Landscaping Ideas for Tall Grass

Tall grass adds height to your garden and yard, without adding extra work. Most grasses, even ornamental ones, are easy to care for. Often they will grow in areas with poor soil, and many varieties are drought-tolerant. Grasses add texture and variation to your garden, as well as movement and sound with air movement.

Tall grasses need to be grown behind other, shorter, garden plants. This makes them instrumental as dividers for different areas of your yard, or between you and your neighbor. Choose tall grasses that can reach heights of 5 feet or more, such as big bluestem (andropogon gerardii), or feather reed grass (calamagrostis acutiflora). Grasses planted in this way also act as a backdrop for the rest of your garden plants.

Large planters filled with ornamental grasses add interesting features to your yard, and can be moved around if needed. A large round ceramic planter on either side of your front door creates an inviting look. Tall grasses will accent the height of your home, while more showy plants will add to the yard decor. Showy grasses, such as boer love grass (eragrostis chloromelas) with its cloudlike puffy heads, or ruby grass (melinus nerviglumis) which has bright amethyst-colored plumes, will draw attention from visitors. Potted grasses do well on porches or balconies as well as in the yard.

Create a garden with nothing but grass, in different heights and textures. Choose interesting grasses that have showy features and intersperse them with more natural-looking plants. Keep the taller grasses in the back, and fill the front area with a wide variety of grasses. Use different colored plants, such as grasses with blue, brown and white stems, for a contrasting design.