When you experience a landscape dominated by grasses, something magical happens. The wind is made manifest in undulating waves as it sweeps across their blades and blooms. The sound and movement are mesmerizing.
Grasses can transform and elevate our garden experience, even when they’re not the dominant element. Yet many familiar ornamental grasses are big, and not every garden can accommodate them. Fortunately, there are smaller grasses that provide similar benefits without the big footprint.
As a professional, I’m most interested in North American species and cultivars, in part because they’re underutilized. There are many smaller, lesser-known native grasses that adapt well to cultivated landscapes. Species like tufted hairgrass () and purple love-grass () are valuable not only for their ecological benefits and workhorse abilities but also for their roles in planting design. They can unify a complex composition, create a foundation for a perennial planting or fit easily into a
