DO YOU want to amplify your yard’s architecture or privacy without installing a fence? Consider planting tall ornamental grass for privacy. Unlike other grass types, shrubs, and evergreen trees, ornamental grasses establish and spread quickly, maturing within two seasons. Due to their fast growth rate, these turfs become an economical way to beautify and realize privacy in your home. Here are 10 ornamental grasses for privacy you should try.
The Best tall ornamental grasses for privacy include Pampas grass, Zebra grass, Fountain grass, Giant Canes, Switchgrass, and Feather Reed grass. Other tall grasses for privacy are Pink Muhly grass, Big Bluestem, Chinese Silver grass, and Umbrella Bamboo. Apart from creating privacy, these turfs develop a sense of enclosure and act as décor for your property.
10 Tall Ornamental Grasses for Privacy
Although there could be over a dozen tall grasses for privacy, these ten are the most common:
1. Pampas Grass
This turf is native to the Pampas region and Southern America. It’s a tall grass with a maximum height of 6 to 9 feet. It propagates by division and thrives in dry to medium moisture soil with good drainage. Additionally, the grass is drought–tolerant and doesn’t require much water and fertilizer to grow.
2. Zebra Grass
Zebra grass is an ornamental grass with variegated foliage that enhances your compound’s visual appearance and privacy. It thrives under full sun and only requires regular watering when young. This decorative grass reaches its lush between 7 and 8 feet tall.
3. Fountain grass
This is another tall grass for privacy that provides a graceful appearance due to its cascading foliage and flowering spikes. It is drought tolerant, requires little or no fertilizer, and thrives under full sun and partial shade.
4. Giant Canes
Giant Canes are among the tall ornamental grasses for privacy, which grow to a maximum height of 6 – 23 feet. It requires mulching and occasional watering when planting and can withstand drought.
5. Switchgrass
Switchgrass is an upright tall ornamental grass for privacy that needs full sun or partial shade to thrive. It grows up to 6 feet tall, goes dormant during winter, and grows back in summer.
6. Feather Reed grass
Feather Reeds are tall grasses for privacy with an attractive, stylish upright look. They grow up to 6 feet tall and stay green throughout.
7. Pink Muhly Grass
Pink Muhly is a perfect choice if you’re looking for gorgeous tall grass privacy. It has vibrant pinkish-red flowers and dense foliage, ideal for privacy reasons.
8. Big Bluestem
Big Bluestem is one of the respected and widely used tall grasses for privacy not just for its bluish stalks but also for the privacy it offers. Like Pink Muhly above, Big Bluestem (BB) is ideal for surrounding swimming pools to offer swimmers the needed privacy.
The grass, also known as Andropogon gerardii a long history of thriving during the warm season. You can find this grass in many parts of the eastern USA as well as the midwestern prairies.
9. Chinese Silver Grass
As the name suggests, Chinese Silver grass or Miscanthus sinensis is native to China but it also grows in most parts of South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. The grass loves the sun, thus it does well in areas with 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
This warm-season deciduous grass forms large clumps, something that has made it many people’s favorite even in the West.
10. Umbrella Bamboo
Umbrella Bamboo, or Fargesia murielae is one of the notable Ornamental Grasses for Privacy. The grass not only covers the immediate area but also provides security to the compound when fully grown.
The rich-yellow, tall, and slender stalks of grown Umbrella Bamboo are used for fencing, making traditional chairs, and as firewood. Umbrella Bamboo forms large clumps and remains evergreen no matter the climate.
When fully grown, the grass forms a soft cascading canopy, making it difficult for anything to grow underneath but it also provides an evergreen lustrous foliage.
Tall Grasses for Privacy FAQs
Q: What is the easiest ornamental grass to grow?
A: Maiden grass is the easiest to grow among all tall grasses for privacy. It develops big and beautiful yearly, offering narrow, variegated foliage with silvery plumes.
Q: What is the fastest growing among all tall grasses for privacy?
A: Silver grass is the most rapidly growing decorative grass, which attains 6 to 7 feet during the first year. It proliferates quickly and becomes thicker yearly, making your yard private in three years.
Final Thoughts
If you dislike installing a fence for confidentiality on your property, consider planting tall ornamental grasses for privacy.
The best ornamental grasses for privacy include Pampas grass, Zebra grass, Fountain grass, Giant Canes, Switchgrass, and Feather Reed grass. Pink Muhly grass, Big Bluestem, Chinese Silver grass, and Umbrella Bamboo can also provide your home with secrecy.
Apart from privacy, these tall grasses for privacy are also decorative and enhance your compound’s aesthetic appeal.
