Landscaping With Natural Grasses

When people think of landscaping, oftentimes they think of flowers, trees, hedges, and shrubs. But do you know that landscaping with natural grasses can lend an entirely new look to your landscape design? Natural grasses, or ornamental grasses, have become quite popular in the past several years since they offer many different colors such as cream, green, bluish, green, brown, and there are even variegated varieties.

Another benefit of landscaping with natural grasses is that most all varieties are perennials, returning naturally year after year, most often gaining in lushness as the years go by. Most natural grasses also have various flowering blooms for a short time before the long grasses reach their full height. The blooms of natural grasses can be quite dramatic with deep colors and wide blooms. If you feel like making a change to your current landscape by adding the dramatic flair that natural grasses have to offer, follow these guidelines to add a few species to your yard:

• Decide upon the look you want for your yard by researching online, at your library, or at your local garden center the various varieties available to your growing zone.
• It's best to use several varieties of grasses that will offer different textures, colors, heights, and blooms.
• Group plants in conspicuous locations of your property such as next to patio railings, along sidewalks, underneath tall trees, or inside and around a rock garden.
• Mix tall and short grasses to create a blanket effect in lacking areas of your landscape.
• Different grasses provide different colors of foliage, so make sure that you choose colors that will enhance the color of the outside of your house, and fit in with the color scheme of your flower beds.
• If you've a lawn that constantly demands water in order to stay green, consider replacing it with low-lying natural grasses. Natural grasses require little watering or maintenance, and you never have to mow them.

If you're not quite sure what types of grasses to plant, speak with the staff at a nursery or gardening center. Explain to them your needs and they will show you the types of grasses that are best for your particular landscape. It's a good idea to plan on paper where to plant your grasses. Always plant the tallest grasses in the back, and the shortest towards the front, of your garden or landscape. In fall, do not be alarmed if your grasses turn brown or straw-colored. Their vibrant colors will return in the spring.