With their ears swaying in the wind, grasses bring lightness and movement to the garden. In addition, there are grasses for every location. Beautiful design ideas for planting with grasses and a selection of the most beautiful grasses can be found below.
Grasses are particularly beautiful as solitary plants in the rock garden
grasses in the garden
Grasses are suitable for elegant planting in rock gardens as well as for supplementing wild flower beds. They can make a stately impression both as solitary plants and as companion plants for vigorously flowering perennials. Most ornamental grasses are also excellent in pots.
It is important that you pay attention to the location requirements when choosing your ornamental grasses. We have therefore put together a table for you with the most beautiful grasses, their most important characteristics and their preferred location.
| ornamental grass | botanical name | features | growth height | location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bearskin grass | Festuca gautieri | periwinkle | Up to 20cm | Sunny to semi-shady |
| blue fescue | Festuca cinerea | Grey-blue culms, evergreen | 15 to 30cm | Sandy soil, dry, sunny |
| mountain sedge | Carex montana | Small, green grass | Up to 20cm | Sunny to semi-shady |
| Colorful Japan sedge | Carex morrowii `Variegata´ | periwinkle | Up to 30cm | Half shade to shade |
| Chinese reed | Miscanthus sinensis | Spikes in white, silver or reddish | Depending on the variety, up to 4m | Sunny to shady |
| diamond grass | Calamagrostis a. v. brachytricha | Very fine bloom | Up to 1m | Sunny |
| Japanese forest grass | Hakonechloa macra | Broad, green leaves | Up to 50cm | partial shade |
| Pennisetum grass | Pennisetum alopecuroides | Beautiful ears of corn until winter | Depending on the variety, up to 60 cm | Sunny |
| mane barley | Hordeum jubatum | Silvery fronds | 40 to 50cm | Sunny, moderately dry |
| riding grass | Calamagrostis acutiflora | Straight as a die, firm culms | Up to 1.5m | Sunny |
| pampas grass | Cortaderia selloana | Bushy, large fronds | Up to 2.50m | Sunny, nutritious, permeable to water |
| snow marble | Evergreen, white flowers | Luzula nivea | Up to 40cm | Half shade to shade |
| Zebra reed `Strictus´ | Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus' | Striped, broad leaves | Up to 1.5m | Sunny to semi-shady |
| trembling grass | Briza media | Filigree, heart-shaped ears of corn | Up to 40cm | Sunny |
grasses in winter
All of the above grasses are hardy and most will hold their shape well through winter, making them look pretty and delicate in snow and frost. But that doesn't mean they don't need winter protection. Never cut back your ornamental grass before winter! The dried up ears protect the roots from freezing. Also, before the first frost, cover the area around the grasses with twigs and other tree clippings to protect the roots from frost. Tall grasses should be tied together.