Last One Standing
Grasses for Fall Color
Sunday September 6, 2009
Ornamental grasses have become a staple in most garden borders. They add texture, height, sound and all around interest. We tend to gravitate toward the showy variegated or early pluming types most. But there are plenty of ornamental grasses that put on their best show in the fall. They still give you a full growing season of swaying and rustling, but they shine among the rich saturated colors of the fall border. Here's a collection of stunning fall grasses to add to your fall garden.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti
Comments
I just wanted to mention a couple of things; You missed one of my favorite grasses, little bluestem (schizachyrium scoparium), native in a good portion of the country it has steely blue foliage in the summer and turns burgundy in the fall and it only gets 2′-3′ tall and thrives in hot dry infertile conditions, which is why it makes such a beautiful show on the side of the road in fall. Also as a nursery professional I know that the one grass that people want to be hardy in zone 5 in pennisetum rubrum, but unfortunately it’s only hardy to zone 7 by some accounts and zone 9 by other accounts, I’m in Maine which is zone 5/4 so we’re not even close, I’ve actually had people get angry that the purple fountain grass we had in our planters and garden were not hardy, still it’s worth growing as a hardy annual. Thanks, I’m crazy about grasses.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Little Bluestem in the fall. I’ll have to keep an eye out for it.
You’re so right about Pennisetum rubrum. I’ve over-wintered mine indoors, letting it go semi-dormant. But I think it’s easier to just buy new ones in the spring. Thank goodness they’re growing more, so they’re not so pricey.
Little bluestem is amazing in the fall. Here (in southern Ontario) it turns a brilliant copper color. I have lots of it in a prairie-style meadow.