The growing popularity of this cousin to ‘Karl Foerster’ (C. × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’) is understandable. Its adaptable nature allows it to work in a variety of conditions. I’ve even seen it growing well on the green roof at the Chicago Botanic Garden in just a few inches of soil. Fresh green foliage forms a relatively medium-size clump before the flowers emerge shyly in late summer from the rolls of foliage, like a sleeping beauty, almost unexpected. The shape of the flower is like a spear, measuring 2 to 3 inches wide and more than a foot long. Initially, the inflorescences have a subtle pink tone to them. As the season winds down, the color lightens to a creamy gravy color. Yum! Korean feather grass can reseed, so if you don’t want babies, you may want to deadhead before winter. Luckily, the seed heads dry nicely for indoor arrangements.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4–9

Size: 3 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil

Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’

The name of this short but showy ornamental grass says a lot. At peak bloom in early summer, its clusters of golden yellow sprays look like bundled tufts of blonde hair. In time, the color lightens to that of a ginger root. Before the flowers come, the parsley green, ridged but narrow foliage forms a clean, green mound. Gold dew tufted hair grass is the perfect size for smaller spaces and pairs well with early spring bulbs and other small-to-medium-size, late-spring to summer perennials like ‘Pocahontas’ penstemon (Penstemon digitalis ‘Pocahontas’, Zones 3–8).

Zones: 4–9

Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, rich soil

Drooping sedge is unlike any sedge you’ve seen before

Carex pendula

So many sedges are grown strictly for their foliage. This one is no exception, but when you add the dramatic, 5-foot-high stems of pendulous yellow flowers, it’s perfection­—like adding lemon peel to the edge of a cocktail. The foliage of drooping sedge is semi-evergreen and emerges from triangular stems. Flowering begins in early summer; the female flowers are brown, while the showier mustard yellow male flowers hang down 8 to 10 inches. Later, as the flower stems continue to lengthen, the entire seed head will turn brown. Overall, the plant has a vase-shaped habit, so it will need room. Drooping sedge can be grown easily from seed if you can’t find plants at the nursery.

Zones: 5–9

Size: 4 to 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide

Conditions: Partial shade; moist, fertile soil

‘Poul Petersen’ purple moor grass is the perfect transitional plant

Molinia caerulea ‘Poul Petersen’

This may be the new standard in medium-size grasses. Moor grasses are cool-season grasses that bloom in summer. ‘Poul Petersen’ purple moor grass initially sports nearly black flowers on 3-foot-long stems. Eventually, the blooms fade to golden-tan seed heads and stems. This newer cultivar has slightly wider green foliage compared to many of the other varieties on the market. The upright habit makes it useful in mass plantings, especially if you want to tuck in some colorful companion plants, because this grass isn’t a thug to its neighbors. I’ve seen it peppered with yellow foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora, Zones 3–8) and clusterhead pink (Dianthus carthusianorum, Zones 5–10) in Piet Oudolf’s garden, the Barn at Bury Court. The size of ‘Poul Petersen’ purple moor grass makes it a great transitional grass from the short plants to the tall plants.

Zones: 4–9

Size: 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun; moist soil

The movement of their flowers is how ornamental grasses truly take your breath away.

With purple tufted fescue, the blue foliage is secondary

Festuca amethystina ‘Superba’

When you think of fescue grasses, you probably think of blue foliage—not flowers. Well, this variety does have thinner blue foliage, but it’s the showy pink highlights around the flowers that might make you forget it’s a grass. If all ornamental grasses looked like this, they’d be even more popular. The flowers are initially like all other fescues: outward facing and tan. But by early summer, the stems just below the flowers begin to take on a blush of pink, which is incredibly eye catching. Purple tufted fescue is more tolerant of average garden conditions and longer lived than other varieties, too. I grow mine in a gravel garden, where it blends in well with other short grasses.

Zones: 4–10

Size: 18 to 24 inches tall and 24 to 28 inches wide

Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil

Ruby muhly grass has long-term staying power

Muhlenbergia reverchonii

Ruby muhly grass is native to Oklahoma and into Texas, but it grows in a much wider range of conditions than the Southern Plains offer. That’s good news for those looking to fill a site with dry or moist areas with fluffy pink clouds of inflorescences. This warm-season grass sports thin, gray-green foliage before the flowers cover them up in midsummer. After the pink, sprinkles-like flowers fade, the tan mass of stems and seed heads remains into winter, giving this grass a long period of showiness. This up-and-coming plant is just becoming more widely available.

Zones: 5–9

Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil

‘Graziella’ maiden grass has blooms like cotton candy

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Graziella’

This beauty has been my favorite silver-colored grass since I started growing it in the ’90s. ‘Graziella’ has similar thin, upright and arching foliage to the more popular ‘Gracillimus’ (M. sinensis* ‘Gracillimus’), but ‘Graziella’ both flowers earlier and has a heavier bloom than its cousin. Upon emerging in late summer, the flower color is cinnamon red (pictured) but quickly dries to a fluffy silver fan that looks like pieces of cotton candy. Maiden grasses are, funny enough, distant relatives of sugarcane.These substantial plants stand tall, with sharp-edged blades that have an ornamental strip of silver down the center. In certain areas of the country, some maiden grasses are considered invasive, so if you’re looking for a sterile option, consider ‘Scout’ (M. sinensis* ‘Scout’).

Zones: 5–9

Size: 5 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil

*This plant is considered invasive in some areas.

If your grasses are not standing up in the garden, chances are it’s because of one of two reasons. First, full sun is ideal for most grasses and can make the difference between flop or not. Well-drained or lean soil is also essential in most cases. While not everyone wants poor or lean soil, if you have a spot like this in full sun, it may be perfect for grasses. Here are a couple of additional ways to provide ideal conditions for your grasses if you don’t already have them:

1. Plant in a raised bed or on sloped ground. This will ensure good drainage.

2. “Lean up” the soil around your grasses. One way to do this is by planting them among gravel or hand-size stones. Doing this will help with drainage as well.

3. Don’t forget to divide in time. Over the years, some grasses will die out in the middle, and this causes them to flop. Dividing every three or four years will keep them strong and standing upright.

Photos, except where noted: Intrinsic Perennial Gardens

Sources

• Bluestem Nursery, Christina Lake, BC; 250-447-6363; bluestem.ca
• Fraser’s Thimble Farm, Salt Spring Island, BC; 250-537-5788; thimblefarms.com
• Laporte Avenue Nursery, Fort Collins, CO; 970-472-0017; laporteavenuenursery.com
• Santa Rosa Gardens, Pensacola, FL; 866-681-0856; santarosagardens.com