17 Top Ornamental Grasses

The most popular ornamental grass, feather reedgrass offers a distinct upright habit that looks fantastic all winter long. Like many grasses, this tough plant tolerates a wide range of conditions.

Name: Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 6 feet tall

Zones: 5-9

Plant This Grass Because: It has a nice architectural shape.

Native to North America: No

A beautiful, mounding plant, fountaingrass offers a beautiful shape -- as well as soft, feathery plumes that dance in the breeze.

Name: Pennisetum alopecuroides

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 5 feet tall

Zones: 5-9

Plant This Grass Because: It offers a graceful, arching shape and beautiful plumes.

Native to North America: No

We love zebragrass because of its bold color: Each leaf blade features a series of bright yellow bands. The plant really stands out in the landscape! Zebragrass also has a nice upright habit that looks great in the perennial border.

Name: Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil

Size: To 5 feet tall

Zones: 4-9

Plant This Grass Because: It has boldly colored foliage.

Native to North America: No

One of our favorite grasses, switchgrass offers airy plumes in late summer and fall. It looks great during the season, too: Many varieties (such as 'Dallas Blues') offer blue-gray foliage during the season and turn brilliant shades of gold or red in autumn.

Name: Panicum virgatum

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil

Size: To 5 feet tall

Zones: 4-9

Plant This Grass Because: It's good for wildlife, has beautiful fall color, and tolerates partial shade.

Native to North America: Yes

It's tough to beat blue oatgrass for a low-care plant with steel-blue color. It also has a wonderful mounded habit and won't spread and take over your garden.

Name: Helictotrichon sempervirens

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 4 feet tall

Zones: 4-9

Plant This Grass Because: It has beautiful silvery-blue color.

Native to North America: No

An underutilized selection, cordgrass is a spreading prairie grass that thrives in moist or wet soils. As such, it's a good choice for growing along the side of a pond or stream.

Name: Spartina pectinata

Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist soil

Size: To 7 feet tall

Zones: 4-7

Plant This Grass Because: It doesn't mind moist, or even wet, soils.

Native to North America: Yes

A favorite of gardeners everywhere because of its burgundy-red foliage all season long, this tender perennial is often used in container gardens.

Name: Pennisetum setaceum 'Purpureum'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 3 feet tall

Zones: 9-10 (grown as an annual in cooler climates)

Plant This Grass Because: It offers rich, deep purple color.

Native to North America: No

One of our favorite low-growing species, this gorgeous plant offers a perfect mounding habit. Variegated selections (such as 'Aureola' or 'All Gold') bear brightly colored foliage that light up shady corners.

Name: Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'

Growing Conditions: Part shade and well-drained soil

Size: To 1 foot tall

Zones: 5-9

Plant This Grass Because: It adds bright color to shade gardens.

Native to North America: No

This incredibly tough annual grass offers fantastic burgundy foliage and rich purple foliage that look like fuzzy cattails. The plants are beautiful and attract birds.

Name: Pennisetum glaucum

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil

Size: To 5 feet tall

Zones: Annual

Plant This Grass Because: It has rich purple foliage.

Native to North America: No

One of the most common grasses, maidengrass is big, beautiful, and easy to grow. It offers narrow, arching foliage (many selections are variegated; look for them to add more color to your landscape) and silvery plumes that are enchanting when the light catches them just right.

Name: Miscanthus sinensis

Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil

Size: To 8 feet tall

Zones: 4-9

Plant This Grass Because: It has pretty plumes and a graceful arching habit.

Native to North America: No

An unusual tender perennial often grown as an annual, fiber opticgrass has a fine texture and low, mounding habit perfect for container gardens.

Name: Isolepis cernua

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist soil

Size: To 6 inches tall

Zones: 10-11 (usually grown as an annual in colder Zones)

Plant This Grass Because: It fits in small spaces and has an unusual appearance.

Native to North America: Yes

A massive, fast-growing perennial, ravennagrass sends up towering, silvery plumes that can top 10 feet. It makes a strong statement in the autumn landscape.

Name: Saccharum ravennae

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 12 feet tall

Zones: 6-9

Plant This Grass Because: It's tall and has beautiful plumes.

Native to North America: No

This fast-spreading species is loved for its interesting seed heads, which hang off the stems and look like wind chimes. Note: It is a fast spreader, so plant with care.

Name: Chasmanthium latifolium

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil

Size: To 3 feet tall

Zones: 5-9

Plant This Grass Because: Its seed heads are great in fall.

Native to North America: Yes

A lovely, tough-as-nails prairie native, little bluestem offers gray-green leaf blades that turn bold shades of purple, red, and orange in autumn.

Name: Schizachyrium scoparium

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 3 feet tall

Zones: 4-9

Plant This Grass Because: It has beautiful blue coloring in summer and good fall color.

Native to North America: Yes

Purple moorgrass offers delightful mounding foliage that turns brilliant gold in autumn. It's a nice choice for partially shaded gardens.

Name: Molinia caerulea

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist soil

Size: To 5 feet tall

Zones: 5-9

Plant This Grass Because: It has a bold shape, good fall color, and tolerates part shade.

Native to North America: No

Hairgrass is an evergreen (depending on climate) grass with airy plumes in shades of golden, silver, purple, and green. The plant has an attractive mounding habit, as well.

Name: Deschampsia cespitosa

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size: To 6 feet tall

Zones: 5-9

Plant This Grass Because: It doesn't mind part shade or consistently moist soil.

Native to North America: No

A short grass perfect for edging or as a groundcover, blue fescue offers powder-blue foliage on tidy, dwarf mounds.

Name: Festuca glauca

Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil

Size: To 1 foot tall

Zones: 4-8

Plant This Grass Because: It has beautiful silvery-blue color and a small size that fits nearly anywhere.

Native to North America: Yes