Loading List...

Grasses

Type Botanical Name Native Common Name Description Height Light Req. Zone Add to My List
Grass ANDROPOGON gerardii ‘Red October’ Big Bluestem

Foliage starts deep green with some red highlights, as the season progresses the color becomes more and more red increasing to deep burgundy. Late season brings fluffy flower heads that are shades of red.

5-6 feet Full sun 3
Grass CALAMAGROSTIS brachytricha Korean Feather Reed Grass

Fluffy tawny pink plumes in Sept. fade to tan. Great fall accent. Reseeds.

3-4 feet Sun 4
Grass CALAMAGROSTIS acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass

Upright clump-forming habit with lasting summer flower plumes.

4-5 feet Sun 4
Grass CALAMAGROTIS ‘Cheju-Do’ Dwarf Feather Reed Grass

Clump-forming upright ornamental grass reaching only about 2 feet high and 3 feet wide with flower spikes about 4 feet high. Bright green leaves and golden flowers that are visible in summer; cozy pinkish amber hues in autumn. Durable and undemanding. Attracts birds. Great winter interest. Deer resistant.

4 feet Sun/Part Shade 5
Grass CAREX appalachica Appalachian Sedge

Very fine hair-like foliage in a tidy arching clump.  Excellent for dry shade.

12-14 inches Sun/Part Shade 3
Grass CAREX eburnea Bristle Leaf Sedge

A petite grass that forms spherical mounds of fine green foliage.

6-10 inches Part Shade/Shade 3
Grass CAREX elata ‘Bowles Golden’ Golden Sedge

One of the best golden leaved “grasses”. Blades have a narrow green margin and fountain into an upright vase shape. Best in moist sites.

16-18 inches Sun/Part Shade 4
Grass CAREX flacca ‘Blue Zinger’ Blue Sedge

Mats of blue-gray narrow foliage are long-lived and adaptable.

8-16 inches Sun/Part Shade 4
Grass CAREX muskingumensis ‘Oehme’ Variegated Palm Sedge

Glossy green palm-like foliage with narrow gold edge.

18-20 inches Sun/Part Shade 4
Grass CAREX oshimensis ‘Everglow’ Evercolor Sedge

Cream edging of the evergreen, arching foliage becomes orange from autumn into the spring. Habit is compact and mounding.

12-18 inches Sun/Part Shade 5
Grass CAREX pensylvanica Pennsylvania Sedge

A tough native grass with fine-textured, arching green foliage.

8-10 inches Part Shade/Shade 3
Grass CAREX ‘Silver Scepter’ Sedge

Narrow leaves with a white edge forms dense clumps that look very silvery in the shade where they are happiest. Makes a wonderful spreading ground cover.

10-12 inches Full Sun/Part Shade 5
Grass CHASMANTHIUM latifolium Northern Sea Oats

Tolerant of poor soils, but prefers moist, fertile, well-drained soils. One of the more shade tolerant of the ornamental grasses. Self-seeds and may spread aggressively. Seed heads emerge green but turn purplish bronze by late summer. Bright green leaves turn coppery after frost and eventually brown by winter. Nice for dried flower arrangements. Leave foliage in […]

2-5 feet Full Sun/Part Shade 3
Grass DESCHAMPSIA caespitosa ‘Goldgehaenge’ Tufted Hair Grass

Evergreen tufts to 12″ with golden yellow inflorescences held above the foliage.

30-36 inches Sun/Part Shade 3
Grass DESCHAMPSIA caespitosa ‘Pixie Fountain’ Tufted Hair Grass

A dwarf form with features similar to others, only smaller!

12-14 inches Sun/Part Shade 3
Grass DESCHAMPSIA flexuosa Wavy Hair Grass

This diminutive grass thrives in dry shade. Fine-textured and delicate in appearance, it is tough and drought tolerant In spring it is topped with graceful feathery flowers.

12-14 inches Part Shade 4
Grass FESTUCA cinerea ‘Elijah Blue’ Blue Fescue

Lovely tufts of blue foliage. Holds color all summer. Considered one of the best blue fescues. Deer and drought tolerant

6-8 inches Sun 4
Grass FESTUCA glauca ‘Blue Whiskers’ Blue Fescue

More vigorous than Festuca ‘Elijah Blue’ this cultivar has longer, brighter blue leaf blades. Deer and drought tolerant

10-12 inches Sun/Part Shade 4
Grass HAKONECHLOA macra ‘Albovariegata’ Japanese Forest Grass

Elegant, slow growing, graceful mounds of narrow rich green leaves with slim bands of creamy white. Clay tolerant. Slow-spreading but long-lived.

1-2 feet Part Shade 5
Grass HAKONECHLOA macra “All Gold’ Japanese Forest Grass

Graceful, bright golden-yellow foliage that mellows in fall and has the effect of a tiny bamboo. Low maintenance and long-lived, but spread slowly.

12-18 inches Part Shade 4
Grass HAKONECHLOA macra ‘Aureola’ Japanese Forest Grass

Low, arching bamboo-like foliage of yellow with a green line. One of the best grasses for shade. Spreads slowly.

12-14 inches Part Shade 4
Grass HAKONECHLOA macra ‘Sunflare’ Japanese Forest Grass

A sport of H. ‘All Gold’ with chartreuse gold foliage tipped in crimson.   Becomes more orange and burgundy in the fall.

16-18 inches Part Shade 5
Grass HELICTOTRICTON sempervirens ‘Saphire’ Blue Oat Grass

A larger alternative to Festuca glauca. Ornamental narrow blue leaf blades form a clump. Flower spikelets mature to a golden wheat color by fall. Best blue color occurs in dryish soils. Deer/drought tolerant.

2-3 feet Sun 4
Grass JUNCUS effusus ‘Big Twister’ Giant Corkscew Rush

Cool, spiraling foliage, like corkscrews. Dramatic and sure to attract attention. Needs very moist to wet conditions.

18-24 inches Sun 5
Grass JUNCUS inflexus Lovesick Blues’ Blue Rush

Grass-like mounds of blue-gray triangular stems. Great for wet sites. Discovered at Plant Delights Nursery.

12-14 inches Sun 4
Annual MELINIS nerviglumis ‘Pink Crystals’ Ruby Grass

Tender grass with erect blue-green leaves and panicles of rose-hued summer flowers that fade to white. Flower panicles are covered with silky hairs. Foliage turns purple-red in fall.

18-24 inches Sun Tropical
Grass MISCANTHUS floridulus ‘Giganteus’ Giant Silver Grass

Impressive 8’-10′ grass with silver plumes in October.

8-10 feet Sun 5
Grass MISCANTHUS purpurascens ‘Autumn Red’ Flame Grass

Showing fantastic fall color of brilliant orange and red tones. The seeds heads that appear in late summer also take on bright colors which are gorgeous when backlit in fall. Attracts birds Deer resistant Drought and poor soil tolerant

4-6 feet Full Sun/Part Shade 4
Grass MOLINIA arundinacea Skyracer’ Purple Moor Grass

Dramatic tall grass with airy yellow-gold seed heads and gold foliage in fall. Plumes to 6 feet.

4-6 feet Sun 4
Grass MOLINIA caerulea ‘Variegata’ Variegated Moor Grass

Clumps of brightly variegated cream and green blades. Flowers attractive and plant looks good all season. One of our favorites.

14-16 inches Sun 4
Annual OPHIOPOGON planiscapus ‘Ebony Knight’ Mondo Grass

Purple-black leaf blades and nodding pink bell-flowers that produce bluish-black berries on a slowly spreading clump.  Great as contrast in containers or as a houseplant. Some reports of hardiness to zone 5 with protection.

5-6 inches Sun/Part Shade 6
Grass PANICUM virgatum ‘Ruby Ribbons’ Red Switch Grass

Metallic blue foliage with red overtones turns a beautiful wine-red as the weather cools.

4-6 feet Sun 4
Grass PANICUM virgatum ‘Cheyenne Sky’ Red Switch Grass

Vase shaped form and wine-red foliage in late summer along with deep red flowers spikes makes this grass stand out!

36-42 inches Sun 4
Grass PANICUM virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ Blue Switch Grass

Striking steel-blue foliage with reddish brown plumes in fall. Upright habit.

3-4 feet Sun 4
Grass PANICUM virgatum ‘Northwind’ Switch Grass

Wide olive-green foliage makes a strong vertical accent topped in September with narrow plumes.

4-5 feet Sun 4
Grass PANICUM virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ Red Switch Grass

Red-tipped foliage appears in spring followed by reddish-pink flower panicles in summer. Foliage deepens to burgundy in the fall.

2-4 feet Sun 4
Grass PANICUM virgatum ‘Thundercloud’ Switch Grass

A large cultivar with a strong upright habit. Pinkish-tan panicles over blue-green foliage.

6-8 feet Sun 4
Grass PANICUM virgatum ‘Trailblazer’ Switch Grass

Larger, showier seed heads on this graceful new cultivar. Sheer red-tinted flower clusters wave good-bye to summer as blue-green blades turn to a blaze of old golds and maroons that promise to brighten your autumn and maintain a winter presence. Attracts birds

4-5 feet Full sun 5
Annual PENNISETUM purpureum ‘Vertigo’ Red Fountain Grass

An upright form with wide, deep green foliage that matures to dark purple.  Large and dramatic!

4-8 feet Sun/Part Shade Tropical
Annual PENNISETUM advena ‘Rubrum’ Red Fountain Grass

Striking burgundy grass with rosy plumes. Lasts well into fall.

2-3 feet Sun/Part Shade Tropical
Grass SCHIZACHYRIUM scoparium ‘Carousel’ Little Bluestem

A more upright, broad-based bluestem with gray-green foliage transitioning to pink, copper and mahogany in the fall.

24-30 inches Sun 3
Grass SCHIZACHYRIUM scoparium ‘Smoke Signal’ Little Bluestem

Upright blue-green foliage turns scarlet in late summer deepening to red purple through the fall.

3-4 feet Sun/Part Shade 3
Grass SCHIZACHYRIUM scoparium ‘Standing Ovation’ Little Bluestem

A thick-stemmed form that will not flop. Blue foliage turns red and orange in the fall.

3-4 feet Sun 3
Grass SCHIZACHYRIUM scoparium ‘Twilight Zone’ Little Bluestem

Blue-green foliage begins to turn to purple in midsummer and deepens further in the fall.  Habit is upright and narrow.

48-54 inches Sun/Part Shade 3
Grass SPOROBOLUS heterolepis Prairie Dropseed

Fine-textured arching green blades form attractive mounds. Orange fall color. Seed heads in airy panicles.

20-22 inches Sun 3