I've been experimenting with grasses for about a year now. I have extremely sandy soil which I thought would be the perfect environment. With a little research I have found that they need more water then I thought they did. I have some panicums, pennisetums, miscanthus, muhly, diamond grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha), stipa ummmm some carex, liriope, hakonechloa, maybe a couple others ha. All are surviving with no extra water but not really thriving. Though their failure to thrive may also have to do with a very, very lean soil and a still pretty low PH.

One grass that has been a huge success is Carex buchananii 'Red Rooster'. It grows about 12 inches high and is a beautiful bronze color year round.

I have heard that pennisetum 'karley rose' is stunning planted in mass. I am growing one in a pot as well as other grasses. Others still I have planted out in the landscape poor things, in the sand.

Purple muhly is great in lean sand and is gorgeous in the fall when it blooms. I am waiting on an order of purple love grass (Eragrostis spectabilis) that I am going to try with my purple muhly. It looks alot like the muhly except short with a more loose habit.

Pennisetum 'tall tales' is one of the first grasses I planted and still one of my favorites. Pennisetum 'red buttons' is also a nice shorter grass that has been putting up plumes for over a month and from what I have been reading will continue to do so into the fall.

You should have better luck in your clay than I have had but you will still need to amend like you are doing. Hope this has been some help to you. Adele

My favorites are Panicum, purple muhly, and blue lovegrass. They may require some water to start with, but since you have amended clay they will likely be carefree once established.

I also grow the three that Alicia mentioned. In addition to those I have Miscanthus 'Cabaret' which is very showy and Calamagrostis 'Avalanche' which I also like alot. Be aware that although it is a once a season chore, it is a REAL chore to cut back the grasses in late winter(at least to me). I would probably grow more of them if I didn't dislike that part so much.

Some of my favorite grasses are Miscanthus 'Adagio' and 'Little Kitten'. They both stand up well to storms and windy weather in exposed areas, unlike Pennisetum 'Karley Rose' which I like but it tends to flop and lose it's shape by the end of the season. Muhlenbergia rigens is another good one. I also grow a lot of sedges, especially carexes, and C. buchananii is one that does better in sun than shade. I wouldn't call it invasive, but mine does seed a little bit right around the parent plant.

Thanks for the wonderful recommendations. I'll have to keep in mind the heavy winter cutting back when I plan how many grasses I have in the area. :)

I love the pink muhly and have plans to one day have more of it along some eventual steps we're planning on a full sun and dry/clay bank. I want to interplant the muhly with russian cut leaf sage. I've always thought those two would look stunning together!

I don't cut back my muhlies; they're evergreen and don't need cutting back. In fact I never even groom mine either. although they'd look a lot neater in the spring if I did. They actually have rather sharp blades so I don't mess with it. :)

If you're planting a naturalized area with smaller grasses like panicum you may not need to cut back at all, although again you will get a more fresh neat look with just green grasses in the spring. By summer it probably won't matter; the new grass will have engulfed the old stuff.

I've been really enjoying my Panicum virgatum "Shenandoah", Red Switchgrass. It has been beautiful, hardy, completely trouble free.
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It's showing there at the lower right. The almost accidental combination with the red Flanders poppies has been delightful.
I also have a porcupine grass that is a real keeper, too.

Lots of good suggestions above. I love my Miscanthus 'Cosmopolitan' for flashy green/white foliage and large structure. It looks great as a background for red or orange blooms such as crocosmia, milkweed, orange coneflowers, and salvia 'Navajo Red'. It also looks great with my chaste tree and agastache 'blue fortune'. I also have bronze fennel and pineapple sage planted around it.

Cameron

Alicia, I'm glad you posted that about the Muhlies. I almost didn't cut mine back this year but chickened out at the last minute and gave it the best I could. Now I wish I had left it alone because it still hasn't filled out the way I'd like with the dry conditions. Next year I'll stick to my guns and leave it be.

I cut my muhly back also just before I read in a thread to leave it alone and was sorry I did. I think they are very slow to fill out again. Oh well, live and learn.

I received the love grass from Santa Rosa Gardens today by UPS. I don't think I have ever seen better looking plants, mailorder or otherwise. I was really blown away by the plants and their packaging.

Linda, more great pictures of all your hard work. You go girl. I've had the same success with Panicum virgatum "Shenandoah. I think of all the grasses I have planted that seems to be the most easy care. Adele

Linda, I agree - VERY pretty!!

I love the look of purple fountain grass but haven't tried it yet... I want to remake an old bed at the end of my gravel driveway where it gets HOTHOTHOT in the summer, but it's one of the few spots in my yard with full sun. Any thoughts on what might go well with it there?

Wow -- many really great recommendations. Makes me wish I had double the space. Beautiful pictures lindakimy. I think I'll go back and get the red switchgrass I was contemplating today. Thanks everyone.

I am totally in love with my pink muhly and keep dividing it. Another one I really like is northern sea oats although it does re-seed and spreads so you do have to keep it in check.

Pink Muhly

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Thank you to the OP for starting this thread. Great info has been shared. Love the pics too. That pink muhly looks like a peacock or at least a turkey in your garden. There is even one little tuft in front for the head - is that on purpose?

Cute.

Great pictures. I like all the grasses mentioned above, in fact there are very few grasses I do not like. I am still so in love with one of my first grasses, Miscanthus Morning Light, I think it is just about perfect. M. Andagio and M Yuka Jima take a close second in the Miscanthus world. Calimagrostis K Forrester (sp?) is pretty wonderful too. I have an area that is 90% grass. I burn it in the early spring. What would take me 3-4 hours to cut back goes up in flames in 15 minutes! It is very exciting; please if you do it be very careful, it burns quickly.

Oh wow! Lynn, I really want that grass! I've got three of the most pitiful little starts that I wintersowed. Each one is about 5 inches long and has two strands. I cannot believe they are still alive. I don't know WHAT I'm going to do with them. I've petted them along in pots...carefully watering and fertilizing. This is supposed to be a native plant here!

I've also got two Hameln grasses that are not performing as I would like. They are tiny little things and they should be at least a foot high by now - more really. At least they are still alive. I put them in (bought them from the expensive nursery, mind) to replace two others that just unceremoniously died. I'm running out of chances with that one and it is so pretty! I really want it in my garden!

My porcupine grass is doing well, though. And my Japanese silver grass is trying so hard! We call it the "cow lick". The poor thing got cut in that late freeze. (So THAT'S why they tell you not to cut the new growth!!) It is warped but is really making a huge effort to grow up. Next year, baby!

that pink muhly is beautiful Lynne. I bought one and now I can't wait to plant it. I read something about only planting some grasses in the spring or fall though. Heading over to the ornamental grasses thread to find out more.

I'm in the Raleigh area. Does anyone have a suggestion as far as a source in this area for a good assortment of grasses? Also what about mail order sources??? b I'd love a good website to view the different options. The Raleigh Farmer's Market has some nice (and cheap) one later in the season (fall) but I really would like to start looking now.

dellare - is there a site for the Santa Rosa Gardens? Where are they, sounds like CA?

dellare - I found the site for Santa Rosa Gardens. Nice selection. Still want a local source. Someone that really has a large selection.

Niche Gardens and Plant Delights sell a good selection of ornamental grasses.

All the grasses that I mentioned except for the purple love grass and the golden hakon I got from BB's in Sanford. Adele

I agree with Adele, the best selection is at BB. If you find yourself in Durham, I also like Durham Garden Center for grasses at reasonable prices. They get a lot of theirs from Hoffman Nursery (a wholesaler that specializes in grasses) in northern Durham County. I don't think you can go out to Hoffman's yourself unless you're in the business (or unless you represent a golf course).

Thanks to both of you. I'm new in this area anc its so hard to get my list of sources for particular. I've been to BB but didn't look at grasses.