Sammy, we all seem to forget that everything in Nature gets pruned. Whether it's by being burned, frozen or eaten, everything gets mown down. I haven't found a grass yet that didn't look better after being cut pretty much to the ground. I love Stipa tenuissima or Feather Grass, because it's so easy and elegant here. I know many will denounce it because it seeds so prolifically, but it's also as easy as alyssum to pull out where it isn't wanted. I hack it to the ground at least once a year and find it quite easy to actually thin by separating. I don't worry about killing it because it's so durable here and is always replaced by seedlings. I guess I would be less enthusiastic about hacking grasses back and pulling clumps of it apart if they were less tenacious here. I'd think as long as the grass isn't rhizomatous, you should be able to keep it in check with regular "mowing". I usually just grab it in a clump with one hand and slice through it with my clippers. It's worked quite well here. We have to remember, also, that most of them will, like lavenders and other companion plants, have to be replaced every few years. Most tend to get too woody and thick with age, resembling chaparral plants, which many are. Kim

I think that two of the grasses facing north are Pennisetum, and they seem to be doing well. The fountain grasses are a mixed bag. One of them is fantastic - huge, three times the size it was last year, whereas the other, roughly in the same area, has a few blades, and no more. Another two or so fountain grasses are okay, but a couple died over the winter (either that or the gardener pulled them out as "weeds" which he has done with a LOT of my plants!). I planted three Cortadera in the Fall, which arrived already cut back. None of the three came back, and yet they are in the same vicinity as the fountain grass which is thriving. The two cortadera which I bought in full bloom, and about three feet tall when purchased, have developed several blades around the perimeter of the cut back plants, but nothing has come out of the middle at all. No, I have not dug any of them up, although I can dig up the three which never came up at all ( the cut back areas are still present at ground level). As for other perennials, no problem. I am growing rudbeckia, echinea, hellenium, golden marguerite, gaillardia, shasta daisies, lilies, choreopsis, the usual ubiquitous daffodils and tulips, and many more. All are thriving (again, except for those which disappeared thanks to my gardener, and he is now not allowed to touch anything, so I am doing a lot of weeding!) I am growing a number of fruit trees, and blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, figs, all with success. My trees, conifers, hydrangeas (I have loads of them), roses, are all happy. It's only the darn grasses!

First, your Fountain Grass shouldn't be browning up this early. Are you giving it enough water? Second, I don't know of any varieties of true Pampas Grass (Cortaderia) which would be hardy in a container in your zone. 'Pumila' might get by with a lot of protection, but it's rated to zone 6 in the ground, and your container will be more like zone 5. Take a look at Panicum amarum 'Dewey Blue.' It's about the size of a dwarf Pampas, is a wonderful blue color, and is extremely cold hardy. The flowering is nothing like Pampas or Fountain, but it's just as attractive, in my opinion. There are literally dozens of other grasses which will work for you, like many of the Carex varieties. Check out this comparison chart: http://www.bluestem.ca/grass-comparison-chart.htm Concentrate on grasses hardy to zone 4 and colder, to be on the safe side, and select the varieties in the size range you desire. The chart links to photographs and more information for each variety.

Hope your wishes come true, although the one about the grasses self-dividing themselves, well, wouldn't that be nice. Me, I'm just grateful for finding some 1 gallon Pink Muhly's at Home Depot. I wish they do well until Spring when I will divide them into six plugs. Then I wish they thrive where I plant them. And next Fall, I wish the flowering Pink Muhly's knock not a few people's sox off. This grass is a stunner, and I was stunned (but not so stunned that I didn't buy it) to find it at a Home Depot. Cheers. Happy Holidays all.