Ornamental grasses for borders

Ornamental grasses that work in a planted border, with mature size, aspect and bloom time for each.

Ornamental grasses bring movement, see-through texture and a long season that carries a border well into winter. Most prefer an open position and free-draining soil; on rich, wet ground they flop. Divide the timing of your cut-back by type: deciduous grasses are sheared to the base in late winter, while evergreens are simply combed through with gloved hands to pull out the dead. Plant in generous swathes and let them mingle with upright perennials so the seed heads catch low light. The frequent error is dotting single specimens, which looks accidental. These grasses cover both the airy, transparent kinds and the denser, mound-forming types.

Border Builder is a garden border planner for iPhone and iPad. Pick from the 77 plants below and it works them into a full plan: how many of each, where they go, and how the bed reads through the seasons.

77 plants for this

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