Grasses With White Stripes – Beautiful Accent Plants for Gardens

A white stripe running down the center or along the edges of grassy green blades provides a eye-catching ornamental element Fortunately, several types of ornamental grasses feature this distinctive striping in their foliage. If you’re looking to add refined texture and subtle color to garden beds and borders, consider incorporating one of these grasses with graceful white stripes

Why Grow Striped Ornamental Grasses

There are several reasons to consider incorporating grass varieties with white-striped leaves:

• Provides soft, fine texture contrast to flowers and foliage
• Brightens shady areas with white-striped color
• Adds refinement and visual interest to garden beds
• Lightens and brightens borders along walkways or fences
• Flows gracefully, especially when breezes move through
• Offers four-season appeal in many cases

In addition to the striking striped foliage, most of these grasses produce plume-like flowers and mature into warm, autumnal tones in fall. The slender leaves move with the slightest wind adding kinetic energy. Grasses give gardens natural relaxed style.

Types of White Striped Ornamental Grasses

Several genera offer varieties with white-marked foliage. Some top options include:

Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis cultivars)

• ‘Variegatus’ – Green blades with white midrib, coppery plumes
• ‘Cosmopolitan’ – Green with white edges, pinkish blooms
• ‘Morning Light’ – White leaf edges, silver-pink flowers
• ‘Zebrinus’ – Horizontal yellow banding on leaves

Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides cultivars)

• ‘Moudry’ – Dark green with irregular white stripes
• ‘Little Bunny’ – Miniature with white polka dots

Liriope (Liriope spicata and L. muscari varieties)

• ‘Silvery Sunproof’ – Cream-edged green leaves
• ‘Stripe it Rich’ – Wide longitudinal white stripes
• ‘Silver Dragon’ – Slender leaves edged in white

Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra cultivars)

• ‘Albostriata’ – Long white-striped green leaves
• ‘Aureola’ – Graceful leaves edged in yellow

Calamagrostis (Calamagrostis x acutiflora varieties)

• ‘Karl Foerster’ – White midrib on erect green blades
• ‘Overdam’ – Bold white midrib on wide green leaves
• ‘Avalanche’ – White margins on cascading foliage

The many cultivars offer a diverse range of heights, spread, and growing habits. Consider the size of the grass and select a variety suited to the scale of your garden.

How to Grow and Care for White Striped Grasses

Fortunately, cultivating these ornamental grasses is relatively straightforward:

• Plant in spring after the last frost date. Space plants 18-36 inches apart depending on mature size.

• Choose a site with full sun to part shade and moist, well-draining soil. Amend soil with compost as needed.

• Water new plantings regularly until established. Mature grasses are quite drought tolerant.

• Apply a balanced granular fertilizer in early spring. Do not over-fertilize.

• Cut back foliage to a few inches in late winter before new growth emerges.

• Divide congested clumps every 2-3 years in early spring to promote vigor.

Proper siting, spacing, watering, and occasional division are the keys to success. Avoid over-fertilizing, which can cause floppy growth. Remove spent flower plumes through the growing season to encourage reblooming.

Designing With White Striped Ornamental Grasses

Grasses that exhibit white stripes, margins, or midribs offer many options for enhancing garden designs:

• Use as specimen plants or mass for visual impact

• Underplant with bulbs or perennials to hide fading foliage

• Edge walkways, patios, or garden beds for definition

• Interplant with purple or burgundy flowers for contrast

• Accent rocks, walls, or hardscaping elements

• Plant in rows or sweeps for rhythm and flow

• Use in container gardens or hanging planters

• Combine variegated types with solid green grasses

Striking Examples to Try

Here are some excellent striped grasses to consider for your landscape:

• Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ – Graceful fountain of green blades with bold white midribs. Coppery plumes in fall reach 5 feet tall.

• Miscanthus sinensis ‘Cosmopolitan’ – A refined accent grass with leaves striped in white on the margins. Airy pinkish blooms appear in fall. Grows to 6 feet.

• Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Moudry’ – Eye-catching blackish fountain grass with irregular white horizontal stripes. Produces fuzzy tan bottlebrush blooms. Grows to 4 feet tall.

• Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’ – Tough, spreading lilyturf with green and cream striped foliage. Lavender flower spikes in summer. Grows 12 inches tall.

• Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ – Graceful drifting mounds of green blades edged in chartreuse yellow. Does not flower. Reaches 18 inches tall.

With so many striped varieties available, you can find an ideal ornamental grass to complement your garden style!