Is there a more dramatic group of plants in the late season garden than ornamental grasses? The way they’re back lit and glowing in the late summer sun. Their graceful sway and hypnotic movement in even the slightest of breezes. And their sheer scale and height at this time of year as they show off their full-grown stature. You can’t take your eyes off a stand of them – they’re just mesmerizing.
Monrovia has chosen 6 ornamental grasses that are classified as warm season grasses* which can handle heat, humidity, and drought and bloom well into fall. Wonderful in borders, beds, and island plantings and most spellbinding when grown in groups of 3 or more!
Come visit us for even more inspiration or order your favorites from Monrovia with free shipping to Wallitsch Garden Center!
Compact, clumping grass with olive-to-golden yellow autumn foliage and showy seed heads that lend winter interest. Up to 6′ tall, 3′ wide. Partial to full sun.
Design: Excellent vertical form for mixed beds and erosion control on slopes.
Dense clumps of slender blades with creamy white margins creates a shimmering silvery appearance.Up to 5′ tall, 4′ wide; plumes to 6′. Partial to full sun.
Design: Use height and width to contrast low borders or walls.
Rugged native with flag-like, golden summer flowers on stiff, weather-resistant stems. Up to 3′ tall and wide. Partial to full sun.
Design: Adds texture to waterwise gardens.
Showy plumes glisten and shine in the sunlight high above foliage. Nearly sterile with a notably low seed set. Up to 8 1/2′ tall, 5′ wide. Full sun.
Design: Wildlife garden, borders, pair to flank a feature.
Emerges blue, develops pink and burgundy hues in late summer, and turns a rich copper in fall with purplish panicles. Up to 4′ tall, 3′ wide. Full sun.
Design: Perfect for bird-friendly habitat gardens.
Fine-textured with tall, slender stalks of fragrant, light brown, late summer blooming panicles. Deep copper-gold fall foliage. Rarely sets seeds. Up to 2′ tall, 3′ wide; blooms to 3′. Full sun.
Design: Low groundcover, containers, native garden.
*The terms cool- and warm-season ornamental grasses simply refer to when they bloom. Cool-season types start growing early in spring and often have their most vibrant color during those months. Warm-season types emerge more slowly in spring, flower later in the summer and often remain in bloom well into fall. Both types have a place in any garden when planning for a long, colorful season!