Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' (feather reed grass)

Upright grass with fluffy seed heads that appear much earlier than other ornamental grasses. 3-4' tall and stays very columnar in habit. Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year! Height of 3-4' and 2-3' spread. Plant in full sun to part shade. Zone 5

Calamagrostis acutiflora (x) 'Overdam'

White edged leaves in compact, upright clumps. Pink plumes on 36" stems in early summer. 3-4' height and 2-3' spread. Full sun to light shade. Zone 5

Deschampsia caespitosa 'Northern Lights' (hair grass)

Highly variegated leaves to 12" have pink blush on new growth and in cool weather. A very striking plant! Use as border foliage, or as accent in planters. Full sun. Zone 5

Erianthus ravennae (hardy pampass grass)

Tall stately plumes tower to 8-10'. An excellent instant privacy planting. Especially useful between evergreens as they grow and fill out. Full sun. Zone 5

Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' (blue fescue)

Lovely 10" selection with blue color that holds up well throughout the summer. Wonderful planted in mass, or as a foliage contrast in container plantings. Requires well-drained soil. Grows to 10" tall and spreads 10-16". Full sun. Zone 4

Hystrix patula (bottle brush grass)

Large, fluffy flower heads worthy of cutting and drying on medium-sized, 3' plant. Excellent with most varieties of Rudbeckia, Heliopsis and Echinacea. Grows 2-3' tall and wide. Full sun. Zone 5

Leymus arenarius (blue lyme grass)

Metallic blue-gray leaves to 3'. Rhizomatus spreader that is great for banks and erosion control, as well as containers. Full sun. Zone 4

Melica altissima 'Atropurpurea' (melica red spire)

Cool season clumper with glossy green leaves 8-10" long, forming loose tufts. Reaching 1-2' above the foliage are showy, dark mauve or purple-brown flowers in narrow panicles. Naturalizes well in woodland garden. Zone 5

Miscanthus sinensis 'Adagio' (maiden grass)

Silver gray narrow foliage to 4' tall with a 3-4' spread. Pink inflorescence appear in August, turning white. Full sun. Zone 4

Miscanthus sinensis (eualia grass)

Also called Japanese silver grass, this ornamental grows 7-8' tall with wide leaves that are evenly striped with green and white. Silvery-white inflorescence in fall. Clumps spread to a width of 4-5'. Full sun. Zone 5

Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' (maiden grass)

Feathery, fan-shaped, pale pink panicles. Neat narrow-leaved upright grass arches outward at the top in a fan-shaped habit. Grows to 4-5' tall and around. Full sun. Zone 5

Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' (silver maiden grass)

Silver variegated 5' maiden grass, with reddish-bronze inflorescence in October. Full sun. Zone 5

Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus' (zebra grass)

Horizontal yellow bands on wide foliage, grows as wide as tall to 5-7'. Full sun. Zone 5

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln' (dwarf fountain grass)

Dwarf fountain grass is cold hardy, heat and drought tolerant. Grows 2-3' tall, and is an early flowering selection. One of our favorites as a front border to tall shrubbery, or low background for perennials. Full sun to very light shade. Zone 5

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Moudry' (black moudry grass)

Stunning black seed plumes in summer can be used in flower arrangements both fresh and dried. A warm season grass that has origins in Japan and East Asia. Grows 18-30" tall and 2' wide. Full sun to light shade. Zone 5

Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose' (oriental fountain grass)

Upright clumps of arching, green foliage topped with rose-purple plumes. Quick to establish and very drought tolerant. Plants grow 3-4' tall and around. Full sun. Zone 5

Phalaris arundinacea 'Picta' (ribbon grass)

18" leaves variegated with white. Spreads aggressively so plant in a confined location. Full sun. Zone 3

Stipa tenuissima (feather grass)

Beautiful, super fine 12-18" arching plumes make a soft clump. Planted in mass, it's the softest bed! Excellent texture. Clumps spread 12-18" across, but plants also self seed. Full sun. Zone 4

Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' (variegated sweet flag)

Chartruese and green stripes on grassy 12" tall foliage. Excellent plant for water's edge, but will also tolerate drier soil in shade. Zone 5

Andropogon gerardii (big blue stem)

5-6' colorful robust native, turns light red after frost. Excellent backdrop for shrubs and perennials. Also excellent interplanted with tall flowering natives. Grows 5-6' tall and 4-5' around. Full sun. Zone 4

Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama)

Fine leaf, sod-forming, warm season native with delicate seed heads and graceful foliage. Grows 12-18" tall and wide. Full sun. Zone 4

Chasmanthium latifolium (northern sea oats)

3' grass with attractive, nodding seed heads for groups or massing. Excellent for cut arrangements. Spreads, but who cares! Zone 3

Equisetum hyemale (horsetail, scouring rush)

This ancient native plant is often found fossilized in limestone. Hollow, tubular stems grow 2-4' high in most soils, but will spread rampantly in moist, boggy areas. Zone 2

Eragrostis trichoides (sand love)

Lovely, delicate 3' warm season native bunchgrass with arching seed heads. Adds a fine texured background around flowering perennials. Grows 2-3' tall and around. Full sun. Zone 5

Panicum virgatum 'Prairie Sky' (blue switch)

Strongly glaucous blue leaves, strictly upright. Never leans or flops, even in heavy rain. Grows to 5' in bloom in fall, with strong pink tones in inflorescence. Fine specimen with yellow autumn color. Clump spread of 2-3'. Zone 5

Schizachyrium scoparium (little blue stem)

True deep blue foliage and exceptional burgundy red fall color. Tolerates heat and humidity. Perfect 1-2' grass for mass plantings. Full sun. Zone 5

Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass)

Stalwart, wide leaf, warm season, 4-5' native with golden, plume-like seed heads. Full sun. Zone 3

Sporobolus heterolepsis (prairie dropseed)

2' narrow-leaved, fragrant native grass. Incredibly attractive in bloom and seed. Full sun. Zone 4

Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Allgold' (All Gold Bamboo)

Culms are entirely golden yellow except for an occasional thin green stripe. Running bamboo with a height range of 25 to 35 feet and culm diameter of 2". Zone 7

Pleioblastus pygmaeus (dwarf bamboo)

This running bamboo grows only 1 to 2 feet high. Looks great in low, wide planters. Zone 7