In my picture, the agastache is 'Blue Fortune'. I love Eric's planting too -- Cabaret is the anchor plant there too. Mine was only maybe 2-3 years old in my picture. I would not choose to divide any miscanthus unless I had too, especially the bigger cultivars. If you need to or want to to increase stock, do so within a year or two of planting. You can manage to hack off pieces of an older miscanthus is you have a sharp spade, a pick or a big axe, and a strong back. But digging and "dividing" a large miscanthus can indeed be a back breaking job and may be a good way to end up in the hospital with a disc, especially if you have clay soil. I had to remove 5 10 year old plants of 'Silberfeder' from my old garden. And the root balls on those things were the size of specimen conifers -- it is a job I will never forget. I plant miscanthus carefully now, with the idea of never planning to move or divide them. And I would rather go buy new small plants than face the herculean task of dealing with large old ones. It ain't nothin' like dividing a daylily.....

Miscanthus Gracillimus has long been considered the industry standard for ornamental grasses... but is rapidly being replaced by one of the grasses mentioned earlier... Sarabande. It is very similar but the plume is more tan color than the coppery colored ones of Gracillimus. Why? I am not sure but my guess would be that if the landscapers cannot get ahold of Gracillimus then they consider Sarabande a good alternative. Jake is right about adding some variety. Good design composition includes 4 different kinds of visual images... height, form, color and texture. try adding some switch grass or fountain grass... or use some canadian hemlock or chaemcypris gold mops for good strong contrast... add some perennials such as black eyed susans ( the black dead flower head make awesome contrast against the tan wintry dead grasses) or verbena bonariensis with variegated grasses or russian sage or pink cone flower... low growing cotoneaster shrubs mixed around the base of miscanthus look great... or plant some fountain grass... but too much of any one thing (same height, form, color or texture)gets boring and many really nice plants will blend with others and get kinda lost. Sue "The one thing all gardeners share in common is a belief in tomorrow"

What about switch grass (Panicum virgatum)? I love the cultivars "Dallas Blues" and "North Wind". Here is a link that might be useful: Panicum cultivars

Rigoletto was found at Bluemel nursery, for which we owe them a thank you since this is an outstanding grass. I prefer its more compact size to variegatus. Dixieland is even smaller and may not be quite as hardy...verdict may still be out. Morning light is not of the same variegation and I'd tend to use it differently in the landscape. Morning Light offers very strong white edging that makes it seem silvery translucent. I like this grass next to water and in morning sun. I'd be hard pressed to choose between Rigoletto and Morning Light as the 'better' miscanthus.