Spring is starting to show just about everywhere, which means it's time to start thinking about how you want your lawn to look. If you're one of those people who dreads dealing with flowering plants because they simply take too much time and effort, why not consider ornamental grasses as decorative items for your yard instead?
Here are three of the most popular ornamental grasses you can use to increase your home's beauty and make taking care of your yard a breeze:
Zebra Grass
Zebra grass gets its name from the distinctive yellow and green stripe pattern on its leaves. It's a tall grass — maxing out around 6 feet — and it can also spread out about as far. It dies on its own in the winter and will come back again without needing replanting in the spring.
This grass has a lovely tropical look and can easily be paired with shorter varieties for contrast or used as a no-frills (and no-stress) filler for your garden.
Purple Fountain Grass
Who says grass always has to be green? Purple fountain grass is one of the prettiest grasses around, and it produces blades that are a deep wine or purple hue, tipped with feather-like fronds.
True to its name, this grass forms a fountain-like shape as a whole and will bloom well into fall. It can grow up to 5 feet tall and spread as far as 4 feet wide, which has made it a popular choice among landscapers for a while now. It's especially popular in drought-prone areas because it doesn't take much water to keep alive.
Monkey Grass
Monkey grass comes in two varieties: black mondo grass or lilyturf. While different plants, these are both perfect ornamental grasses if you're looking for something low but visually striking. The main difference between the two is their height because they're otherwise very similar. Black mondo grass maxes out at about a foot in height. Lilyturf will grow to a maximum of 18 inches.
They're perfect if you have a shady or semi-shady area that you seem to have difficulty covering with regular grasses. Bear in mind that these aren't bright plants — both have very dark leaves, although black mondo grass does produce a pink flower in the fall and lilyturf produces a white or lavender one around the same time.
One of the best thing about ornamental grass in a landscape is that it's virtually care-free maintenance. They're meant to grow, so you don't have to worry about culling them, cutting them, or splitting them. For more grass landscaping ideas, contact a landscaping company like Brokers Grass in your area.
