Everywhere you look you can find grass varietals now being used in both residential and commercial landscapes. They provide a wonderful angular look that is different from any other plant or shrub. They also provide movement in your garden which is a hard to establish design element for many landscapes.

Due to this boom in the use of grasses there have been many new versions brought onto the market. Nature’s Friends Landscaping has a wide knowledge of all these new plants and can help you to find and establish some grasses into your garden to provide more texture and architecture to your plan.

The taller grasses can be used for privacy, these are the types which grow tall and wide such as pampas, fountain grasses and miscanthus. Be sure to space them appropriately when planting because they will be large plants in their lifetime. Medium sized grasses such as little bluestem, blue oat grass and switchgrass are an asset in the perennial bed to create more texture and provide different colors. Everyone loves the burgundy color of purple fountain grass so it is used a lot in perennial beds, although it is an annual.

Smaller grass varieties are perfect for pots, mixing in a vegetable garden or creating groundcover for a difficult part of your terrain. One of the most stunning of these is the Japanese forestgrass which comes in some beautiful variegated versions (Aureola, All Gold), and likes shady spots so it’s great for bringing light to a darker area. Blue fescue is a favorite in a lot of gardens due to its color and low mounding effect.

Remember, most types of grass prefer full sun so don’t plant them in a shady area and expect them to thrive, unless you know for sure it will tolerate shade. Care of grasses is easy, most of them like a trim in the late winter to allow for new growth to arrive in the spring. They are also very drought tolerant once established and they are good for wildlife, so go plant a grass!