Old School Green Design: Add Texture With Grass

Grasses work as hedges, focal plants, textural elements in walkways, or beautiful contrasts to existing structures. Host of grasses to choose from — perennial and annual, purple to pink to white to green.

When designing with plants, color and form are utmost considerations after climate and growing conditions. Get inspired for a patch of waving grasses from the range of textures and colors in these gardens.

Browse photos of landscape designs.

Randy Thueme Design Inc.: Ornamental grasses are somewhat acquired taste, not everyone's fan. But they're a beautiful texture source offering wide choices. Even if you don't like them, how could you not run fingers along Japanese silver grass edges walking down this path?

Debora Carl Landscape Design: This bench seems perfectly situated in a field of waving grass. Afloat in wispiness, strong bench lines contrast nicely.

Kathleen Shaeffer Design, Exterior Spaces: Situating stronger plantings in a field of grass gives the illusion of floating trees. When wind blows, grasses dance around tree trunks, tickling their feet.

Zack|de Vito Architecture + Construction: Grasses planted in bands of color — lighter Mexican feather grass inside, deeper green outside. At the bottom of a long stairway, grasses look like a pool of water rippling in the breeze.

Blasen Landscape Architecture: Long plumes bending under their own weight evoke a horse's mane, begging to be touched! Curved grass line contrasts excellently with straight, bold building lines behind.

The Garden Consultants, Inc.: This building's design also contrasts with surrounding grass plantings. Sharp lines lightened by waving grasses and round tree canopies.

Christopher Yates Landscape Architecture: Forgoing a lawn for short ornamental grasses maintains a horizontal green plane without weekly maintenance. Some are strong enough to walk on — research before purchasing based on activity needs.

Arterra Landscape Architects: Situating a clump of ornamental grass along a pathway is a wonderful way to experience stalk and plume texture. Allowing grasses to lean into a walkway gives an even more visceral experience. Be careful — some have very sharp blades, unpleasant to walk near!

Shirley Bovshow: Some favorite ornamental grasses — pink pampas and switchgrasses. Bright, wispy plumes of pink scream girlishness without high maintenance of roses and delphiniums.

Before purchasing grass plants or seed, check your state's invasive plant listings. Some ornamental grasses are considered noxious weeds in some parts of the country.

Grounded - Richard Risner RLA, ASLA: Grasses work as hedges, focal plants, textural walkway elements, or beautiful contrasts to structures. Host of choices — perennial and annual, purple to pink to white to green. When selecting, consider climate, maintenance, growing conditions, and avoid invasive species in your area.

What kinds of ornamental grasses do you have in your landscape?