Gardening With Allen: Ornamental grasses enhance yard

Skyracer moor grass is another variety which produces loose golden seed panicles early in the summer. Skyracer grows almost 6 feet high. Leaves turn a golden yellow in October which adds to its beauty. Variegata moor grass is a dwarf cousin to Skyracer with green and yellow striped leaves. It grows only 3 feet high, but has the same loose golden seed panicles.

Bronze veil tufted hair grass has 1-foot tufted green clumps of grass that are topped by loose, hairlike panicles about 3 feet in height. The bronzy-colored seed heads last from midsummer into the winter.

Elijah blue fescue is a clumping ornamental grass with icy blue coloration that grows about 10 inches tall. It holds up even through the heat of summer. Buff-colored plumes create eye-catching contrast. Perfectly suited for edging, borders or mass planting as a groundcover. It’s drought tolerant when established and semi-evergreen.

Maiden grass is an attractive clumping ornamental grass with fine-textured, silver-green blades that turn golden-bronze after first frost. A great specimen for adding texture to shrub borders and perennial beds, or for massing as a screen. Plants grow 5 feet high or taller during the summer. Then in September they produce spectacular silver flowers resembling hands with fingers. Porcupine grass has broad yellow stripes across the wide leaves. Purpurascens has purple and gold leaves which are especially bright in the fall.

Fountain grass produces 3-foot fountain-shaped plants topped by purplish-pink fox tail flowers in late summer and fall. Variety Hameln has the same form but grows only 2 feet tall. Little bunny grows a foot high. There are purple leaf varieties available also.

Although most grasses prefer sun, Japanese forest grass makes a graceful, colorful groundcover or border for shady areas. It’s also suitable for containers and mass plantings and naturalizes well; clumps spread gently by rhizomes.

You will find the best selection of ornamental grasses in full-service nurseries and garden stores.