Yes, pretty normal especially for a first year plant. If the soil was not consistently moist that would speed up the process. It is very hardy so you should have no issues with it surviving.

You are very welcome! You could trim it back once you start getting frost. They come up early in spring and that way it is free of old debris and ready to grow next season.

It depends whether you want each one to have definition or if you want them to co-mingle. They are a smaller grass at no more than a 20 inch spread. I would space them at 15-20 inches from the centre of each depending on the look you are going for. I am a big fan of Ornamental Grasses in general.

You are lucky to be in a warmer zone since I am more limited. Hakone grass is barely doable for me, at least the variegated varieties. All of those partial shade grasses should do very well for you. I adore the northern sea oats but I will caution you that they will reseed like crazy. I grow them mostly in sun but they do very well in partial shade too, even dry shade which is such a bonus.

Blue oat grass & Prairie dropseed are two of my favorites. They should do just fine in pots. The Prairie dropseed will cascade over the sides of the pot in a most elegant way! I have a mix of sun & shade gardens so I grow various Miscanthus, Panicum, Molinia etc. At this time of year they are spectacular.

Gardengal48, yes I have 6 divisions from ice dance potted up to share now! And northern sea oats have doubled in size their first year! Why don’t you like ‘all gold’? I have that one, aurea and a lighter lemon yellow one that might be aurea but I’m not sure as it came without a label.

Dunno really....just personal preference :-) The all gold is just too in-your-face yellow to me (much like Millium effusum Bowles' Golden) and lacks any of the subtlety of the variegated forms like 'Aureola' and 'Albostriata', both of which I love. And I don't think it colors up as well in fall with colder weather, either.

B Maggiacomo sorry I had visitors and will add pics later.

Here are some pics as promised. Since you have mostly shade I will start with one for partial shade.

Thank you! We are all here because we love gardening and like to encourage others! So what would you like to know, more about the grasses or the companion plants?

In the first pic, what are the companion plants? I’ll have to look for that carex variety if it likes part shade. For the last pic , what are the OG names?

Peren.all- Beautiful pics! I am just getting interested in OG's too. And I didn't know that there was a Molinia 'Karl Foerster' as well Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster'. That's a little confusing lol.

I have heard that Northern Sea Oats are very hard to control so I won't plant those even though they look very pretty. Do you have other grasses that you would caution against as they are very invasive? I am really trying hard to avoid anything that will be impossible to keep under control.

In the first pic the Carex m. 'Oehme' is commonly called palm sedge because it's stalks resemble palm trees. It is shaded by an apple tree most of the day.

To the right of it is Gillenia trifoliata - Bowman's Root. Love this plant. It is a perennial but has the appearance of a shrub. They get to be approx. 4' x 4'. Ideal for partial shade.

Directly behind the Carex is Clematis integrifolia (unseen in this pic). The blue is secondary side branching of a Magic Fountain Sky Blue Delphinium. A glorious plant when in full bloom. It will rebloom a couple of times more.

The yellow is Daylily 'Double River Wye'. On the far top right the blue is Veronicastrum 'Apollo' or ''Fascination'.

The white is Leucanthemum 'Becky'. To it's left the pink is Phlox paniculata 'Fancy Feelins'. The farthest pink is Echinacea 'Magnus' growing in full sun but they actually do quite well in partial shade too. The red is another Daylily.

There are other plants in this bed that have finished blooming for the year, like Peony and Siberian Iris. I have given you the Latin names (for the most part, really almost no one uses Hemerocallis - Daylily) to make it easier for you to look them up.

In the last pic the grass at the leading edge is Sporobolus heterolepis - Prairie dropseed. Aren't you happy you got this one? It is starting to take on it's coppery fall look now. Oops someone just arrived, back in a bit.

Continuing directly behind the Sporobolis are Panicum 'Shenandoah' & Molinia 'Karl Foester'. Not visible yet in the pic is Andropogon gerardii - Big bluestem.

Thank you so much Linda! We were posting at the same time. It is confusing with the two Karl Foersters but he was such a renowned plantsman. Both are excellent intros deserving of his namesake.

I normally research to avoid issues but I put up with the seeding of the Sea Oats because I enjoy them so much. I always add that caution for those that want to avoid "problem" plants. There are so many to choose from that are trouble free. I call my garden style an organized riot so I can put up with a plant that seeds about if I like it enough lol!

Yes, I would stay away from Phalaris arundinacea - Ribbon Grass. I planted it so many years ago and it behaved for quite a while but then became beastly. I like the look so I prefer the much smaller and partial shade loving Arrhenatherum bulbosum 'Variegatum' - Bulbous Oat Grass. It is not without issues as it can brown out in the heat of summer but after a hair cut bounces right back. I really enjoy the whiteness of it.

Location and soil can play a large part in what can be invasive so I try to check for that. I grow a few named Miscanthus but I am at the edge of their hardiness zone . I know they are considered invasive in certain parts of the country so I was quite shocked when I added Miscanthus 'Malepartus' and had it seed about. I had grown M. 'Sarabande' 'Morning Light' and 'Strictus' for many years before adding others.

p.s. B Maggic most of my shade areas are filled with Hosta and Linda's too I believe.

Yes, my shadier back yard is filled with hostas and heuchera. I did try some Hakone grass back there but my dogs kept eating it, so I gave up on it. I ran out of space to buy more hostas so I started focusing on the front yard which is pretty much full sun.

I am trying to put more drought tolerant grasses and perennials in the front yard. I ripped out the hell-strip area and part of my side yard and am adding plants that don't take as much water as the lawn did. My plan is to remove all of the grass on the side yard and put a flagstone path from the driveway back to the gate and have a lot of perennials and grasses on the sides of the path.

I have already planted several Miscanthus- Little Zebra, Little Miss and Little Kitten. I also added Pennisetum Hameln, Little Bluestem Smoke Signal, Blue Oat Grass, Calamagrostis Karl Foerster & El Dorado, Panicum Shenandoah, and Bouteloua Blonde Ambition.

I like the look of the moor grass but I am not sure that it would do well here since I read that it likes more acidic soil.

Lawn grass is highly over rated. I have eliminated a huge area of lawn in favor of gardens and still have plenty of grass. Linda Little Miss & Little Kitten are very interesting, so small for Miscanthus! I grow M. 'Super Stripe' which is relatively small but I also grow the very large M. 'Strictus'.

Smoke Signals is very nice! I am a huge fan and grow 'Prairie Blues'. I would certainly grow more of them. Do you stick with shorter grasses because they suit your situation better?

Pity about the Molinia but you have so many other options available to you that I do not because of my zone.

I live on a smaller lot, only about .25 acres and my front yard is smaller than the back yard so it's easier to fit the smaller grasses in the garden. After I finish removing the rest of the lawn on the side yard, I will have room for a couple of bigger grasses. I am thinking maybe Miscanthus Morning Light and Panicum Northwind. And maybe I can find a spot or two for a few more on the other side of the yard.

I can't wait for Little Miss and Little Kitten to get bigger. I just bought them from Santa Rosa Gardens this year, so they are still small. I read somewhere that Little Miss looks similar to Miscanthus Purpurascens which I absolutely love!

I also love the Pennisetum Karley Rose and want to find a spot for it too!

I recently discovered a gardening blog called the Obsessive Neurotic Gardener and he has some fantastic looking grasses which has inspired me to plant more, plus I wanted to create a garden that looks great into the fall and winter depending on how much snow we get.

Your garden looks huge and I love the mix of perennials and grasses that you have planted!

Linda I am really looking forward to progress pics of M. LM & LK! Do you have pics to share now of any your plantings?

I so agree about M. 'Purpurascens', it looks so good all season. I generally get massive amounts of snow and it usually gets flattened, partly because I have big patches. I have been known to go out and get heavy wet snow off the tall Miscanthus until there is enough to support them for winter. If we get fluffy snow they are fine.

I checked out that blog and see why you like it. Normally I don't read them but I am sure there are other great ones too.

Thanks Linda! It does give me plenty of room to try different combos. I should measure it sometime. I realize just how big (too big?) when I am doing fall clean up.

Peren.all- Your Purpurascens is beautiful! Exactly what I want!

Since the area is pretty new, I didn't take pics this year but I will for sure next year. There are a few established plants in the area like daylillies, bee balm, gloriosa daisies and Coneflowers. I added the grasses, some lavender, butterfly weed, asters and mums which do look cute right now but we are expecting a hard freeze this weekend which makes me sad!

Some years we get a lot of snow and some we don't get much. I am hoping for a lot of snow in the mountains and not so much in my yard lol. We really need the snow because last year we didn't much and really no rain all summer until last week, then it rained about 3 inches in my yard. Last year I had dahlias planted out by the sidewalk and somehow the tubers survived the winter. Shocked the heck outta me lol. I do have some tender plants, agapanthus and gladiolas that do survive the winter but they are planted right next to the house on the south east corner so it's warmer there.

I am really looking forward to see how it all looks next year when everything is bigger and I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

I hope you did not get the hard freeze. I had frost last night but only to 32 F - 0 C and it will go up to almost 50 F today. We went for months without rain this summer too. The summer before it did not stop raining until the end of July. Hopefully next year is better.

Your area sounds like it will be very nice indeed. The pollinators should be happy too. I always try to put in plants that will attract the bees, hummingbirds and butterflies too. They add so much to a garden. I am looking forward to those pics!

I thought I’d chime in, however belatedly, because I like Deschampsia Northern Lights so very much. It’s a rather small grass and has a very neat habit. It’s variegation is fairly subtle and gives it an especially nice appearance. Here’s mine, just entering its second year. I wish I had more.

Mine is flowering for the first time and it is on such a long stem! I’m looking forward to next year and a bigger flower show.

I wish I could remember how it looked last winter. I think it stayed green because I don’t remember cutting it back this spring. The leaf mulch isn’t deliberate, it’s my Pin Oak shedding its numerous leaves a bit early this year. It’s quite a frequent autumn chore to keep the leaves from smothering the plants within its canopy. And, yes, that’s Brunnera Jack Frost nearby.