Ornamental grasses have become popular and important landscape additions to the perennial garden over the past decade and rightly so. As a textural garden element, ornamental grasses offer relief from big heavy globs of foundation shrubs, and their interest spans the seasons.
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We also include in this group any perennial plants that have grassy foliage, or are similar in texture and use in the garden, without technically being ornamental grasses. Most ornamental grasses thrive in full sun, but the grass look-alikes such as carex and acorus prefer shade. Use ornamental grasses to contrast heavier textured plants. Each will enhance the other.
Ornamental grasses range from tall plants such as Saccharum arundinaceum and Miscanthus giganteus to medium-size plants such as Panicum, to shorter plants such as Carex (Sedge) and Chasmanthium (northern sea oats). When you're ready to buy ornamental grasses for your garden, checkout the list below. We have a large and ever-changing list of wonderful ornamental grasses for sale.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
This beautiful new UK selection of the giant reed grass adds a new twist to a great deer-resistant garden plant. Arundo 'Golden Chain' was named in the mid-1990s by Liam Mackenzie of the UK's Madrona Nursery as a tissue culture mutation from Arundo donax 'Versicolor'. Arundo 'Golden Chain' forms a clump of 7' tall upright stalks of medium green leaves edged in gold. The color holds all season, unlike the larger and more common Arundo donax 'Versicolor'. Arundo 'Golden Chain' is also a much smaller and less vigorous plant which makes propagation more of a chore, but keeps it in scale with smaller gardens. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This wonderful deer-resistant grass, native to Mediterranean freshwater wetlands, has long been a favorite of gardeners. The only drawback was the fading of the leaf variegation in warm weather. Arundo 'Peppermint Stick', imported from the Shanghai Botanic Garden by plantsman Greg Speichert, solves that, with striped leaves just as vivid in summer as in spring. Arundo 'Peppermint Stick' forms sturdy 12' tall canes, adorned with wide green-and-white striped leaves. In the fall, the clumps are topped with 18" tall bronze-colored plumes. Arundo may get too large for small gardens, but it is NOT an invasive plant (displacing natives in functioning ecosystems) as I read in some eco-Nazi literature. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We simply adore this stunning clumping bamboo that makes an 18' tall deer-resistant clump (35' in more tropical areas) of 1" diameter canes, vertically striped gold and green. We have observed slight foliage burn at 10 degrees F and some cane dieback at 8 degrees F. While we have had clumps die to the ground at 0 degrees F, they have always resprouted nicely when summer warmth arrived, although it takes a few years to recover their full size. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: Bambusa glaucescens 'Fernleaf') This compact cultivar of the clumping Bamboo multiplex usually reaches 9-10', although reports exist of 20' heights in perfect conditions. The 0.5" wide, upright green canes are composed of culms every 4-6". From these culms, tufts of small stems emerge bearing densely packed, small green leaves. Because of its thick nature, Bambusa 'Fernleaf' is highly prized as a short, thick, deer-resistant hedge. When temperatures drop below 6 degrees F, the plants will probably defoliate and the canes will die to the ground at 0 degrees F. Our plants have reliably resprouted from 0 degrees several times over the last 20 years. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
No muss, no fuss, no trouble! We have long experimented with this heat-loving, deer-resistant, clumping bamboo and still find it strangely underused in southeastern gardens. This 10' clumper dies to the ground at 8 degrees F, but returns late the next summer when the heat builds. In colder climates, it can be grown as an ornamental grass and cut to the ground in early spring. When winter temperatures stay above 15 degrees F, the stems will remain green and the leaves evergreen. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
The words "refined elegance" come to mind when you grow Borinda angustissima. The tight deer-resistant clumps of 1" canes (when mature) can eventually reach 15' tall and are adorned with airy, tiny green leaves highlighted by dark purple sheaths...simply delightful. Borinda angustissima was accessioned in 1993 by Dr. Jim Waddick in China's northern Sichuan Province near Huang Long Si. Our plants have survived our oppressively humid 107 degree F highs and lows of 15 degrees F with no ill effects. Borinda angustissima is very slow to establish, but really starts to take off in its third year. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: Yushania boliana) We have longed for hardy clumping bamboo of Sasquatch proportions, and thanks to Jackie Heinricher at Boo-Shoot Gardens, we have it. Our 3-year-old clumps of the deer-resistant Borinda boliana have already reached 10' tall, with 0.5-1" diameter arching blue-green culms. Mature plants should top out at 50' tall, so don't plant these under power lines or airline flight paths. Our plants were killed to the ground at 9 degrees F, despite prior information to the contrary. Conversely, they have thrived through 3 consecutive weeks of above 100 degrees F heat and humidity in full sun. We are ecstatic about this new bamboo...blue marlin-sized fishing poles, biomass fuel potential, and a quick way to hide your untidy neighbors! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This superb sedge, native from Quebec south to South Carolina, is a must for shade gardeners. Naturally occurring in dry woodlands, even underneath hemlocks, Carex appalachica is adaptable to almost all garden conditions...except swamps. The very narrow, weeping, mop-top looking deer-resistant foliage makes an airy, 18" wide clump. When used singly or en masse, the textural contrast near bolder elements is simply stunning. If you've been looking for a shady replacement for an unmown lawn or a hairpiece that matches your green thumb, look no further. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This selection of Carex dolichostachya var. glaberrima is a delightful easy-to-grow but difficult to pronounce addition to any plant collection, via a Barry Yinger expedition to Japan. This evergreen deer-resistant carex has narrow, dark green leaves with a nice golden border. Carex 'Kaga nishiki' forms a delightful small clump, 10" tall x 20" wide, perfect for the rock garden or perhaps a woodland border...a good grower...striking! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Even with a wide native range from NC to the West Coast, this rare native is not well-known in gardening circles. Although it naturally occurs on limestone outcrops, it has been fabulous for years in our acid NC soils. The drought-tolerant, 8" wide, symmetrical clumps of soft green, needle-like foliage resemble little green porcupines...pettable porcupines. This delightful deer-resistant sedge is great in a woodland or rock garden! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: Carex glauca) This recent rich-colored Emerald Coast Growers selection of the European native Carex flacca has wonderfully narrow, glaucous leaves that make a delightfully wispy-textured, evergreen, deer-resistant groundcover. Although Carex flacca prefers moist alkaline soils, it has proven to be quite adaptable to a wide range of garden conditions and soil types. Carex flacca 'Blue Zinger' forms a nice 2' wide patch in 5 years...much more clump forming than the straight species. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: Carex 'Gilt', Carex 'Fisher's Form') This is a truly great woodland plant. The stiff leaf blades, to 12" long x 0.5" wide, make an evergreen, rigidly symmetrical clump to 24" wide. The deer-resistant foliage is vertically banded white and dark green...much more white than Carex morrowii 'Variegatus' but otherwise identical in growth habit. Looks great winter and summer! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Everyone who sees this clumping carex can't leave without it. From a 1970s Barry Yinger expedition to Japan comes this hard-to-find but easy-to-grow selection of Carex morrowii temnolepis v. temnolepis. The 2' wide clump of wispy, thread-like, deer-resistant foliage is striped white-and-green...giving it a silver sheen in the garden. Imagine a 70-year-old with a mop-top cut that hasn't been introduced to hair color and you get the picture. Carex' Silk Tassel' is great in the woodland garden...either in a mass planting or as a specimen near the garden pond...absolutely outstanding! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(aka: Carex morrowii or hachijoensis) This is one of the most beautiful of all the sedges we grow. The narrow foliage 15" long x 0.15" wide, arches slightly upward, then out to form a 2' wide clump. Each leaf is vividly striped dark green and creamy gold. The dramatic weeping habit (like nurseries when they run out of stock) lends itself to a number of landscape settings...as a woodland border, near a water feature, or used as an eye-catching mass...stunning! As with all sedges, it's highly deer-resistant. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From Japan comes one of the most attention-drawing plants (cures ADD) in our entire garden (and without flowers). This gorgeous, upright, evergreen deer-resistant sedge resembles a grove of miniature variegated palm trees with cute little whorls of dramatic white- and green-striped foliage atop each of the 12-15" tall stems. This is a real eye-catcher when planted among ferns in the woodland garden...prefers moist-to-normal garden conditions. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
In mesic (a region with a well-balanced moisture supply) woodlands from Maine south to Alabama, you can find this amazing native understory sedge which until recently had been almost non-existent in US gardens. The evergreen 8" tall x 1' wide deer-resistant clumps are composed of 1" wide, powder blue, pleated leaves. The clumps are topped with insignificant flowers in late spring, but grow this for the textural contrast in the woodland garden. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Native from Maine south to Texas, Carex retroflexa (related to C. texensis) can be found in openings of dry deciduous forests. Our particular form is one we collected in 2004 from northern Louisiana's Bienville Parish, where the infamous Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were gunned down in 1934. For us, Carex retroflexa has made a stunning, very fine textured, mop-top form...a nice complement to the bold textures of hostas in open woodland. Each clump forms a 6" tall x 18" wide mound. We have seen a bit of seeding in moist sites which is fine with us. I think you'll really like this great but little-known native. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We really love this woodland carex, shared with us by Alabama native plant guru Jan Midgley...originally collected by Charles Bryson in Coahoma Co. Mississippi. Carex socialis is native from Illinois south to Texas, where it can be found in low deciduous woodlands. Carex socialis forms a graceful 10" tall x 2' wide, deer-resistant, slowly expanding patch composed of very narrow green leaves...a superb textural contrast around ferns and hostas. Carex socialis has proven to be amazingly drought-tolerant in our trials. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Carex 'Rekohu Sunrise' comes to us from Terry and Lindsey Hatch of Joy Plants in New Zealand, who discovered it as a nursery sport on their native Carex trifida. Rekohu is the indigenous Maori name for nearby Chatham Islands. Carex 'Rekohu Sunrise' makes an evergreen, 18" tall x 2' wide, deer-resistant clump composed of wide, arching green leaves edged in yellow. In our garden, it has so far survived 7 degrees F. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
In the latest example of "Natives Gone Wild", our very own northern sea oats, which ranges from Pennsylvania west to Arizona, has been spotted sporting a new "tattoo." This discovery from the folks at Itsaul Plants, forms a typical 30" tall deer-resistant clump of upright green stalks adorned by 9" long x 1" wide leaves, each heavily striped with white. As the flower stalks expand in early summer, the variegation follows the new growth into the developing seed heads. Darn, this is one sexy native, so be among the first to get yours. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
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