Top 5 tall grass varieties

These top 5 tall grass varieties will add height, texture, sound and beauty to your garden and will look great growing alone or as part of a bigger planting scheme. Grasses can grow in containers with the right care and thrive for many years. Some of the most beautiful garden schemes are planted with grasses, from prairie planting to formal borders. Grasses give interest most of the year, and some will even flower as well. Try incorporating some grasses into your garden with one of these tall varieties. 

Five tall grass varieties

1. Miscanthus sinensis (Silvergrass) 

This grass has tall, upright stems and big fluffy flowers. It grows as a clump and can be split to make more plants. The good thing about Silvergrass is that there are actually many varieties to choose from, including some with stripes on the leaves, various colours and more flowers. It means there is one for every gardener. Silvergrass will need full sun and grow in most fertile soils up to about 1.8m tall.

2. Stipa gigantia (Giant oat grass)

This plant is named Giant oat grass because the flowers look like oat flower heads but giant! They grow above the mound of green foliage and rustle in the wind. Grow them in borders, but towards the back, as it can grow to 2.5m in height as long as it is planted in full sun. 

3. Cortaderia (Pampass Grass)

Probably the best known of all grasses, the Pampas grass was a must-have in the 70s and is still grown in large gardens today. It is a clump-forming evergreen with tall, silvery recognisable flowers. It has been used as a focal point or in borders and needs fertile soil and full sun. It will grow up to 2.5m tall. There are more compact varieties, such as Cortaderia pumila, which is more compact.

4. Carex (Sedge Grass)

This is an excellent grass for growing in pots and containers and borders because there are so many to choose from. Mostly evergreen, they are available in a variety of colours from green to bronze with variegated options as well. Plant Carex in fertile, moist soil and they will grow up to 1.2m tall depending on the variety and where it is planted.

5. Pennisetum (Fountain Grass)

With a whole mix of colours to choose from, Fountain grasses can have pink or purple, green or white flowers that look feathery and appear in summer to autumn from green foliage. They can look dramatic on a border or a large container. They tend to grow best in free draining soil that isn’t too wet. 

Find our selection of grasses in store when you visit us next.