• Ornamental grasses beautify Colorado landscapes.ornamental grass image by Edsweb from Fotolia.com
  
  Growing ornamental grasses in Colorado is a wonderful way to enhance your landscape. Ornamental grasses come in different heights, colors and textures. They are readily adaptable to almost any soil, so they don't require much care in growing them. Ornamental grasses not only help your yard look pretty, you can also use them in floral arrangements and dried arrangements. They can grow as a ground cover, or help stop erosion. The best time to plant your ornamental grass is in the spring. If you wait until the fall, the survival rate is greatly decreased.
  
  

Little Bluestem

• Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium, Andropogon scoparius) has foliage that ranges in color from green to blue. In the fall, the leaves change from orange to russet red. During the summer, little bluestem grass has fluffy white seed plumes rising above the foliage. Little bluestem grows in clumps 2 to 3 feet tall. When grown in mass plantings, these plants help control erosion. This ornamental grass can grow singly as a border plant. They are also used in floral arrangements. Little bluestem is hardy to zone 3.
  
  

Prairie Dropseed

• Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) has fine textured leaves that are emerald green in color. In the fall, the foliage turns gold or orange-red in color. Prairie dropseed grass has sweet smelling, tannish brown and cloudlike blooms late in the summer. This ornamental grass is drought and heat resistant. Prairie dropseed likes to grow in full sun and is not picky about the soil type in which it grows. When the flowers go to seed, it attracts birds and other wildlife to eat. The Prairie dropseed is hardy to zone 4.
  
  

Indian Grass

• Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) has medium-fine textured foliage which turns from yellow to orange in the fall. Indian grass produces delicate flowers that turn a bronze color as they mature. The flowers are used in floral arrangements or dried arrangements. The seed heads are tan-yellow, measuring 2 to 3 inches wide and 6 to 10 inches long. The Indian grass is used for naturalizing and soil erosion. This ornamental grass is a plant that adds to the landscape, not only during the warm growing months, but through the winter ones as well. The Indian grass does well in full sun to partial shade and can tolerate some of the dryer soils. This ornamental grass is hardy to zone 4.
  
  

Feather Reed Grass

• Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Stricta') resembles wheat. The foliage is stiff and medium green in color. In the fall, the leaves turn from orange to yellow. This plant likes to grow in full sun and tolerates most types of soils. From May to June, it sends out a greenish flower spike. Through the seasons, the flower turns from a golden color to bleaches buff. The feather reed grass grows 2 to 3 feet in height. This ornamental plant makes a wonderful accent plant in your landscape or you can group several together. The feather reed grass is hardy to zone 4.
  
  

Japanese Blood Grass

• Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron' or var. rubra) has foliage that is red and green, but this ornamental grass does not flower. In the fall, the eye-catching red and green stems change in color to a deep red or maroon. Japanese blood grass is short, growing from 6 to 12 inches high, but it does spread. You will have to put down a root barrier if you don't want it to spread. This ornamental grass grows well in most soil, but does not like heavy soil. Japanese blood grass likes the soil to be moderately moist and likes morning sun. After that this grass prefers shade. This is a tender ornamental grass hardy to zone 5.