Another benefit of ornamental grasses is that many types are deer resistant.

Here are 12 of the most popular ornamental grasses to grow.

Tip

Ornamental grasses typically have either a spreading habit or a clumping habit.

ornamental grass

The Spruce / Autumn Wood

Spreaders tend to be taller and more dramatic, while clumping grasses form relatively short mounds.

Choose the best habit for your garden needs.

It also grows somewhat low.

Blue fescue ornamental grass with long thin blades clumped together closeup

The Spruce / David Beaulieu

Some fescues are grown as lawns, such as the clumping red fescue.

But this moderate-growing grass tends to show up in gardens and other areas all over town.

Mexican feather grass is even grown on green roofs.

Mexican feather ornamental grass with tan feather-like leaf blades

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Mexican feather grass also spreads.

Mexican feather grass survives in dry conditions and thrives just fine after beingcut back.

Japanese Forest Grass

Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra) comes from areas aroundMt.

Japanese forest ornamental grass with variegated yellow and green blades clumped in sunlight

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Cultivars such as ‘All Gold’ and ‘Aureola’ have variegated green and gold leaves.

This deciduous grass can be identified by its slender stems, which look like tiny bamboo stalks.

It requires regular watering, weekly, or more often during hotter temperatures and it is extremely slow growing.

Zebra ornamental grass with green and yellow striped leaf blades closeup

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Bamboo

The Spruce / Gyscha Rendy

It is easy to forget that bamboo (Bambusaspp.or Phyllostachysspp.)

is actually a member of the grass family.

Bamboo grows upright fast and spreads quickly (sometimes too much).

Bamboo ornamental grass with tall stems and hanging culms in sunlight

The Spruce / Gyscha Rendy

It requires a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system.

A native of China, bamboo was introduced to the Western world sometime after the mid-19th century.

In very cold areas, bamboo canes often die back in winter, but the roots survive.

fountain grass (Pennisteum setacum) and its fluffy tails.

The Spruce / Lisa Hallett Taylor

Some types are evergreen in zones 5 and above.

For example,golden bamboois considered invasive in some southern states, including Texas and Florida.

It is hardy only to zone 9; in cold-winter areas, it is typically grown as an annual.

New Zealand flax ornamental grass with broad strap-like leaves fanned out

The Spruce / Leticia Almeida

Purple fountain grass can almost be a year-round performer if you treat it right.

When it starts to spread out and the feathered flowers resemble wheat, it is time todeadhead the grass.

It is also deer-resistant anddrought-tolerant once established.It is especially beautiful in fall container arrangements and autumn gardens.

Japanese blood grass

Claire Takacs/Getty Images

This grass must be de-clumped every few years.

Upright clumps spread slowly underground by runners.

It grows best in damp, rich soil and likes moisture during the hottest months.

Blue Oat Grass

Mark Turner / Getty Images

If the soil is too dry, it can fade away or die.

Despite its beauty, some regions consider it invasive.

It is also called cogon grass.

Pink Muhly grass in a garden.

Ken Kennedy/Flickr/CC By 2.0

It can be identified by its fountainlike silver-blue blades with a light beige dome that appears in the summer.

Blue oat grass likes full sun and weekly water.

It can be salt- and drought-tolerant after it is established.

Egyptian papyrus ornamental grass with triangular stem with clumped rhizomes

The Spruce / David Beaulieu

The grass is great for rock gardens with succulents, native landscaping, borders, and mass plantings.

It is named after botanist/chemist/mineralogist Henry Muhlenberg.

Egyptian Papyrus

Cyperuspapyrusis sometimes called an African native grass or a grass-like plant.

Black mondo ornamental grass with thin dark green leaf blades clumped together closeup

The Spruce / Krystal Slagle

Egyptian Papyrus fits nicely into the ornamental grass category.

In regions that do not experience freezing temperatures, this grass is a perennial.

It likes partial to full sun and moist, well-drained soil.

Pruning needs depend on the species.

But in general, cutting back ornamental grasses can restore their vigor and help prevent them from toppling over.

Then, replant the sections in suitable growing sites.

Dividing mature clumps every few years is a good way to maintain healthy and vigorous growth.

Mexican Feather Grass: Invasive Beauty can be Deceiving.University of California Master Gardener Program.

Golden Bamboo.USDA National Invasive Species Information Center.

Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants.University of Georgia Extension.

Imperata Cylindrica ‘Rubra’.Missouri Botanical Garden.