Test Garden Tip: Keep in mind that you’ll cut back ornamental grasses close to the ground in early spring, so there will be a month or two while your grasses are growing when you won’t have a screen. Test Garden Tip: To create the most dramatic effect with grasses, look for the unexpected. Try contrasting colors (such as golden grass in a blue pot), textures, or shapes and sizes. Test Garden Tip: Maximize the effect by planting several different grasses in the same landscape. Here, fountaingrass and a few varieties of maiden grass punctuate a garden filled with black-eyed Susan, lavender, and hydrangea. Test Garden Tip: Some types of grasses like maiden grass have become invasive in specific areas of the country. Always check if a plant is a problem in your area before adding it to your yard, and if it is, see if there are sterile varieties of it that don’t spread by seeds. Test Garden Tip: Annual or tender grasses, such as purple fountaingrass, are especially good choices for growing in containers because you’ll need to replace them again in spring anyway so you don’t need to worry about trying to overwinter them in a pot. Test Garden Tip: Tight, mounding grasses work best in knot gardens. Avoid grasses that are too loose and open; they can make the knot garden feel messy. Test Garden Tip: Use the same grass in several different parts of your yard to help tie your garden together and give your landscape a cohesive look. Test Garden Tip: Edging with grasses works best if you plant them a little closer together than you normally would so the grasses grow together in one line. Test Garden Tip: To ensure your grasses will come back after the winter, choose species that are hardy in your region. Test Garden Tip: Play with different plant and art combinations and keep trying new things until you find that magical composition you never get tired of admiring. Test Garden Tip: If you wish to attract songbirds, it’s best to select grasses native to your region. Test Garden Tip: Clump-forming grasses, such as feather reedgrass or blue fescue, are the best choices for vegetable gardens. Avoid running grasses such as ribbongrass that can become weedy as they spread. Test Garden Tip: One of the easiest ways to create a formal style is to plant in symmetrical patterns. Test Garden Tip: Mounding grasses often make better groundcovers because of their dense habit. Test Garden Tip: For best success with a meadow or prairie garden, select grasses that are native to your region.
