Fall Grasses That Make Great Harvest Décor

Harvest season is upon us, and the garden is full of plants that create fall interest outside, and that can be brought inside to create beautiful décor for fall. Ornamental grasses are a great landscape plants because they grow quickly, are drought tolerant and create interest spring through fall. This time of year almost all of our ornamental grasses have these beautiful dried out bloom heads that create a great, long-term interest if left in the yard through winter, or for vases and containers in your home. Here are some common and beautiful varieties to consider growing or finding in the neighborhood.

Pampas Grass

Pampas is HUGE! It is a beautiful grass that can have bloom stalks topping out around 10′ tall. This grass is great in any space in your garden that needs something large for filler. They have a mauve-pink to straw colored blooms, and look lovely in tall vases in the corner of a room, flanking your entryway or fireplace, or in any area that needs something large to fill the space.

Miscanthus Grass

Miscanthus comes in a variety of colors and sizes. There are a few varieties that are almost as large as the Pampas grass, as well as smaller varieties that only get to be 3′ – 5′. Miscanthus ‘morning light’ has beautiful variegation, ‘silver feather’ has lovely silver colored bloom heads and ‘gracillimus’ has a copper-colored bloom head. Any of these varieties are easy to grow. Each will make a great addition to a fall flower arrangement on your dining room table, or a long-lasting arrangement on its own. They also are lovely in combination with each other.

Calamagrostis Grass

Calamagrostis ‘Karl Forester” or Feather Reed Grass is a favorite here in the valley. It is very common here, because it does well in the Salt Lake valley and can be a very tidy grass. It can grow up to 6′ tall, and has very upright bloom heads – making a lovely addition to more formal gardens. The bloom heads are a straw-color and look great in alone in a vase.

Pennisetum Grass

Pennisetum ‘bunny tail’ grass is a great ornamental grass for smaller areas. This grass will only get 2′ – 3′ tall, and about 2′ wide. It is a sweet plant with green blades, and bloom heads that are white or a pink color. It is called ‘bunny tail’ grass because the bloom heads are 2 ½” long, and before the cool weather hits are very soft to the touch. This time of year they are dried to a soft straw-yellow and are great in small porch containers, or for lower centerpieces.

Fescue Grass

Fescues come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. The most common variety here is the easy to grow Blue Fescue. It is a much smaller grass topping out around 10 – 12″. Blue fescue can keep its color through the winter, and needs less maintenance than other grasses. It looks lovely this time of year in the garden with blue-grey foliage and straw colored blooms. The blooms can be cut for vases or the entire plant can be grown in containers for your patio or entryway.

No matter what grasses you choose you will be happy with your choice in the landscape and for fall décor. Now is a great time to wander around your neighborhoods and decide which grass is right for you.