After all the flowers fade at season's end, my garden would be pretty bleak if it weren't for the ornamental grasses. That's why I feel sorry for anyone who says his or her garden is too small to include any of these beauties.
Maybe these gardeners have tried an aggressive spreader such as ribbon grass. Or perhaps they've seen a mature clump of Japanese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis), which can take a big bite out of a small garden. But here's the good news: Most ornamental grasses grow in clumps, just like any other perennial. And there are many grasses that leave no bigger "footprint" in the garden than your average garden plant.
Karl Foerster feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora) is one of the best for planting in the garden. Strictly vertical, this clump-grower expands slowly at its base, never threatening nearby perennials. If it eventually gets wider than you want, dig and divide it or simply slice off a piece to share with a friend.
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Here in the Midwest, Karl Foerster usually grows four to five feet tall, topped with graceful, feathery plumes by early summer. You can count on it to keep its good looks throughout the winter. When backlighted by the rising or setting sun, the plumes are especially eye-catching.
If you want to add motion to your garden, you won't go wrong with Karl Foerster. Ornamental grass guru Rick Darke says it's an especially good choice because its limber leaves sway gracefully in even the slightest breeze.
Blue oatgrass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) is another well-behaved grass that makes a good partner for perennials in a small garden. Its stiff and spiky blue-gray leaves form an attractive mound about two feet tall. The slow-growing clump is easy to dig and divide should this grass ever threaten to overtake its neighbors.
You can count on blue oatgrass to contrast nicely with almost any of your garden flowers in summer and to add interesting structure in the winter garden, too.
Although blue oatgrass sometimes produces oatlike stalks topped with airy flowers, mine has never flowered. No matter. The beautiful foliage is reason enough to plant this grass.
Both Karl Foerster feather reed grass and blue oatgrass grow best in full sun, though Karl Foerster will tolerate partial shade. In a shady garden, you could plant northern sea oats (Chastmantium latifolium). This grass grows about three feet tall with oat-like spikelets on arching stems.
Looking for help choosing grasses for your garden? You'll find it in Rick Darke's "Timber Press Pocket Guide to Ornamental Grasses" (Timber Press, 2004, $19.95).
