Name: Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 6 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Buy It: Avalanche Feather Reed Grass ($20, The Home Depot)
Name: Pennisetum alopecuroides
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 5 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Buy It: Dwarf Ornamental Fountain Grass ($35, Lowe’s)
Name: Schizachyrium scoparium
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Buy It: Little Blue Stem Grass (from $9, Etsy)
Name: Panicum virgatum
Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 5 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Buy It: Switchgrass ($3, Etsy)
Name: Helictotrichon sempervirens
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 4 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Buy It: Blue Oat Grass ($30, The Home Depot)
Name: Pennisetum glaucum
Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 5 feet tall
Zones: Annual
Buy It: Purple Majesty Millet Seeds
Name: Spartina pectinata
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist soil
Size: To 7 feet tall
Zones: 4-7
Buy It: Cord Grass Seeds ($3, Walmart)
Name: Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’
Growing Conditions: Part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 1 foot tall
Zones: 5-9
Buy It: Gold Japanese Forest Grass ($30, The Home Depot)
Name: Miscanthus sinensis
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 8 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Buy It: Maiden Grass ($30, The Home Depot)
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)
Buy It: Fiber Optic Grass ($14, The Home Depot)
Name: Saccharum ravennae
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 12 feet tall
Zones: 6-9
Buy It: Ravenna Saccharum Plant ($14, GrowJoy)
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)
Buy It: Purple Fountain Grass
Test Garden Tip: Northern sea oats is a fast spreader, so plant in a container or other spot that will keep it in bounds.
Name: Chasmanthium latifolium
Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Buy It: Northern Sea Oats ($3, Etsy)
Name: Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 5 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Buy It: Little Zebra Grass ($30, The Home Depot)
Name: Molinia caerulea
Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist soil
Size: To 5 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Buy It: Purple Moor Grass ($6, Etsy)
Name: Deschampsia cespitosa
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 6 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Buy It: Dwarf Hairgrass ($8, Walmart)
Name: Festuca glauca
Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 1 foot tall
Zones: 4-8
Buy It: Elijah Blue Fescue Grass ($30, The Home Depot)
Name: Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: 5 feet tall
Zones: 6-10
Buy It: White Pampas Grass ($60, Etsy)
Name: Liriope spicata
Growing Conditions: Full sun to shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 9-15 inches tall
Zones: 5-9
Buy It: Variegated Liriope Plant ($10, The Home Depot)
Name: Andropogon gerardii
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: 4-8 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Buy It: Big Bluestem Native Grass Seeds ($15, Walmart)
Name: Nassella tenuissima
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: 6-10
Buy It: Mexican Feather Grass ($13, The Home Depot)
