Ornamental Grasses

Growing Guide

Ornamental grasses are diverse varieties from the grass family, including both true grasses and grass-like plants like sedges. They can be categorised as annuals or perennials and are known for their height, texture, color, or seasonal interest. These low-maintenance plants add color and texture to borders, gardens, and screens, and they also attract beneficial insects and birds.

Most grasses prefer a poor to moderately fertile, well-drained to sharply drained soil in full sun.

Festuca Glauca

Grown for its stiff, architectural blue foliage, the Blue Fescue is a useful evergreen grass for year round interest. From early summer, the foliage is complemented by short, blue-green flower spikes. This hardy little perennial looks quite at home in patio pots, rockeries, gravel gardens and borders, mixing nicely with perennials, alpines or even small shrubs. Festuca glauca has a particularly neat, clump forming habit that remains nicely compact as it grows. This hardy evergreen grass is easy to grow and virtually maintenance free.



Sow indoors or outdoors in spring. Sow into moist, well-drained seed compost. Seed sown indoors should be transplanted when seedlings large enough to handle in clumps to a 1L pot filled with gritty compost. Allow to grow on under glass. Plant out in summer when well grown.

When sowing seed directly, sow 6mm deep into prepared soil in rows 30cm apart, direct germination can be erratic and slower than for seed sown indoors. Thin seedlings as required.

Cortaderia, Pink Feather

Pink Feather is a densely tufted, clump-forming, perennial pampas grass, with evergreen, arching, sharply toothed, blue-green leaves, and plume-like panicles of glistening pink spikelets, in late summer or early autumn.

Sow indoors in spring on the surface of a moist, well-drained seed compost and covered lightly with compost or vermiculite. Transplant when seedlings are large enough to handle in small clumps to a 1L pot filled with gritty compost. Allow to grow on with protection, either in a greenhour or coldframe. Plant out in summer when well grown. 

Protect plants from frost in their first winter; choose planting positions carefully, because they need plenty of space, because of the sharp leaf edges. Cut and comb out the last year's flower stems and dead leaves in late winter or early spring; wear gloves as protection from the sharp leaf edges.

Briza Media

Quaking grass, Briza media, is one of the prettiest wild grasses to grow in an ornamental border. From tufts of smooth, flat grey-green leaves it bears branched heads of ‘quaking’ green-yellow flowers, often tinged purple. Flowers begin to form between May and July. A short-lived perennial, it can take a while to become established. The perfect companion for flowers, both in borders and vases; can be dried.

Sow indoors in spring approx. 3mm deep in a moist, well-drained seed compost and covered lightly with compost or vermiculite. Transplanted when seedlings are large enough to handle in clumps to a 1L pot filled with gritty compost. Allow to grow on under glass. Plant out in summer when well grown. 

Setaria

Also known as Foxtail Millet, Setaria Red Jewel is a stunning annual grass, producing millet blooms throughout the early and late summer months, from June through September. Deadheading millet spikes will prevent seeds from forming and keep the plant in bloom longer. Stop deadheading when you are ready to cut the stems for drying or to let the seedheads dry for your garden birds over winter. Setaria struggled to grow when it needs to compete with weeds for nutrients.

Sow indoors in spring on the surface of a moist, well-drained seed compost and covered lightly with compost or vermiculite. Transplanted when seedlings are large enough to handle in clumps to a 1L pot filled with gritty compost. Allow to grow on under glass. Plant out in in early summer when well grown. 

TOP TIP

Perennial grasses should be fed annually in spring and can be propagated by division.