‘Bandwidth’ Japanese silver grass
Miscanthus sinensis 'Bandwidth'
Broad, bright gold bands running along the length of rich, green leaf blades. Useful as … Continued
browsing: grasses
Grasses belong to one of the largest and most economically and ecologically important families of plants with over nine thousand species recognized by botanists. Grasses can be found on every continent and in a wide variety of habitats, both as the dominant plant type (in prairies and tundra) or as minor components of the plant community. Collectively, grasses domesticated as crops represent the world’s most important source of food.
Grasses have multiple characteristics that differentiate them from other plants. They usually have long, narrow leaves and can grow very tall (tropical bamboos can grow 328′ high) or prostrate along the ground. Grasses have evolved in environments where drought, grazing by large herbivores, and fires were common, and have large root systems that can store substantial food reserves that allow them to regrow quickly if aboveground parts are removed. This also makes them drought resistant, ideal for lawns that are repeatedly mowed, and great for preventing soil erosion.
Click for a chart to compare grasses by height.
‘Gracillimus’ maiden grass, Chinese maidenhair
Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus'
Blooms with a massive display of copper-colored flowers in late summer. The seedheads age to … Continued
‘Adagio’ dwarf maiden grass
Miscanthus sinensis 'Adagio'
Silver gray narrow foliage to 3-4′ tall with a 3-4′ spread. Pink inflorescence appear in … Continued
‘Little Zebra’ dwarf zebra grass
Miscanthus sinensis 'Little Zebra'
‘Little Zebra’ is shorter and more upright than ‘Zebrinus’ but retains the distinctive gold banding. … Continued
‘Morning Light’ maiden grass
Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'
Feathery, fan-shaped, pale pink panicles. Neat narrow-leaved upright grass arches outward at the top in … Continued
‘Dixieland’ maiden grass, variegated eulalia
Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland'
Also called Japanese silver grass, this ornamental grows 4-5′ tall with wide leaves that are … Continued
‘Zebrinus’ zebra grass
Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus'
Horizontal yellow bands on wide foliage that grows 4-6′ tall and 3-5′ wide. Tolerates poorly … Continued
Mexican feathergrass
Nassella (formerly Stipa) tenuissima
This zone 7 perennial will self-seed in our northern zone 6 gardens. Excellent soft, fine … Continued
‘Heavy Metal’ blue switchgrass
Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal'
Metalic blue leaves, strictly upright. Never leans or flops, even in heavy rain. Pink tones … Continued
‘Cloud Nine’ switchgrass
Panicum virgatum 'Cloud Nine'
This clump-forming, warm-season grass typically grows to 3′ tall. When in flower, flower panicles may … Continued
‘Shenandoah’ red switchgrass
Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’
Best burgundy-red coloring of all the switch grasses. Deep-green foliage takes on red hues by … Continued
‘Red Head’ Fountain Grass
Pennisetum alopecuriodes 'Red Head'
One of the earliest-flowering fountain grasses, ‘Red Head’ produces showy bottlebrush plumes that emerge burgundy … Continued