What gives grasses fall color
Warm-season grasses typically build toward late summer and fall. They produce plumes, and as temperatures cool their foliage shifts to gold, bronze, red or purple. The effect is strongest in full sun, and low-angle autumn light makes seed heads glow. Exact color varies with variety, weather and region.
Pink muhly grass: the “cotton candy” grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris, pink muhly, is the plant usually meant by “cotton candy” ornamental grass. In fall it produces clouds of pink to purple-pink flower plumes above mounded foliage that is about 3 feet tall. Full growing notes are in how to grow pink muhly grass.
- Zones: commonly listed for roughly zones 6 or 7 to 10, with some cultivars such as ‘Regal Mist’ described as hardy to zone 6. Check the tag for the specific plant, since hardiness claims vary by source and cultivar.
- Sun: needs full sun and well-drained soil.
- Planting: plant at least a month before first frost so roots can establish, and mass several plants for the best effect.
- Look: foliage can look ordinary through spring and summer, so combine with other plants that peak earlier.
Reds and oranges
- Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum): cultivars such as ‘Shenandoah’ turn red, and ‘Northwind’ holds a strong upright shape with golden fall tones. Hardy and tolerant of many soils.
- Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium): blue-green summer color turning red and orange in fall, with fluffy white seed heads. Compare cultivars in little bluestem varieties.
- Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra): for part shade; cultivars such as ‘Beni Kaze’ take on red, orange and gold tones. See growing Japanese forest grass.
Golds and plumes
- Miscanthus: silvery or reddish plumes in late summer and fall; foliage often turns gold, tan or burgundy. Some cultivars self-seed in warm, moist areas, so check local advice.
- Dwarf fountain grass ‘Hameln’: foliage turns golden-tan, with soft plumes. See small ornamental grasses.
- Feather reed grass: wheat-colored seed heads hold well into winter.
- Cassian fountain grass: a fountain grass sometimes listed at around 3 feet tall. Confirm the cultivar’s size and hardiness with the seller, as sources vary.
Should you cut back grasses in fall?
Usually not. Warm-season grasses are typically left standing through winter for interest and wildlife shelter, then cut to a few inches in late winter or early spring. A fall cut is fine if a plant has flopped or you prefer a tidy look. Do not cut evergreen sedges in fall.
Planting for fall
Fall is a good time to enjoy grasses and can be a planting time in milder regions, but warm-season types generally establish best when planted in spring or early summer. In cold regions, late-season planting of warm-season grasses can leave them too little time to root before freeze.
Combining with other fall plants
Pair with asters, sedum and goldenrod for contrast. See perennials to plant with ornamental grasses. For container displays, see growing ornamental grasses in containers, and for cutting plumes indoors, see grasses for dried arrangements. The main landscaping guide explains how to arrange these in a bed.