8 Best Ornamental Grasses for Landscaping 

Fountain Grass

Fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) boasts showy, fluffy flower spikes atop gracefully arching linear foliage from summer through fall.

Fountain grass is extremely easy to grow and ranges from dwarf to tall varieties in charming green, purple, and cream hues. Most varieties reach 5 feet tall, making them ideal for mixed borders or creating privacy. Fountain grass thrives in hot, sunny spots and fertile, well-draining soil. Plant fountain grass in landscape areas that lack tree coverage or shade.

Pink Muhly Grass

Pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a clump-forming perennial grass that forms clouds of pink or pinkish-red cotton candy plumes in late summer. These plumes last throughout winter but transform into a pale, straw color. 

Pink muhly grass is equally beautiful as it is low maintenance. It prefers growing in warm, dry climates with full sunlight and well-draining soil. Plant muhly grass in groups or sweeps as an eye-catching addition to perennial borders and coastal gardens.

Other muhly grass cultivars worth planting include: Rose Muhly, white cloud, Pink Flamingo, and Regal mist.

Mexican Feather Grass

Also known as ponytails, Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima) is a neat, compact perennial grass producing a compact tuft of wispy pale yellow-green leaves. The thread-like leaves boast soft, arching, feathery flowers during summer.

Mexican feather grass thrives in full sun and well-draining, loamy soil. They grow between 18 inches and 2 feet tall. These short grasses well in mixed borders among herbaceous plants and other grasses.

Take note that Mexican feather grass can be invasive and requires hefty landscape maintenance to remove the seedlings in unwanted spots in your garden.

Switchgrass

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a warm-season native prairie grass that adapts well to landscapes and home gardens. This clump-forming perennial has unequivocally erect steel blue leaves during spring. In late summer, the blades are topped with a profusion of fine reddish-purple that transform to beige during the fall while the grass turns golden.

Switchgrass reaches 5 feet tall and thrives in full sun and well-draining soil. It’s an ideal choice for mass plantings, borders, and wild gardens.

Zebra Grass

Zebra grass (Miscanthus sinensis) is a cult-favorite ornamental grass among gardening enthusiasts and landscapers due to its unique variegated foliage. As the name implies, zebra grass displays horizontal yellow stripes along otherwise green leaves.

It is extremely versatile and offers year-round interest. In fall, the green and yellow-striped blades mature to rich gold and boast pinkish-copper plumes. By winter, the blades turn to tan, and the plumes fade to buff-silver, proving beautiful winter interest.

Zebra grass is a perfect low-maintenance landscape option. It grows up to 5 feet tall with a similar spread. You can mass plant zebra grass to create hedges or screens or use it as an accent or border. These easy-to-care-for grasses thrive in full sun, neutral soil, and occasional water.

Blue Oat Grass

Blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) is a showy cool-season grass that stands out among the crowd for its attractive, round clumps of narrow blue-green foliage. It is a perennial grass with a semi-evergreen nature, providing landscapes with year-round visual interest.

The clumping plant produces shoots of gracefully arching narrow stems during spring. In summer, blue-green flower panicles appear atop the tall stalks, maturing to wispy brown plumes in fall.

Blue oat grass is a medium-sized ornamental grass used for beds, borders, rock gardens, and ground cover. It requires minimal maintenance and grows well in full sun and average to dry, well-draining soil.

Japanese Forest Grass

Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra) is a handsome perennial ornamental grass grown for its eye-catching foliage. It has arching, lance-shaped blades that range from solid green to bright gold, yellow, and creamy white variegations.

Japanese forest grass grows in neat mounding clumps, reaching 10 inches long and 24 inches wide. They are often planted as accent plants or ground cover, in pots, along pathways, or around trees.

Unlike many ornamental grasses, Japanese forest grass is slow-growing and thrives in shady conditions. Plant this specimen in moist, well-draining soil rich in organic matter.

Dwarf Pampas Grass

Few plants make as bold a statement to your landscape as pampas grass. Dwarf pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’) is a smaller version perfect for mid-sized gardens. It boasts magnificent tussocks of arching green leaves adorned with silky plumes from late summer through fall.

Dwarf pampas grass matures to about 5 feet, only half the size of standard pampas grass varieties. This ornamental grass is welcome in almost any sunny garden with well-draining soil. Landscapers can use dwarf pampas grass to create backdrops, barriers, and focal points or to add contrast and texture to a garden.

Pampas grass is tough as nails and requires minimal care beyond cutting back old foliage in the winter. However, it can become invasive, so it needs to be planted where its roots can’t spread.