The very best perennial ornamental grasses, the top ornamental grasses for sun & shade, towering tall ornamental grasses, and more.
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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 $48.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Fargesia rufa
Item #: 6563
Zones: 5a to 8a, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $42.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Festuca arundinacea 'Glow Sticks' PP 34,648
Item #: 17053
Zones: 3a to 8a
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Festuca 'Cool as Ice' PP 27,651
Item #: 11754
Zones: 4a to 7b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hakonechloa macra 'SunFlare' PP 27,734
Item #: 14281
Zones: 5a to 7b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Liriope gracilis 'Mop Top'
Item #: 11801
Zones: 6a to 9b, guessing
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 15" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Liriope muscari 'Okina'
Item #: 3542
Zones: 6a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Liriope muscari 'Peedee Ingot'
Item #: 3096
Zones: 6a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Muhlenbergia sericea (capillaris of Horticulture)
Item #: 2317
Zones: 6b to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 30" 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 -
Muhlenbergia sericea 'White Cloud'
Item #: 6240
Zones: 6b to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Nassella tenuissima
Item #: 258
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Mexico, United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Ophiopogon japonicus 'Gyoku Ryu'
Item #: 551
Zones: 5a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 3" 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 -
Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Kokuryu'
Item #: 721
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 6" 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 -
Panicum virgatum 'Gunsmoke' PP 32,373
Item #: 16764
Zones: 4a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 54" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 11/01/2024Sold out -
Panicum virgatum 'Niagara Falls' PP 34,509
Item #: 16748
Zones: 4a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Panicum virgatum 'Ruby Ribbons' PP 17,944
Item #: 8334
Zones: 4a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price perSold out -
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Foxtrot'
Item #: 6870
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'JS Jommenik' PP 27,435
Item #: 13802
Zones: 6a to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price perSold out -
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Lemon Squeeze' PP 34,634
Item #: 16517
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 42" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price perSold out -
Schizachyrium scoparium 'Chameleon' PP 31,339
Item #: 16886
Zones: 3a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Schizachyrium scoparium 'Liberty Blue'
Item #: 10804
Zones: 7b to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 42" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Schizachyrium scoparium 'Twilight Zone' PP 27,432
Item #: 13509
Zones: 3a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sorghastrum nutans 'Slim Pickens'
Item #: 16034
Zones: 6a to 9b, possibly much colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular 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.