Native Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses are an attractive addition to any landscape. They can be used in mass plantings or highlighted as a specimen plant. Often underutilized in the landscape, ornamental grasses add texture and visual interest. Native ornamental grasses can be drought-tolerant and low-maintenance, making them ideal for the Florida-Friendly landscape.

The following native grasses are versatile and can grow in full sun and sandy soil conditions. Look for them at your local nursery and consider adding native ornamental grasses to your landscape.

MUHLY GRASS (Muhlenbergia capillaris)

Muhly grass is a native, drought-tolerant, attractive ornamental grass. It grows two feet tall and wide. In the fall, the flowers are very showy purple plumes that rise above the foliage. This grass is low maintenance, pest-free, and can be used in mass plantings or as a specimen plant. A showstopper in our fall landscapes!

GAMA GRASS (Tripsacum dactyloides)

Gama grass, or Fakahatchee grass, is a large grass, growing six feet tall and wide. It is drought-tolerant and attractive in mass plantings or as a specimen. Gama grass is low maintenance and can withstand being cut back in the spring and fall if needed. It can be used like a large shrub, making it ideal for a mixed-species hedge, a screening plant, or specimen. It has thick leaf blades and a light green color.

DWARF FAKAHATCHEE GRASS (Tripsacum floridana)

Dwarf Fakahatchee is the small version of gama grass as it only grows to about three feet tall and wide. It has thin leaf blades, unlike gama grass, giving it a softer texture. Make sure that you know which Tripsacum you are purchasing at the nursery because of the size difference!

SAND CORDGRASS (Spartina bakeri)

Sand cordgrass can be grown in both wet or dry conditions, making it ideal for swales, in rain gardens, along waterfronts, as well as in the landscape. It will grow four to five feet tall and three feet wide and has a vase shaped growth habit.

LOVE GRASS (Eragrostis spp.)

Love grass is a small ornamental grass that grows to about one to two feet tall and wide. Elliot’s love grass and purple love grass are common species that are grown easily in the landscape. Both species have attractive flower plumes in the fall, making them very showy in our Central Florida yards.

MAINTENANCE

Native ornamental grasses require minimal maintenance. If needed, they can be pruned in the early spring or late fall (after they have bloomed). If the grass gets too large for its space, or you just want a few more, they can easily be divided. Cut them back and then slice the root ball with a sharp spade.

Finally, as we transition from fall into the winter months, consider leaving spent blooms and browning foliage. Native ornamental grasses can make an attractive winter plant and remind us that seasonal change happens in Central Florida.

If you have any questions about growing ornamental grasses in your central Florida yard, contact UF/IFAS Extension Polk County at 863- 519-1041 or visit us online at sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/ polk. The Plant Clinic is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to answer your gardening and landscaping questions. To learn more about gardening and landscaping in central Florida, listen to the Your Central Florida Yard podcast. You can find the podcast wherever you listen or find out more on our Substack: substack.com/ @yourcentralfloridayard.

Anne Yasalonis is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent and Master Gardener Volunteer Program Coordinator for UF/IFAS Extension Polk County. Please contact her at anneanne@ufl.edu.