The very best perennial ornamental grasses, the top ornamental grasses for sun & shade, towering tall ornamental grasses, and more.
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Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'
Item #: 369
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Andropogon gerardii 'Blackhawks' PP 27,949
Item #: 13009
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: North America
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $20.00Regular priceUnit price per$25.00Sale price $20.00Sale -
Sold outAndropogon gerardii 'Lord Snowden'
Item #: 18284
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: North America
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $26.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Arundo donax 'Peppermint Stick'
Item #: 6677
Zones: 6a to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 144" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Mediterranean Europe
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Bambusa multiplex 'Green Giant'
Item #: 9026
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 300" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Burma/Myanmar, China, Laos, Nepal, Taiwan, Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $39.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Bambusa multiplex 'Riviereorum'
Item #: 2123
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 120" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Burma/Myanmar, China, Laos, Nepal, Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $39.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex appalachica
Item #: 5793
Zones: 4a to 7b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex bromoides
Item #: 12439
Zones: 4a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Sun to Shade
Origin: Canada, United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex buchananii 'Red Rooster'
Item #: 13540
Zones: 7a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: New Zealand
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $17.60Regular priceUnit price per$22.00Sale price $17.60Sale -
Carex cherokeensis 'Crying Time'
Item #: 16663
Zones: 6a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex eburnea
Item #: 1602
Zones: 2a to 8b, possibly warmer
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Sun to Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex 'Feather Falls' PP 26,199
Item #: 16730
Zones: 6a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex gentilis ssp. nakaharae 'Yushan'
Item #: 9383
Zones: 7a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex howei 'Bonnie and Clyde'
Item #: 8727
Zones: 5a to 9b, guessing
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 15" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex howei 'Willow the Wisp'
Item #: 17608
Zones: 5a to 9b, guessing
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex lanceolata 'Silk Tassel'
Item #: 1197
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'
Item #: 1199
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $17.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex oshimensis 'Everillo' PP 21,002
Item #: 9802
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $17.60Regular priceUnit price per$22.00Sale price $17.60
Sale -
Carex pensylvanica 'Straw Hat' PP 29,432
Item #: 14345
Zones: 4a to 7b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Canada, United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $17.60Regular priceUnit price per$22.00Sale price $17.60Sale -
Carex picta 'Bama Beauty'
Item #: 12814
Zones: 5a to 7b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex scaposa
Item #: 12591
Zones: 7a to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China, Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex scaposa DJHV 2304
Item #: 16881
Zones: 7a to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dichromena colorata
Item #: 4757
Zones: 7a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 15" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Fargesia robusta 'Ping Wu'
Item #: 6634
Zones: 7a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $39.00Regular priceUnit price per
More Information About Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grass varieties have become incredibly popular and important landscape decorations to the garden over the last several decades and rightly so. As a garden design element, decorative ornamental grasses offer textural relief from round foundation shrubs, and their interest spans all the seasons. No matter what conditions you have in your garden, there are ornamental grasses that will work for you.
Best Ornamental Grasses for Light Shade
For woodland gardens with filtered sun light throughout the day, you can select great shade tolerant ornamental grasses. In our opinion, the best ornamental grasses for light shade are:
- Ophiopogon (Mondo Grass) - great short ornamental grass plants
- Carex (Sedge) - the toughest of the shade ornamental grasses
- Chasmanthium (Northern Sea Oats) – native variegated varieties of ornamental grasses
Best Ornamental Grasses for Sun to Part Sun
Most ornamental grasses are well suited for part sun to sun. Part sun means a few hours of sun, either in morning or afternoon, each day. Sun means 6 or more hours of direct sun during the day. For us, the best ornamental grasses for sun include:
- Miscanthus (Maiden Grass) – variegated, perennial, salt and deer-resistant ornamental grass
- Muhlenbergia (Muhly grass) – tough and versatile full sun ornamental grass
- Panicum (Switchgrass) – airy, upright perennial ornamental grass
- Pennisetum (Fountain Grass) – easy-to-grow, extremely resilient
- Bambusa (Clumping Bamboo) – tropical genus of bamboo that is a type of ornamental grass
- Liriope (Money Grass) – tough, drought-tolerant, low-maintenance ornamental grass
- Nassella (Feather Grass) – popular native ornamental grass that is deer-resistant and drought-tolerant
- Festuca (Fescue) – popular as a turf grass, ornamental species form clumps of blue foliage and attractive flowers
No matter what your garden decor... cottage, xeriscape, rock garden, container plant (fillers, spillers, thrillers), there is an ornamental grass for you. And you will find the best ornamental grasses for sale right here at Plant Delights Nursery.
Additional Ornamental Grass Resources
Want to learn more about how to use ornamental grasses in your garden or landscape? Check out our many blog posts about ornamental grasses and native grasses over at the Juniper Level Botanic Garden blog.