Ornamental Grasses for Every Situation
Dream of the size, texture and color of the ornamental grass you want and there's a variety to suit. But even better, you can choose according to the season, the height, and the type of soil — and amount of sun — you can offer. Here are some top hits in each category:
Warm-season grasses
Cool-season grasses
- Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora), 4-6 feet
- Sedge (Carex), 3 inches to 4 feet
- Tufted hair grass (Deschampsia caespitosa), 1-4 feet
- Blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens), 1-5 feet
- Squirreltail grass (Hordeum jubatum), 1 to 2-1/2 feet
Sun
- Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana), 6-10 feet
- Dwarf pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana 'Pumila'), 3-5 feet
- Ravenna grass (Erianthus ravennae), 3-12 feet
- Maire's fescue (Festuca mairei), 2-3 feet
- Hare's-tail grass (Lagurus ovatus), 1-2 feet
- Porcupine grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus'), 4-6 feet
- Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), 2-5 feet
Shade
- Sedge (Carex), 3 inches to 4 feet
- Tufted hair grass (Deschampsia caespitosa), 1-4 feet
- Variegated hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'), 6-18 inches
- Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron'), 1 to 1-1/2 feet
- Variegated silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus'), 4-6 feet
- Frost grass (Spodiopogon sibiricus), 2-4 feet
- Giant feather grass (Stipa gigantea), 1-1/2 to 7 feet
Wet Soil
- Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora), 4-6 feet
- Sedge (Carex sp.), 1-4 feet
- Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale), 1-4 feet
- Manna grass (Glyceria maxima), 2-3 feet
- Miscanthus, 2-7 feet
- Banded bulrush (Scirpus tabernaemontani var. zebrenus), 2-4 feet
Moist Soil
- Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light', 4-5 feet
- Miscanthus sinensis var. purpurescens, 3-4 feet
- Needlegrass (Stipa calamagrostis), 2-3 feet
Dry Soil
- Tufted hair grass (Deschampsia caespitosa), 1-4 feet
- Switch-grass (Panicum virgatum), 4-10 feet
- Indian grass (Sorghastrum avenaceum), 2-5 feet