Short Grasses

Short Grasses

Dwarf ornamental grasses are a delightful addition to any garden, offering the beauty and texture of their taller counterparts but in a more compact form. These smaller grasses are perfect for tight spaces, border fronts, rock gardens, and containers, where their scaled-down size creates an appropriate fit without sacrificing visual interest.

One excellent choice for a dwarf grass is Dwarf Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’). This grass typically reaches about 2 to 3 feet in height and features fluffy, bottlebrush-like flower spikes. It’s a great option for adding texture and movement to smaller garden spaces or containers.

Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca) is another popular small ornamental grass, known for its striking blue foliage. It forms neat, compact mounds and is an ideal choice for creating color contrast in the garden. Blue Fescue is particularly effective in rock gardens or as edging along pathways.

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), particularly dwarf varieties like ‘The Blues’, is a native North American grass that maintains a small stature. It offers beautiful blue-green foliage that turns to shades of orange, red, and purple in the fall, providing year-round interest.

Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra), especially the ‘Aureola’ variety, is a shade-loving grass known for its cascading habit and variegated leaves. It’s an excellent choice for adding a soft, flowing texture to shady garden areas or containers.

Dwarf Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus ‘Nana’) is a very low-growing grass-like plant, often used as a ground cover or between stepping stones. Its dark green, almost black leaves create a lush, carpet-like effect.

Dwarf Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’) is a smaller version of the classic Pampas Grass, reaching about 3 to 4 feet in height. It produces the same striking plumes that are characteristic of its larger counterpart, making it a dramatic feature in smaller gardens.

Sedge (Carex) varieties, such as Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’ or Carex morrowii ‘Ice Dance’, are excellent options for small grass plants. These grasses are known for their fine texture and often variegated leaves, bringing a unique visual appeal to garden compositions.

In summary, low growing ornamental grasses provide the elegance and charm of larger grasses but are perfectly sized for smaller spaces and containers. Varieties like Dwarf Fountain Grass, Blue Fescue, Little Bluestem, Japanese Forest Grass, Dwarf Mondo Grass, Dwarf Pampas Grass, and various Sedge cultivars offer a range of colors, textures, and forms to enhance any garden. These short ornamental grasses are ideal for creating accents, filling gaps, and adding interest to garden borders, rockeries, and containers.