Grasses in the garden have various uses. As accents in the flower bed, as a gap filler between or in front of the hedge plants, to highlight individual areas or simply as a privacy screen: the next design ideas offer something suitable for everyone.
Ornamental grasses are a beautiful addition to any garden. There is a suitable type for every garden area and most locations. Below we will explain to you how to properly stage the grasses and use them as privacy screens, gap fillers or accents.
Plan the grass garden step by step
Good planning is the be-all and end-all of every garden. You should not only plan the garden correctly with the young plants, but also be able to imagine what it will look like with perennial trees and hedges. Will the wood shade the grass after just a few years? Then plan a greater distance from the tree.
Low grassesshould be planted in the foreground in the bed or directly at the edge of the lawn so that they can be shown to better advantage.
Medium-tall grasses (with a maximum height of around 100 cm) with a sprawling growth can also be easily staged as soloists.
Grasses with overhanging stalks look particularly beautiful at the edge of the pond.
Compact but tall grasses look good around the pool or patio.
When planning, you should also match the color of the grass blades to the color scheme in the bed in order to create a harmonious overall picture.
Tall grass as a privacy screen
Tall grasses like:
- American pampas grass
- Riding grass
- Bartgras
- half-height miscanthus
- tall pipe grass
- Giant feather grass
- Giant switchgrass
can reach a maximum height of up to 2 meters. They are therefore ideal for optically visualizing individual areas such asTo delimit the pool or terrace in the garden. However, the grasses themselves are not a substitute for hedges because they do not have opaque growth.
Garden grasses in the flower bed
Tall grasses can also be planted in the flower bed. In this case, they are perfect for delimiting different areas or protecting the seating area in the garden from prying eyes. Miscanthus and a type of grass from North America - Gerard's bluestem, which also thrives here - are well suited.
What else you should consider when planting:The tall grasses are traditionally cut back heavily in spring and cannot provide any privacy protection for the next 1 - 2 months.
Plant garden path
Ornamental grasses can instantly brighten up a boring garden area. They are ideal as accents next to the garden path. Combine pennisetum and switchgrass with lavender, hydrangeas, black-eyed rudbeckia, various ground covers and seasonal flowers in the bed. The different heights create dynamism and create a harmonious, natural overall picture.
Our tip:When planting, you must leave enough space between the different plants. Tall grasses with slightly overhanging growth are not suitable for the edge of the garden path. The right place for them is in the middle of the perennial bed, surrounded by low flowers and foliage plants. Please also note that all plants in the perennial bed should have similar requirements in terms of location, soil and, above all, similar water requirements.
Instead of lawn in the garden
Certain grasses are ideal as lawn replacements. They are very easy to care for, do not require scarifying or regular cutting and there are also very drought-resistant species such as sheep's fescue or autumn headgrass, which thrive in sun and heat without any problems.
Certain grasses with rampant growth can also crowd out weeds and prevent the growth and spread of wild plants. One such species is the dewdrop grass - an easy-care, gentle species with beautiful gold autumn colors. The grass has a decisive advantage over other species - it grows slowly, does not need to be cut regularly in summer and rarely reproduces through self-seeding. Uncontrolled spread is therefore ruled out.
Our tip:A rhizome barrier is necessary for varieties and species that form runners. Self-seeding varieties should be mowed immediately after flowering. This prevents the seed pods from opening.
Grasses to fill gaps in the hedge
An evergreen hedge becomes a real eye-catcher when you use grasses and foliage plants to fill gaps. A particularly good planting partner is boxwood.
Choose grass species that grow tall and narrow. These include diamond riding grass, Gerard's bluestem “Red October” and some varieties of golden ribbon grass.
Our tip:If the hedge looks unsightly at the bottom and has bare spots, you can conceal these with ornamental grasses. Do not plant the grasses between, but in front of, the evergreen plants.
Rare grasses for the perennial bed
Rare ornamental grasses such as pink hair grass can add additional appeal to the perennial bed. It looks particularly beautiful when you combine grasses, foliage plants and flowers tone-on-tone. This creates beautiful accents in the outdoor area.
Our tip:The hair grass is so suitable as an accent in the perennial bed because it produces beautiful fruit heads, is wintergreen and has slightly arching blades of grass. They sway attractively back and forth with every light breeze and automatically attract attention. A nice, low alternative is pheasant tail grass. This perennial plant grows to almost 50 cm high, but scores with extremely attractive flowers and wintergreen stalks.
Ornamental grasses for the rock garden
Many grasses are perfect for the rock garden and offer a change from ground cover and low flowers. Sun worshipers who can cope with poor soil are particularly perfect. For example: mosquitograss, purple lovegrass, blue fescue and blueray holder.
Our tip:It is best to stage individual plants as soloists between the ground cover plants.
Grasses offer a welcome change from foliage shrubs, ground covers and seasonal flowers. They can always be re-staged depending on your wishes and garden conditions and are real eye-catchers all year round. There are a few things you should consider when designing a grass garden. Each area is specific and you should choose the appropriate type and variety. It's not just location and soil that play a crucial role. The right planting partners should not be missing either.
Also read:Privacy screen for the terrace: These 5 grasses for the pot garden will beautify your outdoor area!
