Ornamental Grasses

(Photo and description credit: Plant Select.)

Alpine plume grass is a spectacular long-lived grass from high mountain meadows in central and southern Europe. A mature plant makes a dramatic specimen, with several dozen flower heads waving above a graceful fountain of fresh green foliage. The flowers persist from summer until the following spring when the entire plant should be cut back to make room for the new season’s growth. Unlike many other ornamental grasses, the foliage doesn’t die out in the clump’s center over time.

Native!  Big Bluestem is taller and has a wider blade than Little Bluestem and is somewhat upright but also arching. It also has attractive reddish and purple fall colors. Big Bluestem is one of the dominant components of the Tallgrass Prairies across the Great Plains, where it can reach 8’ in height. Here it can range from 2 to 5’ tall, depending on water and nutrients available. In late summer, Big Bluestem’s purplish red flowers appear in groups of three or six, which look like a turkey foot – hence the nickname: “Turkey Foot Grass”. The root system can extend down more than 10 feet. Each year, a third of these roots die, feeding soil microorganisms and opening up channels for water. This plant is drought tolerant once it’s established. Attracts birds and butterfly larvae.

Plant in Full Sun. Hardy to Zone 4.

(Photo credit: High Country Gardens.)

Native!  Little Bluestem is very erect to 24”-30” with fine foliage and blooms in late summer-early fall. Blooms turn white and catch the early morning and late afternoon sun beautifully when back-lit. The foliage turns copper and looks good for a long time. Very drought-tolerant. Selections ‘The Blues’ and ‘Prairie Blues’ have very blue foliage during the growing season. ‘Blaze’ is a colorful selection of the common native in this region.

Hardy to Zone 3.

Side-Oats Grama is a smaller meadow grass than Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama). It’s seed heads and foliage turn a beautiful dark purple-red in fall.

Hardy to Zone 3

(Photo Credit: Plant Select)

‘Blonde Ambition’ was discovered in 2007 by David Salman of Santa Fe Greenhouses, who noticed an outstanding specimen growing within a stand of robust Hachita blue grama. At 28-32” it was taller and wider than the standard, its leaves were a bright blue-green and it was topped with a multitude of its distinctive flag-like flowers, although these were chartreuse rather than the usual black or brown and they were held appealingly at a 90 degree angle to the leaves. It was apparent this was a plant that could stand on its own as an ornamental.

This exceptional plant was found to have chartreuse flowers that turned blonde as the season progressed and the rigid stems popped back up after snowstorms, rather than remaining prostrate, so its season of attractiveness lasted well into the winter. Grow ‘Blonde Ambition’ in clay, loam, or sandy soils, with full sun and moderate to very low H2O.

Hardy to Zone 4, 8,000’ elevation.

The most popular and over-used ornamental grass, for good reason. Medium sized (to 4’ tall), very erect form, easy to grow and highly adaptable to everything but shade, very durable flower/seed heads remain attractive all summer, fall and winter. No fall foliage color. Cut down in early February. Try to avoid plantings that look like rows of soldiers standing at attention!

Hardy to Zone 4.

To 3’ or 4’ tall, with a graceful fountain-like or mounded shape, and waits until the end of the summer to flower. Can take some shade. Very pretty, with pinkish plumes that dry tan. No fall color. Plant Select. Should be used more.

Hardy to Zone 4.

A small fountain-like clumping sedge, 6-10”h x 10-12” w, very fine-textured, bright light green and very attractive. Native to woods in Eastern N. America, it grows well in dry shade or part shade. It mixes well with perennials and serves as a neat groundcover or edger. Its tenacious roots will prevent erosion on shady slopes, and it can grow among tree roots. Very small, attractive  blooms occur in spring, supporting beneficial insects.

Hardy to Zone 4.

This petite sedge is rhizomatous and spreads. Its long glossy blades are slightly variegated yellow and green, and curve to the ground, giving it a mop-headed look. Makes an excellent groundcover or small ‘lawn’ (just to look at, not to step on) in shady gardens, especially Asian-styled gardens. Almost evergreen.

Hardy to Zone 5.

A US native, though not native here, this grass grows well in part shade. The wide, bright green blades emerge from the stems at many heights, giving it a slightly bamboo-like look. The pendulous seed clusters in late summer are composed of very attractive flat, plaited spikelets, starting out pale green, later turning tan. Foliage stays green until fall, when it turns yellow. It will self-sow but is not difficult to control.

Hardy to Zone 3.

Native!  This medium-sized grass, to 2-3’ x 2-3’, loves to grow in sandy soil as its name suggests, but adapts to many soils with low to moderate moisture. It is effective in masses and can be an excellent component of a meadow. Reddish tones begin to show in late summer, and the haze of tiny purple-pink seeds in late summer are beautiful. Sand Love Grass tends to rot in the center as it gets older, and self-sows readily.

Plant in full sun. Hardy to Zone 5.

(Photo credit: High Country Gardens.)

Evergreen. This year we carry F. glauca ‘Boulder Blue’, a 10”-tall selection with very blue foliage, good form, hardiness, longevity and drought-tolerance. We also have F. ovina “Sea Urchin”, smaller, finer texture, good for rock gardens or Asian-style gardens, and Festuca thurberi, which is native from 5,000’ to 10,000’ elevation and is nearly evergreen, to 12” tall.

Hardy to Zone 4.   

A much sought-after modest-sized evergreen grass with powder-blue blades, and that has some shade tolerance. It forms an open, symmetrical mound of foliage from 12” to 24” high, and a bit wider, looking like the ‘big brother’ of Blue Fescue. Bloom stalks add another 12 to 18”, and provide interest for several months.

Hardy to Zone 4.

Vanilla Sweet Grass is an aromatic, cool-season perennial growing 10-24” tall, blooming in June to July, and spreading about 2 feet per year by underground rhizomes. The natural range of Sweet Grass is Greenland to Alaska, south to New Jersey, the Midwest, and Arizona, in zones 3 to 7. Its natural habitat is wetlands, prairies, and savannas in wet to medium moisture soils.

A sacred grass in Native American ceremonies, Sweet Grass is braided and burned as a ‘smudge’ to purify body and soul and invite the presence of good spirits. The glossy green leaves have a pleasant vanilla fragrance. Because of its aggressive, rhizomatous nature it can be difficult to eliminate if it has spread to areas where it is not wanted.

Though Sweet Grass prefers rich, moist soils, it will grow in almost any soil that receives a minimum of a half day of sun. Sandy, well-drained sites will require mulch and watering during times of low rainfall. Add compost to sand or clay soils. The preferred pH range is 6 to 8.

(Photo Credit: Plant Select.)

A Plant Select winner that is hardy here, but not at higher elevations. It is native to Oklahoma and Texas and is said to grow where there’s water (one common name is ‘Seep Muhly’), yet some horticulturists here recommend growing it pretty dry. When well-grown, it makes a beautiful and graceful 2’ x 3’ mound of fine mid-green blades covered in late summer by a shimmering haze of tiny pink/red flowers, then reddish seeds.

Hardy to Zone 5.

We also offer the native Muhlenbergia montana (Mountain Muhly), which will grow in moderate to dry conditions, with a less dense display of seedheads than Ruby Muhly Grass. Mountain muhly is a strongly tufted perennial grass, 8-20 in. tall, with loose, narrow panicles and light-green. leaves.

Also known as Ponytail Grass, this small grass, to 14” tall, has very fine-textured blades that make a ‘fountain’ of green. It can sometimes be evergreen. This grass may not be very long-lived, but will replace itself with seedlings, which can be relocated when small.

Hardy to Zone 5.

Native!  Up to 2’ tall. Native to Boulder County and much of the interior West. Grows in very dry areas, in full sun. Graceful, open clumps of very narrow blades, and delicately branched flowering stalks in June. Small pearl-like white seeds are held individually on the much-branched stalks and were collected by Native Americans for use as a grain. Also, an important food source for wildlife. Old seed germinates better than new seed. Needs supplemental summer watering if you want to keep it from going dormant. Excellent meadow grass, perfect in native xeriscapes.

Hardy to Zone 3.

Native!  Switchgrass was an important component of the Tallgrass Prairie. It tolerates a wide range of soils, including dry ones, but prefers moist soils that are not too rich in nitrogen, and grows best in full sun. Here it grows to about 3’ tall and wide, topped in midsummer by finely-textured pinkish flower panicles that hover over the foliage like an airy cloud. Seed plumes turn beige and persist well into winter, providing an excellent seed source for songbirds. Fall foliage color is yellow, but selections like ‘Shenandoah’ develop beautiful deep red and purple foliage color in late summer.

Salt-tolerant. Hardy to Zone 2.

‘Hameln’ is a smaller and hardier variety of fountain grass with three distinctive seasons of attractive displays. Green, fine-textured grass blades up to 2 feet tall are tipped with soft, foxtail-shaped seed heads. Foliage turns rust gold in autumn and pale blonde in winter, and is a favorite stopover for birds. Taking moderate watering, it’s great match for late-season perennials and colorful shrubs in the sunny mixed border.

Hardy to Zone 5.

Native! Little Bluestem is very erect to 24”-30” with fine foliage and blooms in late summer-early fall. Blooms turn white and catch the early morning and late afternoon sun beautifully when back-lit. The foliage turns copper and looks good for a long time. Very drought-tolerant. Selections ‘The Blues’ and ‘Prairie Blues’ have very blue foliage during the growing season. ‘Blaze’ is a colorful selection of the common native in this region.

Hardy to Zone 3.

Native! The ‘little brother’ of Giant Sacaton. The foliage mass is about 2’x2’, with the large, pinkish airy bloom/seed plumes rising to 40-48″ tall. For a ‘warm-season’ grass, Alkali Sacaton gets growing quite early in spring, so prune it back in February.  A robust native, Alkali Sacaton flowers for many months, beginning in June. Deep rooted, this grass grows well in all soil types including sand, loam and clay as well as alkaline and salty soils, and prefers moderate to low moisture.  On the prairie Sporobolus is used by animals for forage, cover and nesting. Its seeds are relished by birds.

Hardy to Zone 4.

Native!  Silver Beardgrass is a native perennial clump-grass with fuzzy, light-gathering, white fruiting heads atop tall, slender, stiff stems and narrow blades. At first glance it looks like foxtail grass, but up close you see that instead of the flower head being compact and spike-like, as in the foxtails, it’s a narrow, branched panicle. It occurs along roads, in spots in fields of Big Bluestem, on the rocky slopes of hills, and it’s a very tough grass specializing in dry, open places from South America to Colorado. It’s not flamboyant-looking until those slender, white heads catch the back-lighting sun in late summer; then they are very eye-catching.

Native! A lovely small grass found here in the foothills and eastward across the Western prairies. Growing to 1-2’ tall and wide, it makes an elegant, fine-textured, emerald green fountain, suitable in many garden styles. The fine-textured plumes that rise above the foliage clump are attractive in bloom and in seed, and are favored by songbirds. The inflorescences are pleasantly fragrant – some say they smell like burnt buttered popcorn. Plains Indian tribes ground the seeds to make a tasty flour.

Prairie Dropseed is also drought tolerant and turns a nice russet brown in fall. Hardy to Zone 4.

Photo Credit: Plant Select

Native!  Comes up earlier in spring than most other warm season grasses. It also flowers earlier than most other warm-season grasses. This huge S.W. native grass grows to 6-10’ tall and 4-6’ wide, tolerates most soils and is very drought-tolerant. Huge airy flower/seed panicles are ornamental well into winter.

Hardy to Zone 5. Cut back to 2-3” in late winter.