Great grasses for your garden

Cappuccino Grass- Carex tenuiculmis ‘Cappuccino’- (brown grass on table settings)

Chocolate colored sedge grass has red & orange highlights wherever the sun catches it. Needs full sun to part shade & prefers moist well drained soil, grows 12”-16” tall in a graceful upright mound. Try combining it with perennials that bring out it’s highlights like Daylilies, Black Eyed Susans, and traditional autumn plants like mums & pansies are all great complimentary plants for this unique ornamental. Hardy from zones 6-9.

Bowles Golden Grass- Carex elata ‘Aurea’- (golden colored grass on table)

Finely textured with a real glow, this is a lovely grass for masses or for bold contrasts with deep, dark colored plants, or hot bright colors that will borrow some of it’s fire. Think indigo or bright red Salvias, purple toned heucheras, or dark green creeping foliage. Also, great with traditional autumn colors in pots.  Likes a moist, but well drained soil, and prefers shade during the hottest afternoon sun. Grows upright 12-16” tall and is hardy in zones 5-9.

Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass- Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’- ( dark green upright grass on tables)

Deep green, lustrous, upright foliage that lasts from early spring all the way to winter. Upright clump, grows 3-4’ tall with feathery plumes. Likes full sun to part shade & moist well draining soil. Hardy from zones 4-10.

Variegated Sweet Flag- Acorus gramineus ‘Oborozuki- (glossy variegated grass on tables)

Sweet smelling, golden variegated foliage makes a fantastic ground cover or potted plant. This moisture lover should be given part to full shade, where it can light up shady, moist spots with it’s charm. Often used around ponds and other water features. Grows 10-12” tall & hardy in zones 4-11.

Ruby Grass- Melinis Nerviglumis ‘Savannah’- ( blue green tufted grass with pink flower plumes on tables)

Showy pink flowers emerge from this very attractive upright tuft of grass that carries well into fall. Great potted plant or garden specimen. Plant in full sun & use as an annual, hardy to Zone 9, growing  18-24” tall.

Japanese Forest Grass Variegated & Golden aka Hakone grass- Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ & m. ‘All Gold’
Aureola- golden variegated foliage takes on red & pink tones as fall weather arrives.
All gold- has bright, golden-chartreuse leaf blades.
Hakone grasses prefer moist soils in shady locations. They have a graceful, arching habit that has an effect reminiscent of a running water. This feature can be used effectively either on sloping ground, or in pots, where the bright spots of color can make a shady area light up. May also be used as a soft edging in any shrub or flower bed.

Blue Lyme Grass-Leymus arenarius ‘Blue Dune’- Metallic, blue gray foliage stands up to almost any conditions, heat & humidity tolerant, sandy to clay soil, sun to shade. This grass could the answer to your landscape problem areas. Dramatic color offers contrast to darker shades of green, perennial beds, bricks, or stands alone as a great feature in areas that are hard to irrigate or care for when the heat of summer sets in. Grows 3-4’ tall & is hardy in zones 4-9.

Elijah Blue Fescue-‘Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’- Another blue ornamental grass, perhaps the most well known, for good readson. Silvery blue, dense mounds of foliage are as tough as they are good looking. Heat & drought tolerant, they make a great border plant, look good in masses, or in a container. Flower spikes form in late summer to fall & reach a foot above the foliage. Plant in sun to part shade in loose, well drained soil. Great companion to other drought tolerant performers like yuccas, agaves, & sedums. Grows just 6-10” tall, & hardy  from zones 4-8

Variegated Japanese Sedge -Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’-  Fantastic, striped dark-green & creamy gold foliage with a weeping habit. Grows 10-14” tall, Plant in sun to part shade, where it’s weeping habit can be appreciated, like the edge of a rock wall, or where lines can use some softening in the landscape. Hardy in zones 6-9.

Pink Muhly Grass-Muhlenbergia capillaries-One of the showiest grasses in the late summer & fall garden. Showy, delicate, pink-purple blooms appear like a soft mist or cloud above the foliage. This native of the U.S. is heat & drought tolerant, growing to 3’ tall & is best planted in full sun, massed in the landscape. Hardy from zones 6-10.

Hardy or Northern Pampas Grass-Erianthus Ravennae- Truly a giant of the grass world, reaching 14’ with it’s flower stalks extending high above the foliage which resembles traditional pampas grass. Plant in full sun where height & drama are required. Hardy from zones 6-9.