GRASSES
Ornamental grasses are excellent choices for adding color and texture. Generally
drought tolerant, and deer resistant!
Pheasant Tail Grass (Anemethele) - Arching medium green leaves, fabulous gold and orange foliage in fall, semi-evergreen, ~2 feet.
Tuber Oat Grass (Arrhenatherum) -
‘Variegatum’
Lively white and green variegated leaves,
definitely a spring cool season grower, for shade, deciduous ~1 foot.
Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis) - Upright leaves with early blooming airy
plumes which turn buff colored in summer.
Deciduous,
~3-4 feet.
'Karl Forester’
very upright,
‘Overdam’
&
‘Avalanche’
have white and green variegated leaves C. brachytricha
has pink tinted flowers fading silvery white.
Sedge (Carex) - Many varieties, some prefer moist soils and shade.
Most are
evergreen; some varities will seed out.
C. buchananii
- Upright with bronze foliage ~1-2 feet.
Frosty Curls—Low
mound of silvery white leaves with curly tips ~1 foot.
Ice Dance-green
with white edges, spread slowly underground, prefers shade and more moist soil,
~ 1 foot.
Evergold aka Aurea-Variegta-strong
yellow and green variegation, flowing mound, evergreen for sun or shade, ~1foot. Orange Sedge (C. testacea)-fine
textured, copper colored with orange highlights, low flowing mound, ~1 foot.
Pampas Grass (Cortaderia) - very popular for its showy white plumes in summer.
Make sure you want it where you put it, these are large grasses! ~10 feet.
Evergreen.
‘Rosea’
have pink blushed flowers.
‘Pumila’
is a dwarf variety that still reaches 4 to 6 feet tall.
Deschampsia ‘Northern Lights’ - creamy white to yellow stripes with pink
highlights, very showy, great in containers, semi-evergreen, ~1 foot.
Fescue (Festuca) - ‘Elijah Blue’ is the popular choice, steely blue blades on a
low evergreen mound, ~1 foot.
Hakonechloa—Graceful arching stems, a bit of fall color ~15 inches, deciduous.
Prefers some moisture and shade.‘Aureola’
has golden leaves with green striping,
‘All Gold’
is, oddly enough, all gold.
Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon) - powdery blue evergreen blades, upright and
slightly
arching, ~ 2-3 feet.
Japanese Blood Grass (Imperata) - Popular; slowly spreading grass with red tips
in spring.
As the season progresses, the red color increases until the entire blade
is red. Will take sun or shade, with
some moisture to get established.
Deciduous; ~15 inches.
Miscanthus—Large group of grasses with many selections to choose from.
Many have
showy flowers in late summer, and do well in a sunny spot, although most
varieties can take some shade.
Deciduous, size varies. ‘Adagio’ & ‘Yaku Jima’ are nice dwarf varieties ~4-5 feet, ‘Flamingo’ has pink tinted flowers, ~6 feet.
‘Gracillimus’
The traditional Maiden grass, very fine textured foliage, rounded habit, ~6 feet.
‘Graziella’ Slightly wider blades
than ‘Gracillimus’ but more likely to bloom in our
cool summers, also usually gets some red to copper fall color.
‘Hinjo’,
‘Strictus’ & ‘Zebrina’ are all forms of zebra grass, with yellow bands of
variegation on the leaves. Hinjo is
slightly smaller with more vivid banding, ~ 5-6 feet, Strictus is more upright
than Zebrinus in habit. ~8-9 feet.
‘Malepartus’
Early bloomer with silver flowers that age fluffy white, reliable bloomer, good
red and orange fall color, ~ 6-7 feet. ‘Morning Light’ Extremely narrow blades are variegated green
and white, particularly nice, elegant form of Miscanthus, ~ 4-5 feet. ‘Variegatus’, ‘Cabaret’, & ‘Cosmopolitan’ are green and white
variegated varieteis. All have somewhat wider blades, Cabaret has green edges
with white centers, Variegatus and Cosmopolitan have white edges with
green centers. Variegatus is slightly smaller, ~7-8 feet, the other two are
about ~9-10 feet
Moor Grass (Molinia) - ‘Variegatus’ has coloful yellow striped leaves, low
arching mound
deciduous, ~2 feet
Mexican Feather Grass (Nassella AKA Stipa tenuissima) - Extremely fine textured
grass with bright emerald green leaves that move in the breeze.
Tan colored flowers in late summer.
Needs excellent drainage in a sunny spot, evergreen, seeds out easily,
~15 inches.
Switch Grass (Panicum) - Upright growers, lovely airy flowers with red tints.
Deciduous,
~ 3 feet. ‘Cloud Nine’, ‘Prairie Sky’, & ‘Heavy Metal’ all have glaucous
blue leaves. ‘Hanse Herms’, ‘Roststrahlbusch’, and ‘Shenandoah’ all have red to
burgundy fall color.
Fountain Grass (Pennisetum) - Grown for their showy “foxtail” flowers in late
summer. Flowers are typically creamy white and turn buff in fall.
Deciduous.
‘Hameln’ is the most popular variety, ~3 feet.
‘Karley Rose’ has looser flower panicles that are strongly pink tinted with a
long bloom period, ~2-3 feet.
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium) - fine textured upright grower, deciduous, ‘The Blues’
has light blue stems and excellent purple to red fall color, ~2 feet.

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