Using ornamental grass to add to a yard’s architecture

SALT LAKE CITY — Thinking about adding something to your yard that will make it look more modern, but keep the yard looking natural? Ornamental grasses might be just the thing you want to add.

During the latest podcast episode of KSL Greenhouse, hosts Taun Beddes and Maria Shilaos discussed the subject of ornamental grasses with Utah State University Extension Professor JayDee Gunnell.

Skip forward to minute 16:26 on the podcast episode below to hear about ornamental grasses 👇

Why use ornamental grass?

Gunnell said he felt like the look of the grasses is what gets people to like them.

“I think the reason they’re so popular is the architecture they lend,” Gunnell said. “They’re upright, they’re very… modern, if you will. With different architecture designs.”

Gunnell added that the grasses take a lot less water than a flowering plant will as well.

“Most of the grasses that I have around my house, I have one to two gallon emitters on. My water goes off once a week, that’s all they get and they look great,” Gunnell said.

What ornamental grass type to choose from 

According to Beddes and Gunnell, choosing an ornamental grass can be hard because there are so many different varieties out there, and one grass may be better for one area versus another.

To start out, Gunnell talked about the facts of ornamental grasses. He said most ornamental grasses grow in a tight clump, known as clump type, and grow a little bit each year.

“Others are called rhizomatous,” Gunnell said. “And they have underground root networks that will spread aggressively. Kentucky bluegrass, for example, is rhizomatous.”

Gunnell added that he has a turf type of ornamental grass called fescue in his yard. He said the fescue is a clump type and stays where he planted it.

According to Beddes, 90% of ornamental grasses are clump grasses. Some ornamental grasses can grow to six inches tall and others that grow up to ten feet.

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Another rhizomatous grass is northern sea oats.

“[Northern sea oats] is really common in shady areas,” Gunnell said. “Has a really nice pendulous, or hanging seed head that’s flat.”

Beddes said a species called shenandoah is one of his favorite ornamental grasses. Gunnell said this grass has a burgundy leaf color, but can become “messy” due to the seeds.

“If you allow the seeds to develop, [shenandoah] can become weedy in certain locations,” Gunnell said. 

According to Gunnell, one of the most popular ornamental grasses is a Japanese species called miscanthus, also known as maiden hair grass. 

“In [the miscanthus’] natural setting, they are a weed,” Gunnell said. “And they’ve actually been outlawed in certain areas where they have warmer climates.”

Gunnell added that the miscanthus doesn’t become weedy in Utah because the seasons don’t allow the grass to become weedy.

Beddes said the miscanthus stays in its planted location in Utah and will grow between three to six feet tall. He compared miscanthus to the working horse of the grasses and said that grass does really well and are “as tough as nails.”

“Ornamental grasses are very forgiving, very beautiful,” Gunnell said. “There’s all kinds of sizes, shapes, colors…”

The KSL Greenhouse Show airs Saturdays from 8 to 11 a.m. Follow the show on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. 

Kennedy Camarena is a digital content producer for KSL NewsRadio. 

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