trophic level

Quite tall grasses can be found in North American tallgrass prairie, South American grasslands, and African savanna. Woody plants, shrubs or trees may occur on some grasslands – forming savannas, scrubby grassland or semi-wooded grassland, such as the African savannas or the Iberian deheza.

Tallgrass prairie begins in the east, in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Ontario as somewhat isolated patches, restricted to dry soils, or droughty southwest slopes, where an occasional fire might prevent tree closure.

13 Terrific Tall Grasses

• ‘Dixieland’ Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Dixieland’)
• ‘Prairie Sky’ Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Prairie Sky’)
• ‘Pumila’ Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’)
• ‘Eldorado’ Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Eldorado’)
• Hardy Pampas Grass (Erianthus ravennae)

• 01 of 08. Zebra Grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’)
• 02 of 08. Hardy Clumping Bamboo (Bambusoideae)
• 03 of 08. Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)
• 04 of 08. Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora)
• 05 of 08. Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
• 06 of 08. Pink Hair Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
• 07 of 08.
• 08 of 08.

Except for the water-loving varieties, most ornamental grasses won’t need extra water once they’ve become established. Water every other day after planting, gradually extending the time between watering. After 2 or 3 weeks, watering twice a week should be plenty.

Ornamental grasses tolerate a wide range of conditions, but most like an open sunny position in light, moist but well-drained, moderately fertile soil. They do not need much feeding; this can encourage lush foliage at the expense of flowers.

Tips for Cutting Back Ornamental Grasses Most ornamental grasses are perennial plants, coming back year after year.

These all need moist soil to thrive but can withstand either full or partial light locations. In warm climates, cool season grasses that usually grow in full sun become shade loving ornamental grass. Some examples of this type of plant are tufted hairgrass, striped tuber oat grass, and crinkled hairgrass.

Most Ornamental grasses are easy to grow and maintain, many are as tough as old boots and yet they are graceful, elegant and create movement in the border. Grasses do look terrific in the winter when the frost catches them. For this reason, it is always worth planting some grasses where they will be in sun in winter.

Answer: The centers of ornamental grasses often die as the plants get older. When this occurs, it’s a good time to dig and divide the grasses. When the grasses begin to grow in spring, dig up entire clumps, cut out and discard the dead center portions of each clump, cut the outer portions into sections and replant.

WHEN TO CUT BACK ORNAMENTAL GRASSES Once your warm-season grasses turn brown you can trim them back at almost any time. Not all ornamental grasses look good through the winter, trim back those that don’t look good in the fall.

1 to 3 feet apart

Ornamental grasses can be planted in the spring or the fall. The advantage of spring planting is to give the plants adequate time to develop a good root system before winter. Fall planting is often not as reliable without some additional precautions, particularly in years with early or severe winters.

12 to 18 inches

Unlike the tidy growth habit of clump-forming grasses, ornamental grasses that increase by rhizomes will spread, or run, throughout a garden bed and can quickly take over. Growing a rhizome-spreading grass in containers is a good option if you want to include one in your garden without fear of it becoming invasive.

Some ornamental grasses can become invasive, crowding out native and cultivated plants. Liriope spicata, also known as creeping lilyturf or monkeygrass, is a running form of liriope that can become a problem plant.

Most ornamental grasses are perennials, living for two or more years. Annual grasses live for only one growing season because of their natural growth habit or they are not hardy in our climate.