Forget building fences or putting up panels. When you want natural, beautiful privacy, planting tall ornamental grasses is a fantastic solution. These plants create subtle barriers around your home, keeping your space feeling open while screening it from neighbors and passersby. Plus, they add a stunning visual element to your property. With so many options available, choosing the right one is key. Here are some of the best choices for your yard.
15 Best Tall Ornamental Grasses for Privacy
Discover a collection of tall ornamental grasses that are perfect for adding a touch of privacy to your home.
1. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
This warm-season grass is a common sight in the prairies, savannas, and roadsides of North America. Switchgrass is one of the top ornamental choices for privacy, growing anywhere from 3 to 6 feet tall and sometimes reaching a towering 9 feet.
Its upright stems gather into thick clumps, forming a living barrier that provides seclusion and helps to dampen sound.
This versatile and attractive grass also doubles as a habitat for wildlife, offering food and shelter to birds and mammals. You can plant Switchgrass in various soils, from sandy types to heavy clay. It’s also low maintenance and drought-tolerant, requiring little water or fertilizer once it’s established.
2. Big Bluestem Grass (Andropogon gerardii)
Often found throughout North America’s grasslands and prairies, this tall grass is a true beauty. A warm-season variety, it can grow up to 6 feet high, with blue-green leaves that transform into a coppery red during the fall. For the best results, plant it in full sun and soil that drains well.
Once established, it’s impressively drought-tolerant, which makes it an excellent pick for areas with limited water.
Big Bluestem is fantastic for privacy, as its numerous stems form dense, clumping barriers. Its deep root system also helps improve soil health, prevent erosion, and provide a habitat for local wildlife.
3. Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)
Pampas grass is a popular landscaping choice, celebrated for its impressive size, unique texture, and dramatic flowers. This tall, perennial ornamental grass is native to South America and grows up to 13 feet high, topped with feathery plumes that can be 2 to 3 feet long.
The fluffy plumes create a stunning, bold statement in your yard during the summer. This grass thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. It is also drought-tolerant, needing water only during extended dry periods.
While Pampas grass offers privacy, it isn’t as dense as some other options and can take up significant space in your garden. If you don’t keep it in check, it can spread beyond its designated area, so it requires careful monitoring to prevent it from becoming a problem.
4. Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
Here is another tall, warm-season grass native to North America that you can plant for privacy, thanks to its height, texture, and density. It grows between 3 and 8 feet tall, and its golden-yellow foliage shifts to a coppery hue in the fall.
The natural barrier created by this grass comes from its dense clumps and upright growth habit, which also helps reduce noise. Indian grass also supports wildlife by providing food and cover for birds and mammals.
It’s a low-maintenance plant that is drought-tolerant and needs little fertilizer or water after it has been established. It adapts well to different soil types, including sandy and heavy clay soils.
5. Ravenna Grass (Erianthus ravennae)
A relative of Pampas grass, Ravenna grass is a fantastic tall and hardy option for privacy, decoration, and noise reduction.
Under the right conditions, it can grow between 6 and 10 feet tall, with beautiful white foliage that evokes a wintery feel.
This grass grows upright and forms dense clumps, creating an effective natural barrier. Its plumes can reach up to 12 inches in length.
Although Ravenna grass is often used to control soil erosion, this majestic plant makes a wonderful decorative feature in any yard.
It can be invasive, however, so careful management is necessary. You should also consider the size of your yard before planting it.
6. Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum’ Rubrum’)
Purple fountain grass is widely planted for its striking foliage and graceful, arching stems. You can use this versatile grass in containers, borders, mass plantings, and mixed perennial beds. Native to Africa, this plant is an annual or perennial that does well in warm, dry climates.
Purple Fountain Grass reaches 3 to 5 feet in height with a spread of 2 to 4 feet. It features narrow, purplish-red leaves up to 24 inches long. The leaves cascade downward like a fountain, and in late summer, the plant produces purple, bottlebrush-like plumes.
Be aware that this grass can be invasive in some areas, including parts of Hawaii, California, and Florida.
7. Zebra Grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’)
This tall ornamental grass, native to eastern Asia, grows to a height of 4 to 6 feet and is known for its distinctive horizontal bands of yellow and green on its foliage.
Because it is tall and dense, growing in upright clumps, you can plant it for both privacy and noise reduction.
Zebra grass is a low-maintenance option that adds texture and appeal to your landscape. It tolerates both drought and wet conditions and can grow in a variety of soil types.
8. Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
This gorgeous ornamental grass might not be as tall as other privacy options. Still, its clumping growth and 2 to 4-foot height are enough to shield your home from curious onlookers.
Pink Muhly grass is celebrated for its stunning pink-hued flowers that appear in late summer and fall.
Its fluffy pink plumes add a unique, eye-catching texture to your garden, bringing color and interest. It works well as a low-maintenance ground cover, is drought-tolerant, and adapts to many different types of soil.
9. Japanese Silver Grass (Miscanthus sinensis)
Native to Asia, Japanese silver grass grows from 4 to 8 feet tall and forms dense clumps, making it ideal for creating privacy in your yard. Its clumping habit ensures a solid screen. The grass also adds movement and texture to your lawn with its narrow, arching, silver-green leaves and fluffy plumes.
This low-maintenance grass is also effective for erosion control and provides both food and habitat for wildlife.
10. Beard grass (Andropogon gerardii)
You can easily spot this grass growing in the open meadows and prairies of North America. It’s also a great addition to your yard for privacy screening and as a windbreak, as it is a tall, clumping grass that reaches a height of up to 5 feet.
Beard grass is visually appealing due to its narrow, blue-green leaves that turn a warm copper color in the fall, along with its attractive seed heads. Its deep roots make it resilient to harsh conditions like drought.
11. Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora)
This grass is a hybrid of Calamagrostis epigejos and Calamagrostis arundinacea. A versatile ornamental, it’s popular for its striking look, which includes attractive foliage and feathery plumes. It also grows upright to a height of 5 feet and a width of 2 to 3 feet, making it perfect for privacy screens.
The narrow leaves of Feather Reed grass, which can be green or blue-green, turn a golden-yellow color in the fall. The feathery plumes emerge in the summer and are great for use in floral arrangements.
12. Blue Gamma Grass (Bouteloua gracilis)
This warm-season perennial grass is native to North America and requires very little maintenance. It’s an excellent choice for privacy, especially in areas with limited water, due to its drought resistance.
Its root system can extend up to 10 feet deep, which is why it can withstand hot and dry conditions so well.
Blue Gamma Grass is a clumping variety that grows up to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, featuring narrow blue-green leaves. In the summer, it also produces appealing seed heads that mature to a tan color.
13. Northern Sea Oats Grass (Chasmanthium latifolium)
The clumping habit of this grass, along with its height of 3 to 5 feet and width of 1 to 2 feet, makes it perfect for privacy screening and general landscaping. Its unique seed heads and attractive foliage add to its appeal. It has broad, green leaves that transition to a bronze color in the fall.
During the summer, it produces flat, drooping seed heads that look like flattened oat spikes. These turn bronze or tan in the fall, providing continued visual interest.
14. Umbrella Bamboo (Fargesia murielae)
Reaching a height of 10 to 15 feet and a width of 6 to 8 feet, Umbrella bamboo is a superb choice for creating privacy. It features thin, delicate, dark green leaves that form a dense canopy. Native to China, this grass is attractive, low maintenance, and a popular addition to gardens and landscapes.
Umbrella Bamboo is a non-invasive species, so it won’t spread aggressively like other types of bamboo. This makes it an ideal choice for smaller, more confined spaces.
15. Purple Majesty Grass (Pennisetum glaucum)
This is an annual ornamental grass native to Africa, known for its stunning deep purple foliage. Purple Majesty Grass grows to a height of 4 to 5 feet and a width of 2 to 3 feet, providing dense coverage that makes it well-suited for privacy screening.
To ensure your Purple Majesty Grass thrives, plant it in well-drained soil and full sun. It does well in hot, dry conditions but needs regular watering, particularly during dry spells, to keep its deep purple color vibrant.
Conclusion
The tall ornamental grasses featured here are low maintenance, simple to grow, and provide the ideal cover for adding privacy to your home. They will also serve as beautiful accents, enhancing the look of your property.
