on a hillside, as a big floor cowl, or in a xeriscape panorama.

Prairie dropseed is a graceful-looking grass, with its lengthy, gently arching foliage touching the bottom. Mature crops can develop as much as three toes tall and three toes extensive, so be sure you give them loads of area to sprawl. From late summer season to fall, prairie dropseed shows showy pinkish panicles, which is able to appeal to loads of seed-eating birds.

Purple Lovegrass

	botanical identify Eragrostis spectabilis
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 1 – 2 toes
	hardiness zones 5 – 9

Purple lovegrass is a superbly showy grass that’s native all through a lot of central and jap North America. Develop this grass in a naturalized space, in a container, xeriscape, or in a pocket prairie backyard. Purple lovegrass does properly in heat places with gritty, well-drained soil. 

This grass develops lovely dense mounds of one-foot-tall foliage. In mid-summer, it blooms with two-foot-tall flowering panicles. These panicles have a beautiful reddish-purple tint that appears to drift above the leafy mounds like a mushy, misty cloud. Go away the foliage all through the winter for long-season curiosity, and birds will get pleasure from consuming the seeds.

Purple Muhly

	botanical identify Muhlenbergia sericea
	solar necessities Full solar to partial shade
	peak 2 – 5 toes
	hardiness zones 7 – 11

The purple muhly grass, additionally generally known as candy grass or dune hairgrass, is a superbly showy grass native to the southeastern United States. In its pure habitat, it grows in sand dunes and different sandy coastal habitats and is, subsequently, a super selection for this area. Develop it in a heat and sunny location with sandy, sharply drained soil. 

Purple muhly grass has lengthy, skinny, gracefully arching leaves. The leaves are darkish inexperienced and kind giant mounded tussocks of vegetation. Within the fall, this grass sends up a dense mass of extremely showy panicles with a pale pinkish-purple tinge. The panicles are delicate, mushy, and misty wanting. Enable the vegetation to face by the winter for continued structural curiosity, even after the crops have turned brown for the yr.

Purple Millet ‘Purple Majesty’

	botanical identify Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Majesty’
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 3 – 5 toes
	hardiness zones 2 – 11

Purple millet ‘Pearl Majesty’ is an extraordinarily showy annual grass. This decorative plant can develop as much as 5 toes tall and has broad, corn-like leaves rising up a thick, upright stem. The leaves are darkish inexperienced with a heavy purple tint. Purple millet blooms in late summer season with giant, thick, cattail-like seedheads. 

This is a superb plant for attracting birds. Go away these crops standing into the wintertime, and lots of foraging seed-eating birds and mammals will come by to get pleasure from choosing the seeds from the dried seedheads.

You’ll be able to simply develop purple millet ‘Purple Majesty’ in any sunny location with medium-moisture, well-drained soil. Incorporate it right into a fowl backyard, annual flower mattress, or giant container.

Ruby Grass

	botanical identify Melinis nerviglumis ‘Savannah’
	solar necessities Full solar
	peak 0.5 – 1.5 toes
	hardiness zones 8 – 10

Ruby grass is a perennial grass that thrives in heat climates and is native to Africa. In cooler climates, Zones 7 and under, it may be simply grown as an annual. You can begin ruby grass from seed every spring or pot out of doors crops within the fall and overwinter them indoors in a cool location earlier than planting them out once more the next spring. Ruby grass wants full solar and moist, well-drained soil.

Ruby grass is a wonderful, compact bunchgrass. The skinny, silvery blue-green leaves kind dense, spiky clusters throughout the summer season. By late summer season, ruby grass develops mushy, feathery flowering panicles. The panicles are pale to deep pink earlier than fading to creamy brown seedheads within the fall. The autumn foliage can also be enticing, turning reddish on the ideas. This grass is an efficient possibility for container gardening.

‘Shenandoah’ Switchgrass

	botanical identify Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’
	solar necessities Full solar to partial shade
	peak 3 – 4 toes
	hardiness zones 5 – 9

‘Shenandoah’ is a switchgrass cultivar with showy foliage and flowers. This grass develops dense, upright clusters of inexperienced foliage throughout the rising season. In mid to late summer season, it blooms with tall, showy, darkish pinkish-red panicles that look considerably like bunches of fowl’s foot shapes waving within the breeze. Within the fall, the seedheads flip bronze-brown and appeal to seed-eating birds, whereas the leafy foliage turns into vibrant crimson crimson.

‘Shenandoah’ is a pretty compact number of switchgrass, rising three to 4 toes tall. Use it in an space with moist, well-drained soil and loads of vibrant daylight. It is a nice grass for attracting wildlife, creating vegetative edges, and incorporating it into prairie gardens and native plant gardens. 

Steadily Requested Questions