Known for add texture and dish to gardens and landscape , ornamental weed make slap-up additions to Pennsylvania gardens . The best repeated ornamental grasses require footling maintenance while also put up a welfare to wildlife such as butterflies and birds . Choose from warm - time of year grasses that raise June through July , or nerveless - season grass that maturate in later wintertime but go sleeping in hot summertime atmospheric condition .
Switch Grass
Growing from four to eight foot marvelous , switch grass is a warm - season perennial featuring abstruse greenish - gray foliage . In the declivity , the locoweed becomes golden - tinge with red streak . ruby spikes form in late summer and early fall . Preferring full sun , this Gunter Grass works well for erosion control . Birds and other wildlife also find its seeds to be an authoritative food source .
Big Bluestem
This warm - season grass boast deep solution and strong stems that not only survive wintertime , but also furnish shelter for wildlife when plant in masses . Growing up to seven feet high-pitched , the plant ’s blue - light-green foliage forms in chunk and thrives in summertime .
This perennial ’s foliage turns a rich red colouring in the fall and stays that elbow room through the winter . The downy facile germ heads are a favorite with bird watchers since songbirds like to eat its seeds . Bluestem does best in full sun in just about any soil as long as there ’s small tincture .
Pampas Grass
A favorite of gardeners , pampas Gunter Wilhelm Grass figure in magnanimous clumps feature big , feathery plumes on top of stalk that grow up to six pes marvelous . The plumes of this quick - time of year perennial get along in white or pink . While it ’s not a native to Pennsylvania , pampas dope thrives in full sun and grows in almost any soil type as long as it ’s well - drained . The plumes also make a slap-up addition to indoor dried peak placement .
Bottlebrush Grass
One of the few ornamental grasses that get well in umbrageous areas , this nerveless - season aboriginal perennial grows up to five feet magniloquent . feature sluttish - green leaves and come heads that resemble bottle brushes , this flora blooms in other natural spring . While this industrial plant can be plant in full sun , it thrives in fond Dominicus or shady domain of the garden in well - enfeeble soil .
