Ornamental Grasses
Types of Ornamental Grasses
Cool Season Grasses
The most common type of cool season grass is Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass. The picture above is some of my Karl Foerster growing in my own yard. This is the look of the grass when it first blooms in early summer. As the season progresses, the bloom darkens and begins to take on a straw like appearance as it stops growing for the season. Most people recognize the grass at the later blooming stage when its tips resemble wheat. A few other cool season grasses are Bottlebrush Grass, Blue Fescue, and Blue Oat Grass.
Warm Season Grasses
Warm season grasses are dormant until warm weather arrives. Here in Wisconsin, that is often not until June. They break dormancy around the same time that annuals and vegetables will be happily growing. I start looking for warm season grasses to emerge after Memorial Day, but it can differ from year to year. Some warm season grasses are Prairie Dropseed, Switchgrass, Fountaingrass, and Little BlueStem.