| Variety |
Height |
Shape |
Bloom Time |
Characteristics |
Growing Conditions |
Hardiness |
Arundo - Striped Gaint Reed
'donax variegatus' |
8'x10' |
Upright |
August-Sept. |
Strong variegation, large specimen |
Full sun/wet or dry |
Z6 |
Calamagrostis - Feather Reed Grass
aruncinacea ‘Karl Forester’ |
4' |
Narrow |
June-Sept. |
stiff upright & early blooming |
Sunny, dry locations but tolerates heavy clay soil |
Z4-9 |
| x 'Avalanche' |
4' |
Narrow |
June-Sept. |
Bright Variegation |
Sunny, dry locations but tolerates heavy clay soil |
Z4 |
Chasmanthium - Northern Seas Oats
latifolium |
3’ |
Spreading |
Late Summer |
colonize in part shade with arching branches |
Sun to shade wet or dry |
Z5-9 |
Cortaderia - Pampas Grass
sellonana ‘Pumila’ |
4-6’ |
Compact / Densely tufted |
mid summer |
for smaller grasses but just as dramatic |
sun & dry soil |
Z6 (with protection) - 10 |
Deschampsia - Tufted Hair Grass
cespitosa |
2’ |
Compact / Rounded |
Summer/Long Blooming |
delicate, airy & attractive |
Cool season, sunny & moist to average soil |
Z4-9 |
Erianthus - Plume Grass
ravennae |
9-12’ |
Specimen |
Late Summer |
silver-bronze inflorescence - hardy pampas like grass |
Sun with dry conditions |
Z6-9 |
Festuca - Fescue
glauca ‘Elija Blue’ |
8-10” |
Compact |
Mid-Summer |
very popular blue grass |
Cool season, morning sun, well drained soil |
Z4-8 |
Hakonechloa -Golden Variegated Hakone Grass
macra ‘Aureola’ |
12-18” |
Clumping & Arching |
Summer |
brilliant golden foliage streaked green for the shade |
Part shade to shade, average to moist soil |
Z6-9 |
| m. 'All Gold' |
12-18" |
Clumping |
Summer |
Brilliant all gold wide blades |
Part shade to shade, average to moist soil |
Z6 |
Helictotrichon - Blue Oat Grass
sempervirens ‘Sapphire’ |
2’ |
Robust Clump |
Early Summer |
best blue color with broader foliage |
Fertile, well drained soil in sun |
Z4-8 |
Imperata - Japanese Blood Grass
‘Red Baron’ |
18” |
Slow Spreader |
None |
nice red coloration for part shade to full sun |
Moist, fertile, sunny location |
Z6-9 |
Koleria - Blue Hair Grass
glauca |
12-18” |
Clumping |
Early Summer |
blue-gray foliage with airy felling |
|
Z6-9 |
Miscanthus - Maiden Grass
purpurascens |
4-5’ |
Spreading Clump |
Mid-Summer |
reddish foliage turns deeper in autumn |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z6-9 |
| sinensis ‘Adagio’ |
4’ |
Wide Clump |
Late Summer |
thin silver foliage with large pink blooms turning to white |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z6-9 |
| s. ‘Dixieland’ |
3-4’ |
Dwarf Clump |
Late Summer |
M. variegatus in miniature, wide green leaves with white stripes |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z6-9 |
| s. 'Cabaret' |
6’ |
Upright |
Late Summer |
an improved green & white variegated form with wider blades and stiffer habit |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z5-9 |
| s. 'Gold Bar' |
3-4' |
Compact |
September |
Short, intense gold porcupine grass |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z5 |
| s. ‘Gracillimus' |
6-8’ |
Tall - Upright Vase |
Mid Autumn |
narrow leaves with blooms of bronze-red holding up well into winter |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z5-9 |
| s. 'Huron Sunrise' |
5' |
Upright |
Mid Aug. |
Profuse golden plumes/hardy |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z5 |
| s. 'Little Kitten' |
2-3' |
Dwarf |
Late Summer |
True dwarf miscanthus, clean foliage |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z6 |
| s. ‘Morning Light’ |
4-5’ |
Tall Clump |
Early Autumn |
fine silver & green foliage for a delicate look and red to bronze inflorescence |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z5-9 |
| s. ‘Sarabande’ |
5-6’ |
Tall Clump |
Early Autumn |
fine silvery foliage with showy golden-copper plumes |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z4-9 |
| s. ‘Silberfeder’ |
6-8’ |
Tall & Open |
Late Summer |
Variegated, broad green leaves with white margins |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z5-9 |
| s. ‘Strictus’ |
5-6’ |
Upright & Wide |
Late Summer |
wide green blades with horizontal golden stripes |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z6-9 |
| s. ‘Variegatus’ |
5-7’ |
Upright |
Early Autumn |
Broad leaves with white margins |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z5-9 |
| s. ‘Yaku Jima’ |
4’ |
Broad |
Late Summer |
Silver plumes and reddish-brown fall color |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z6-9 |
| s. ‘Zebrinus’ |
6-8’ |
Tall |
Mid Autumn |
reddish blooms with light green foliage & horizontal yellow bands |
Sun, well drained average soil |
Z6-9 |
Molinia - Moor Grass
caerulea ‘Variegata’ |
12-18” |
Clump |
Late Summer |
graceful plumes smoother finely variegated foliage |
Sun, well drained average to poor soil |
Z4-8 |
| litorialis ‘Skyracer’ |
7-8’ |
Clump-Airy Panicles |
Late Summer |
tall stems carry “see through” seed heads above cascading clump of foliage |
Sun, well drained average to poor soil |
Z5-8 |
Panicum - Switch Grass
virgatum ‘Cloud Nine’ |
6-7’ |
Upright-Narrow |
Mid-Summer |
blue foliated with tall shoots of airy golden flowers |
Sun, drought tolerant, average to poor soil |
Z5-9 |
| v. ‘Heavy Metal’ |
4-5’ |
Upright-Narrow |
Mid-Summer |
steel blue foliage & a very stiff habit |
Sun, drought tolerant, average to poor soil |
Z5-9 |
| v. ‘Shenadoah’ |
3’ |
Upright-Shorter |
Mid-Summer |
showy bright red foliage & slower growing |
Sun, drought tolerant, average to poor soil |
Z5-6 |
Pennisetum - Fountain Grass
alopecuroides |
3-4’ |
Arching Clump |
Mid-Summer |
showy, soft inflorescence carried above delicate foliage for a long bloom period |
Sun, well drained to dry soil |
Z5-9 |
| a. 'Fox Trot' |
4-5' |
Upright |
Mid-Summer |
A hardy, narrow, upright form |
Sun, well drained to dry soil |
Z5 |
| a. ‘Hameln’ |
1.5-2.5’ |
Arching Clump |
Mid-Summer |
dwarf version of above |
Sun, well drained to dry soil |
Z6-9 |
| a. ‘Moudry’ |
2-3’ |
Cascading Clump |
Autumn |
black plumes are stiffer and blades are wider |
Sun, well drained to moister soil |
Z6-9 |
| a 'Redhead' |
3' |
Arching Clump |
Mid-summer |
Beautiful red tinged plumes |
Sun, well drained to moister soil |
Z5 |
| orientale ‘Karley Rose’ |
3’ |
Upright-Clump |
Summer |
very soft plumes are smokey rose in color all season long |
Sun, well drained to dry soil |
Z6-9 |
| setaceum ‘Rubrum’ |
3-4’ |
Upright - Flowing |
Summer |
purple leaved with rich tan blooms on a prolific annual bloomer |
Sun, well drained soil, feed regularly in a container |
Z9-10 |
| setaceum ‘Eaton Canyon’ |
2’ |
Compact - Flowing |
Summer |
1/4” blades with reddish-purple plumes - half the size of P. ‘Rubrum’ |
Sun, well drained soil in small gardens |
Z9-10 |
Schizachyrium (Andropogon) - Little Bluestem
scoparius ‘The Blues’ |
2-3’ |
Upright Clump |
Late Summer |
blue foliage with hints of burgundy & pink in spring & fall |
Sunny, dry locations |
Z3-9 |
Sorghastrum - Indian Grass
nutans ‘Sioux Blue’ |
4-6’ |
Stiff Upright |
Mid-Summer |
bright blue foliage & attractive seed heads |
Sun to part shade, drought tolerant |
Z4-9 |
Stipa - Feather Grass
tenuissima |
2’ |
Vase Shaped Clump |
Early Summer |
very silky blades and flower heads |
Sunny, dry location |
Z6 (with protection)-9 |