9 Showstopping Types of Ornamental Grass to Liven Your Landscape

From lively tufts of oats to vibrant purple stems that spill over into your flower bed, ornamental grasses have a place in nearly every garden style.

These grasses—or grass-like sedges—play a different role than the turf-covering zoysia, tall fescue, and Bermuda varieties across the lawn. They add height, texture, color, and often year-round foliage that brings a landscape to life with very little maintenance. 

Learn about nine popular types of ornamental grasses and how to choose the right one for your yard. 

What to Know About Ornamental Grasses

Take a quick glance at the many types of ornamental grasses and you'll notice that they vary just as much as any flower, shrub, or tree. Ornamental grasses may grow just a few inches off the ground or several feet in the air. They come in both clumping and spreading varieties—meaning some will stay put and others have the tendency to spread out.

Overall, ornamental grasses require minimal upkeep. Most love direct sun and well-draining soil and otherwise require you to stick to the standard lawn watering schedule.

Their hardiness also lends to expressing creativity in the garden. You can use them to line a fence, spill over the side of a retaining wall, or as an accent in the center of a flower garden. 

And since most retain their beauty throughout the winter—and often for at least a couple of years—they add a consistent texture to your landscape.

Speak with a local landscaper if you're on the fence about which kinds of ornamental grasses are native to your area and whether they will complement the vision of your garden.

Types of Ornamental Grasses by Height 

Ornamental grasses fall into three categories based on height: tall, medium, and short. These categories seem self-explanatory, but there’s a little more to each type than meets the eye. Knowing about each variety of ornamental grass can help you decide which grasses to choose and where to plant them.  

Tall Ornamental Grasses

Tall grasses grow to over 30 inches tall, and some varieties, like pampas grass, can grow up to 8 feet. These grasses are ideal for adding privacy and shade without planting a tree or installing a fence.

Make sure to consider their final size when choosing a tall ornamental grass. Not only will it grow up to its mature height, but it will also grow out until it reaches its final circumference.

Tall ornamental grasses include:

• Blue oat grass

• Feather reed grass

• Zebra grass

Medium Ornamental Grasses

Medium ornamental grass height falls between the tall and short varieties and grows to 18 and 30 inches. Adding medium ornamental grasses to a landscape is a great way to add dimension and height without obscuring views.

Medium ornamental grasses include:

• Fountain grass

• Purple moor grass

• Little bluestem

Short Ornamental Grasses

Short ornamental grasses grow low to the ground and can provide ground cover. Many varieties prefer moist soil with shade, but others thrive in full sunlight. They can grow to a low height of 2 inches, which makes them perfect for planting along landscape curbing, garden edges, and bare areas around trees.

They can also grow as tall as 2 feet, adding dimension to a garden while blending in with surrounding plants. You can use them as a grounding element in planters along the edge of your garden or among other plants.

Short ornamental grasses include:

• Purple fountain grass

• Fescue grass

• Sedge grass

9 Stunning Ornamental Grass Types

Here are some popular and versatile varieties of ornamental grasses that will turn your neighbors' heads.

1. Blue Oat Grass

Add a touch of aquamarine fringe to the edge of your garden or in planting containers around your patio with cool season, clump-forming blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens). Plumes develop at the end of the blades in the summer, and the plant remains vibrant in most areas during winter.

While they won’t spread where they're not welcome, they need space to flourish, so leave around 2 feet between each bunch.

• Growth: Up to 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide.

• Hardiness zone: 4–8 

• Sun exposure: Full sun

• Soil: Moderate-to-dry, well-drained

Best for: Adding a pop of color to your cool-season garden 

2. Zebra Grass

The green-and-yellow stripes on zebra grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus') give this looker its name. Its broad, tall blades take off in the spring, summer, and early fall when properly pruned at the start of the season. It dies in the winter but returns on its own as a perennial.

While this is clumping ornamental grass, it can grow quite tall and dense, so give it some space to flourish without worrying about it blocking the azaleas. According to the Invasive Plant Atlas, this species is invasive in parts of the U.S., particularly along the east coast. Stick with growing it in large containers on the front porch in these regions.

• Growth: Up to 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide

• Hardiness zone: 4–9

• Sun exposure: Full sun, partial shade

• Soil: Fertile, moist, well-drained

Best for: Gardens that want to contrast low-growing plants with some height 

3. Pink Muhly Grass

Imagine a native, clumping ornamental grass type that transforms into a stunning cloud of pink and purple. Warm season pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) mixes pale green blades with a tuft of tiny pink flowers that grow throughout the summer.

Even in its dormant winter phase, pink muhly grass turns a burnt golden hue. Choose from a list of colorful varieties, including those with a deeper rose or a soft cream hue.

• Growth: Up to 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide

• Hardiness zone: 6–11

• Sun exposure: Full sun, partial shade

• Soil: Moist, well-drained

Best for: Whimsical gardens that need a soft touch and a unique burst of color 

4. Feather Reed Grass

If you're looking for a tall, vibrant grass that flourishes in wetter soils, feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora) is a great choice. The green- and golden-topped stalks can line the back of a garden, around a pond, or the edge of a porch for privacy.

This versatile cool season grass is ideal for sloping areas prone to soil erosion, in pots for decoration, or even as cut flowers indoors.

• Growth: Up to 6 feet tall and 2 feet wide

• Hardiness zone: 4–9

• Sun exposure: Full sun

• Soil: Moist, fertile

Best for: Gardeners who seek versatility along garden beds or in containers

5. Little Bluestem

You're unlikely to find a wider range of breathtaking colors than when watching the transformation of little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). This hardy and low-maintenance grass transitions from soft green in the spring to a prism of purple and blue by the end of the summer. Even in winter, its dormant golden color will bring elegance to your garden.

Since it grows in tall clumps, add it to an empty area that needs protection from erosion or as the backdrop of a garden.

• Growth: Up to 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide

• Hardiness zone: 3–10

• Sun exposure: Full sun, part shade

• Soil: Well-drained, dry

Best for: Those who like to watch the colors change throughout the season

6. Purple Fountain Grass

It's impossible to miss the animated overflowing patterns of purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) that rightly lives up to its name. As summer winds down, the tops of the tall, deep purple blades develop pale seed plumage that allows the stems to bend and sway in the wind.

Like many of our dramatic favorites on this list, this ornamental grass type works best as a side or back filler in your warm-weather landscape. Once the seeds appear, clip off a few stems for a fall table display.

• Growth: Up to 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide

• Hardiness zone: 9–10

• Sun exposure: Full sun, partial shade

• Soil: Well-drained, moist

Best for: Gardeners that desire a sense of movement, especially in the fall as the seed pods form and sway.

7. Purple Majesty Millet

Create an attractive and nutritious backyard haven for your favorite birds by planting Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Majesty’ ornamental millet.

It’s a clump-forming, fast-growing grass with leaves, stems, and seedheads that develop a dark purple shade in the summer. Low-maintenance, adaptable, and drought tolerant—it’s no wonder this show-stopper has won awards.

• Growth: Up to 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide

• Hardiness zone: 2–11

• Sun exposure: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, dry

Best for: Eager gardeners who want a fast-growing grass

8. Fiber Optic Grass

While this popular, elegant pick is a member of the sedge family, Isolepis cernua is an evergreen annual grass look-alike that resembles fiber optic cables. Lively narrow green stems extend outwards from a central clump, each hosting a small white tuft at the end.

With its love of moisture, it's perfect for planting along wet pond edges, and you can also grow it in small ceramic pots along your patio for a pop of green.

• Growth: Up to 1.5 feet tall and 1.5 feet wide 

• Hardiness zone: 8-11

• Sun exposure: Full sun, partial shade

• Soil: Well-drained, moist

Best for: Gardens with wet soil or near ponds

9. Dwarf Pampas Grass

If you're looking for an ornamental grass type that’s as showy as it is tough as nails, this fluffy, white plumage-sprouting cultivar is for you. Dwarf pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’) blooms in late summer for up to four weeks and returns the next season in warmer climates.

These beautiful, adaptable additions spill over a rock or retaining wall or at the corners of your veggie and flower garden—as they are both deer- and rabbit-resistant. 

• Growth: Up to 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide

• Hardiness zone: 6–10

• Sun exposure: Full sun, partial shade

• Soil: Well-drained

Best for: Low-maintenance gardens that benefit from late summer blooms

If you need help caring for any type of ornamental grass, from dwarf to zebra, speak with a landscaper who can walk you through the best maintenance practices.

How to Choose the Best Ornamental Grass for Your Yard

Choosing the right ornamental grass varieties for your yard will likely come down to your hardiness zone and your dream design. But don’t just consider whether the species is drought tolerant, a warm- or cool-season grass, or able to grow in full sun.

Mull over what you want the plant to achieve in your landscape other than the pleasing sounds and movements they create in a breeze. 

• Specimen plants: Eye-catching tall, clump-forming grasses greatly impact the center of your landscape design. Select a species with a color contrasting with your yard's other shades for the maximal payoff.

• Four-season interest: During the snow-covered winter months, tall and hardy ornamental grasses that keep their red and orange fall colors continue to add texture and beauty. As a bonus, birds and other wildlife get shelter in the clumps when they need it most.

• Privacy, pathways, and edging: Looking for a way to enclose your yard and create a sense of privacy without building a DIY fence? Why not consider tall grasses with an upright growing habit? Pick species with running stolons to create a seamless wall.

• Groundcover: Dwarf, rhizome spreading ornamental grasses are perfect for filling in large borders around specimen perennials.

Gemma Johnstone contributed to this piece.