Ornamental grasses are extremely popular plants to grow in Vernon and surrounding Okanagan areas. Great for massing, easy care and low maintenance gardening applications. Grasses are elegant, fast growing and deer resistant. Hot Okanagan summers are ideal for ornamental grasses as many are drought tolerant once established. With their quiet beauty and movement in the wind, they add a sense of peacefulness to the landscape. Gardeners love their graceful shapes and subtle shades of green, blue, red and purple colours.
▲ Karl Foerster Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’)
Karl Foerster is one of the most popular ornamental grasses worldwide. A majestic ornamental grass, which moves gracefully with even the slightest breeze. It is highly valued for its tall, vertical growth and feathery plumes of shifting bronze colour that stay in place year-round.
▲ Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’). A tidy, dense clump of purplish maroon blades topped with rose-red plumes.
Purple Fountain Grass, an annual in the Okanagan climate that is a highly trendy, drought tolerant grass. It forms a tidy, dense clump of purplish maroon blades topped with rose-red plumes. Purple Fountain Grass is among the most prized ornamental grasses, celebrated for its soft rosy plumes and maroon foliage.
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▲ Blue Fescue Grass (Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’)
Blue Fescue Grass is the best small ornamental grass as it grows just about anywhere. Well used as an edging plant or in mass ground coverings, it features a unique silver-blue coloring and fine texture. The grass is extremely tough as it can handle drought, humidity and extreme cold winters.
▲ Japanese Blood Grass (Imperata cylindrica ‘Red Baron’)
Japanese Blood Grass is a gorgeous, compact perennial grass with outstanding ornamental appeal. The blood-red colour darkens the tips of the green leaves and then grows down each blade in spring. It is drought tolerant and it grows in a wide range of soil conditions. The semi-evergreen leaves add a welcome colour to a winter landscape.
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▲ Overdam Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’)
Overdam Feather Reed Grass is a fast growing ornamental clumping grass which can reach several feet in height at its peak. The variegated blades of bright green striped with white streaks make this an attractive choice for garden beds and as backdrop to flowering perennials.
Ornamental grasses can be added to any landscape. They require very little care and they need only be cut back hard before the next season’s growth starts. Their drought tolerant and deer resistant attributes make them ideal plants for Okanagan homes. Some people leave them standing for the winter to create dramatic visual effects in their yard. Nicholas Alexander Home and Garden Centre carries a wide variety of ornamental grasses from early spring to late fall.