Monocot Grasses

Ponds and Boggy Places

• Ornamental grasses are a delightful way to landscape ponds, bogs and the consistently moist low spots on your property. The weeping foliage on hard rush “Lovesick Blues” (Juncus inflexus “Lovesick Blues”) grows about 1 foot tall and spreads up to 36 inches. This grass requires full sun in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. Giant reed (Arundo donax) has wide foliage and grows 12 to 20 feet tall by 5 to 8 feet wide in any kind of soil in USDA zones 6 through 10. This grass exhibits an aggressive growth habit in USDA zones 9 to 11 and could be on the invasive plant list in your area.

Colorful Foliage

• The colorful foliage of some grasses is sure to draw attention. Bowles’ golden eagle sedge “Aurea” (Carex elata “Aurea”) puts out shimmering-yellow foliage edged in dark green in USDA zones 5 through 9 and grows 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 feet tall and wide. This evergreen grass for full to partial shade prefers acidic soil and tolerates water 2 to 3 inches deep. The upper half of the blades on Japanese bloodgrass “Rubra” (Imperata cylindrica "Rubra") turn garnet-red in summer and mature to burgundy. Tolerant of drought and air pollution, but considered invasive in some regions, it grows 1 to 1-1/2 feet tall in USDA zones 5 to 9.

Pink and Purple Flowers

• The plumelike flowers on some ornamental grasses add a splash of pink and purple. Pink muhlygrass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) displays pink to pinkish-red flowers from September to November and grows 2 to 3 feet tall and wide in USDA zones 5 through 9. Native to the western-central U.S., this grass prefers sandy soil in full sun and tolerates heat, humidity and poor soil. Purple moor grass “Skyracer” (Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea “Skyracer”) displays purple flowers from July to September, grows 6 to 8 feet tall by 2 to 4 feet wide in USDA zones 5 through 8 and tolerates wet soil. Both grasses prefer full sun to light shade and tolerate air pollution.

Exceptional Turfgrass

• Exceptional turfgrass makes maintaining your lawn easier. A staple of American landscape design, turfgrass requires regular mowing and irrigation, in the absence of regular rainfall, to maintain its lush appearance. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) mixed with 15 percent perennial rye grass (Lolium spp.) gives you a disease-resistant lawn featuring an attractive blue-green color and year-round growth in USDA zones 3 through 9. St. Augustinegrass "Variegatum" (Stenotaphrum secundatum "Variegatum") tolerates shade, drought and saline conditions better than most and crowds out annoying weeds. It grows in USDA zones 7b through 11a.