Planting Ornamental Grasses
With a wide range of forms, color, flowers, and sizes, grass can accent any garden. There are so many types of ornamental grasses with many different landscape purposes: You can use them for screens, hedges, borders, and container plantings, just to name a few.
NOTE: This is part 4 in a series of 10 articles. For a complete background on how to grow ornamental grasses, we recommend starting from the beginning.
Before Planting
- Contact your local County Extension Office for information about soil testing in your area, or purchase one of our digital meters for quick and accurate results. Grasses will thrive in a wide range of soil pH.
- Most grasses prefer well-drained soil, which has been enriched with compost or other organic matter.
- Some grasses varieties like full sun where others prefer partial shade. Consider where you want to plant your new grass and then determine what variety would do best in that location.
- Spacing will depend on the type of grass and how you plan on using it in your landscaping. As a general note, space grasses as far apart as they will become tall.
Planting Tips
- Dig a hole wide and deep enough to accommodate the root system.
- If your grass is potted, loosen the root ball before planting. The crown should be right at the soil level when planted.
- Refill the hole with soil.
- Water your plant thoroughly and fertilize. (If planting in the fall, wait to fertilize until spring for best results.)
- Water your grass every week until it becomes established.
- Mulch in the fall to protect roots and shoots from freezing.
