The Easy Steps to Planting Ornamental Grasses

Email Page

Print Page

Laura Coit

Extras

Ornamental grasses bring elegance, movement and beauty to any garden, whether used as a screen or an accent. They’re adaptable, tough plants that tolerate a wide range of soil types and growing conditions. To give your ornamental grasses the best start possible, just follow these easy steps shown in the pictures and described in their captions. Then prune them back to their growth points annually to enjoy their graceful beauty year after year, and divide them when they become too large.

Add Photo to Journal

Step 1: Mark each planting point based on your garden plan and the spacing requirements as indicated on the plant tag. Prepare your planting area, then dig holes as deep as the containers and slightly wider.

Add Photo to Journal

Step 2: Remove the plant from the nursery container. Set the plant in the hole so that its root crown is level with the surrounding soil surface and matches the soil level of the container. Add or remove soil as necessary to create proper depth.

Warnings

Always check with garden center staff about the potential for naturalizing and invasiveness of ornamental grass species. A number of grasses have “gone native” and become serious pests. These can harm in two ways: They displace native species, and they may disrupt vital links in the environmental chains of pollinating insects and other creatures.

Tips

Spare your ornamental grasses in autumn and don’t cut them back when garden cleanup is in full swing. If you live where winter’s snows cover the landscape, their colorful tufts will provide a hint of summer’s beauty and stand in stark contrast to the grays and muted colors of winter. If you live where it’s warmer, winter breezes will still add movement to your garden as they rustle through the dried foliage.

Resources

You can find more information about various ornamental grasses in the Learn2Grow Plant Database or other Featured Plant articles.

Come to The Garden Party and share your ornamental grass plantings with the rest of the Learn2Grow community! Post some pictures of your perennial beauties, create a blog, or ask our experts or other home gardeners for more great ideas on how to use ornamental grasses in the landscape.

Page 1 of 2

Next Steps

Articles

Planting and Care Tips for Ornamental Grasses
Learn some basic planting, care and dividing tips for growing ornamental grasses.
Ornamental Grass Care Basics
When properly cared for, ornamental grasses make a wonderful garden addition. Here are some basic care tips to keep your grasses looking beautiful year-round.
Ornamental Grasses, Groundcovers and Ferns in the Natural Garden
Natural gardens need tough plants that can withstand various conditions. Planting ornamental grasses, groundcovers and ferns is the perfect way to enhance the garden while reducing erosion and helping the environment. Learn more about these three groups of useful perennials, as well as how to properly plant them.

RATE THIS PAGE

On average this item has been rated a 5 out of 5.