Ornamental grasses make great additions to your landscape
Q. I am interested in ornamental grasses for my yard. How do I choose the right ones?
A. Ornamental grasses make great additions to your landscape due to their variety in color, texture, height, form, and winter interest. They can be a backdrop to other perennial flowers and foliage plants, or form a border for screening or privacy.
Some things to consider when choosing are the plant's preferred culture concerning soil moisture, light exposure, spacing, height and spread.
Our area is the upper Midwest, which means we are in Zone 5 on the USDA Plant Hardiness map. You can go to planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ and enter your ZIP code to find your exact zone. This number is an indicator of average cold temperatures. Our soil types are mostly clay to sand depending on which part of the upper Midwest you reside in. We can narrow down the types of grasses that prefer those soil types and temperature conditions to ensure success in our gardens.
Native ornamental grasses provide all of the above, are able to grow in our soil and temperature ranges and tolerate drought and humidity. They also provide food and shelter for birds, butterflies and other wildlife.
Three native grasses that are well-suited for gardens in the upper Midwest are Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis).
These three grasses all grow well in sun to partial shade where soil moisture is dry to well balanced (mesic). All are drought tolerant and can withstand our high humidity. Each brings three-season color to the garden.
Indian Grass is the tallest of the three, getting to 4 to 5 feet. Its color is light blue-green in summer and burnt orange in fall. It also spreads to 24 inches so it needs a lot of room. It is not, however, invasive, so you don't have to worry and can leave the copper-colored seed heads over the winter for a striking winter display.
Little Bluestem gets to 18 to 48 inches tall and spreads 12-18 inches so it can be used in places where you need some height, but not too much. It's bluish-green foliage turns reddish orange in the fall. It can get buried by aggressive perennial flowers so make sure you put it where it will stand out.
Prairie Dropseed is a foot tall at full growth and spreads 24 inches. It looks great among leggy perennial flowers if it is planted in masses underneath. It also looks good with other short perennials or annual flowers. The grass is arching with seed heads that have a slight pleasant scent. Fall color is light orange.
You can find out more at extension.illinois.edu/grasses.
- Nancy Degnan
• Provided by Master Gardeners through the Master Gardener Answer Desk, Friendship Park Conservatory, Des Plaines, and University of Illinois Extension, North Cook Branch Office, Arlington Heights. Call (847) 298-3502 on Wednesdays or email northcookmg@gmail.com. Visit web.extension.illinois.edu/mg.