elbeardo - I can't help you on the dormant look, cause I haven't had it long enough. But it will go brown eventually, which doesn't bother me. Just give her the "brown lawns are really GREEN" spiel, or let HER take care of it. If you plant in early September with 12" spacing or closer, you should get full coverage. We went with the 18" spacing because of budget. A few places where we used up the extra plugs had 9" spacing and they were touching within a couple of months. We probably has the first batch out the door after a Nebraska winter ... they weren't exactly out of dormancy yet. Getting late-summer plugs might give you faster results.

* Carex hachijoensis, 'Evergold' (Evergold Japanese Sedge) Part sun - Morning light Only - cream and green grasslike leaves - mounding, clumping perennial - interesting swirling habit - great edging or groundcover - water usage -Semi-moist - Average size 16"-16" - Cold Hardiness (zone 5): -10 to -20 degrees F * Pennisetum setaceum, 'Rubrum' (Purple Fountain Grass) - Water - low, once established - Average size - 4-5 'X 4-5' - Cold Hardiness - (zone 9): 30 to 20 degrees F - requires excellent drainage * Juniperus horizontalis, 'Wiltonii' (Blue Rug Juniper) - 6 hours of full sun - water wise / deer resistant - Water - Low, once established - Average size - 1" X 6" (low and wide) - Cold hardiness: -20 to -30 degrees F - Note: deer resistant but not deer proof, depending upon scarcity of food. * Spirea X bumalda, 'Anthony Waterer' - (Flowering) - Full sun (6 hrs) - Compact deciduous shrub - New leaves are purplish red - bright red flowers - good filler or bank cover - Water - semi-moist - bloom time - Summer - Average size - 4' X 6' - Cold Hardiness: -30 to - 40 degrees F Not: Likes Sandy Soils * Spirea X bumulda, 'Goldmound' (Goldmound Spirea) - Full sun 6 hrs - low-growing, deciduous shrub - Pink blooms in late spring - Lovely golden, rounded foliage - Good for accent and shrub borders - Water: semi-moist - Average size: 3' X 4' - Cold hardiness: -30 to -40 degrees F * Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Sungold' (Sungold Threadleaf Falsecypress) - Water : Semi-moist - Average size: 3-5' to 4' - Cold hardiness: -20 to -30 degrees F Note: Mulch with 3-4 inches of bark chips to help keep roots cool in hot summer weather. So, there you have it! I have several 'fancy" spireas and all of them said "semi-moist" soil. All have gotten through every summer we've had so far, including this one. The key is mulching them thickly and watering them deeply. I set the hose to run slowly under them and allow the water to soak down deeply. Between these deep waterings, I water to keep the top mulch soil damp and help cool the topsoil. I consider these plants to be "Drought Tolerant" because even though they might need to be watered, they still grow well and look good through drought and high temps when many plants called "drought tolerant" burn up and look awful. It's a matter of perspective, I suppose. Shrubs do best here for me on the hilly prairies where summers and winters are both severe with lots of strong wind. (We have every- day winds like some of you experienced recently in the hurricane! When the wind gets up around 50-60 MPH you might hear someone say, "It's a bit windy today, ain't it." That's why we put our potato chips inside our sandwiches - so they don't blow away! (Hee hee hee) Springs and Falls are wonderful seasons here - moist and cool and that is when my gardens look their best. Even though Oklahoma is a relatively small state, there are 10 distinctly different Geological regions that cross the state diagonally from the northwest to the southeast. Altitudes range from nearly 4,000 ft above sea level in the highest region to 0 ft or sea level at our lowest point. Those 10 regions are so different. From desert lands and salt flats to woodland mountains and piney-wood forests; From prairie lands on flat lands or rolling hills to the hilly, rocky country with mixed wood forests. All distinctly different. Only two other states have that many geological regions: Texas and California. So, what it says on the tags vs what I KNOW will grow well here in my area of Oklahoma are not necessarily the same thing. Hope this clarifies things for all of you about my plant selections. Sorry again if it mislead any of you. ~Annie

OG's will do great in your space. Chances are, there's no salt in your soil, as salt is highly soluble, and would be washed out by rain. Salt air is another thing entirely, and I've found that most plants tolerate it just fine. I live beside a saltwater canal, and grow all sorts of grasses and other perennials with no problem.

Hi, I'd look at grasses which are native to the type of conditions you have. There are several varieties which thrive in dune conditions, and are salt-tolerant as well as drought tolerant. Panicum is one to check out, especially Panicum amarum. 'Dewey Blue' is an especially nice looking cultivar. Another very successful beach grass is Elymus. E. arenarius, E. canadensis and E. hystrix should all work in your conditions. Can you describe the specific conditions at the gabions? are they susceptible to salt spray or overwash? If so, be very careful to use salt-tolerant plants, grasses or otherwise. Bluestem.ca is a Canadian website specializing in grasses for your part of the world, as well as willows. here's their list of salt-tolerant grasses: Calamagrostis - all Chasmanthium latifolium Elymus magellanicus Festucas - all Helictotrichon sempervirens Panicum amarum 'Dewey Blue' Panicum virgatum - all Pennisetum alopecuroides