Dark Green Grass Types

Clumping Grasses

• Grasses that grow in a clumping form rarely grow invasively. Tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa or Aira cespitosa) has dark green, fine foliage. It grows in clumps that reach from 20 to 36 inches tall and produces yellow to green flowers in the summer. Tufted hair grass is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone 4 to Zone 9 and prefers light to partial shade and moist soil. Gulf muhly, or pink hair grass (Muhlenbergia capillaries), has lustrous dark green foliage. It grows to 3 feet tall in upright clumps. Gulf muhly is hardy in Zone 6 to Zone 9 and prefers sun to light shade. It tolerates drought, heat and sandy soil.

Spreading Grasses

• Spreading ornamental grasses can become invasive if not contained. Prairie cord grass (Spartina pectinata) has lustrous, dark green fronds. It grows in a dense, arching form and spreads quickly. Prairie cord grass prefers sun to light shade and tolerates a variety of soils. It is hardy in Zone 4 to Zone 9 and grows from 4 to 6 feet tall. Nagasa bamboo (Sasa veitchii) grows from 32 to 60 inches tall. It has wide, dark green leaves with margins that turn white in the fall. Nagasa bamboo is hardy in Zone 6 to Zone 9 and prefers light to partial shade and prefers moist soil. It tolerates sand and clay, and spreads quickly.

Carex

• Several members of the Carex genus have dark foliage. Sparkler tenjiku suge (C. phyllocephala "Sparkler") is hardy in USDA Zone 7 to 9. This 2-foot-tall grass cultivar has dark green leaves with white margins. It grows in an upright, whorled form and prefers sun to partial shade and moist soil. "Silk Tassel," a cultivar of Hosoba kan suge (C. morrowii var. temnolepsis), has dark green foliage with a white center stripe. This finely textured grass grows to 24 inches tall and is hardy in Zone 5 to Zone 8. It prefers full sun to light shade and moist, well-drained soil. Silk Tassel grass grows in 12-inch-wide mounds of slightly arching foliage.

Calamagrostis

• Some Calamagrostis varieties have dark foliage. Korean feather reed grass (C. brachytricha) has lustrous, dark green foliage that grows in an arching, wide form. It grows well in full sun to partial shade and well-drained, moist soils. Korean feather reed grass grows to 2 feet tall and is hardy in Zone 5 to Zone 9. Stricta feather reed grass (C. x acutiflora "Stricta") has deep green, glossy leaves. This cultivar grows from 2 to 4 feet tall in an upright form and is hardy in Zone 4 to Zone 9. It prefers sun to light shade and rich, well-drained soil.