Ornamental Grasses for Fall Color

Using Ornamental Grass Foliage and Plumes to Accent the Fall Garden

By Marie Iannotti

Ornamental grasses are wonderful for adding multiple seasons of interest in the garden. Whether grouped in clusters or planted singly as focal points, ornamental grasses add instant texture and form to the garden in any season. These listed here are especially useful for adding fall color to the landscape.

Colorful Fall Foliage

• Blue Oat Grass Helictotrichon sempervirens Zones 4-9

• Feather reed grass Calamagrostis x acutiflora Zones 4 - 9 (Stricta)

• Frost grass Spodiopogon sibericus Zones 3 - 8

• Japanese Forest Grass Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' Zones 5 - 9

• Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis Zones 3 - 9

• Red Switch Grass Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' Zones 5 - 9

• Tall moor grass Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea Zones 5-9

• Vetiver Vetiveria zizanioides

Red Plumes

• Fountain Grass Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Moudry' 4 - 9

• Pink Muhly Muhlenbergia capillaris Zones 7 - 11

• Ruby Grass Rhynchelytrum repens Zones 9 - 10

Red Foliage Throughout Season

• Flame Grass Miscanthus sinensis 'Purpurascens' Zones 3 - 8

• Fountain Grass Pennisetum 'Burgundy Giant' & 'Rubrum' Zones 4 - 9

• Phormium Phormium (various) Zones 9 - 10

• Red Hood Sedge Uncinia rubra Zones 8 - 11