There are lots of ornamental grasses available. Most of them are not generally invasive although some can become invasive. In general, ornamental grasses that are clumping grasses are less invasive than those that are creeping grasses.

Here's a few others that are not usually invasive. The sizes given are their general mature sizes if in good soil and well-watered. It will take some of them 2 to 3 years to reach their mature size.

Maiden Grass: 4-6' tall, 3-4' wide

Purple Fountain Grass (not reliably cold hardy in Oklahoma): 3-6' tall, 2-4' wide

'Karl Forester' feather reed grass: 3'-6' tall, 2-4' wide

Adagio Grass: 3-5' tall, 2-4' wide

Dwarf Fountain Grass: 2-3' tall, 2-3' wide

Variegated Japanese Silver Grass: 3-6' tall, 3-6' wide

Zebra Grass: 3-6' tall, 2-4' wide

Many prairie grasses make good ornamental grasses, like muhly grass and little bluestem, but prairie grasses are more likely to spread by seed and become invasive.

Dawn

Susan, where do you get Japanese blood grass? I searched high and low for it last summer and never could find anyone who carried it.

I have planted northern sea oats under my pecan tree and really love the way it looks. I have read that it can be invasive, but it's been pretty well behaved so far.

You know, I think I bought mine at Warren's years ago, but I know I've seen it other places. You might find it in the shade gardening section at TLC. Sometimes Lowe's carries it, too, I think. I can give you a start if you want some. It can take full sun, but is prettier with a little shade, about 6 hours of sun. It does like a bit more water than other grasses, too.

I had mine in total shade and it whined along, so I moved it to my front bed, where it is now overshadowed by the lantana, zinnias, and Kopper King hibiscus. I need to move it again. Are you here in the city? If so, I would just dig up the whole thing and you can have it. I'd rather plant a butterfly nectar plant there anyway. We can schedule for fall sometime as it's too hot now to dig up and/or transplant anything!

Let me know.

Susan

I grow Mexican Feather grass. It is very heat and drought tolerant. It's about 2 feet tall. It does seed some but does not become invasive. It does not make pretty seed heads but has a feathery look to it's top.

I would love to try the Japanese blood grass, Susan. I am in Stillwater but come to the city to visit my mom and dad. I'll try to remember to contact you sometime after the weather breaks and we can meet somewhere or I can come over to get it. My folks are in Bethany. Pat

Sounds great, Pat. It's not liking where it is, and I'd just as soon it have a new home.

A grass I have, but don't recommend really, is Northern Sea Oats. I love the seedheads on it and they last thru winter, but it does reseed prolifically. It's easy to pull up the seedlings, but one never fails to sneak in a bed where I don't want it.

I leave it for the butterfly skippers that use it for a host plant.

Susan

This is my second or third summer for my northern sea oats and so far so good. I haven't had any problem with reseeding. Could be because it's in a tough area - hard clay up against the house, under the pecan tree. I'm thinking of gathering the seeds to plant against my back fence - another tough area.

We have northern sea oats growing wild here and there all over the place, mostly in wooded areas where it has either full sun in the morning or dappled shade all day long. I just love it. It does self-sow and spring up here and there, but it has never become invasive in our landscape. Every now and then one pops up in the veggie garden and I pull up those, but the others are allowed to stay wherever they sprout

I have noticed that it is VERY tough and drought-tolerant. It may brown out early in very dry years since it does not get anything but rainfall, but it rebounds the following year. A lot of mine is growing in the yuckiest clay soil ever but some of it is in loamy soil in the woods and that particular section of northern sea oats gets much more lush and tall than the stuff growing in clay.

I planted it in the backyard because it would take the shade, Dawn, as you say. I don't think I'd be without it now, however, because it is pretty when everything starts to "brown out". The seedheads are lovely, it has great movement in the wind, and you can hear it as the wind rustles the seedheads, too. In spring, when it first pokes its head out of the ground, I love the purplish cast to the shoots as well. It's just an overall nice grass, IMHO. It pops up in different places in the backyard and I just let it grow and romp amid other plants. There's a bed on the east side of my backyard that gets west sun only, but I can barely get anything to grow there - except for the NSO. I find it much more interesting than the liriope! Geez - wish I could get rid of that stuff entirely. The variegated liriopes are not near as invasive as the solid green. I have some that is yellow and green, and it is gorgeous! But, it just forms a clump and never travels outside of it's designated planting zone.

Even when the NSO browns out, as you say, it's still pretty. Which is mainly why one plants ornamental grasses in the first place - because they provide year round interest. I like it that is stays within about 2-3' tall as well - not too tall, not too short.

Susan