California Gardens - The Year Round Gardening Site

Ornamental Grass List ~ Plants with grass-like foliage

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

Flowers by color:
Blue Flowers   Pink Flowers   Purple Flowers   Orange Flowers   Red Flowers   Salmon Flowers   Yellow Flowers   White Flowers

Ornamental Grass List

Grasses, sedges and rushes and a number of bulbs, are great additions to the landscape for the soft flowing texture and their foliage colors. I have lumped a wide range of plants with grass-like foliage as I often use them for much the same purposes. The versatile ornamental grasses can be very short, from just a few inches tall to 10 feet or more. There are grasses with red foliage, silver foliage, striped foliage, rootbeer colored foliage, not to mention some few with just plain but strikingly verdant green foliage. I use the ornamental grasses and similar plants often to soften a border or to provide some movement in the landscape. In some cases to make a very lush environment such as with Setaria palmifolia. The ornamental grasses will rustle in the wind. Many of these plants, such as Scirpus, Carex, Juncus, and are great in or near water. Lomandra longifolia is even fragrant. I can smell ours as I walk down the garden path long before I get there.

The ornamental grasses are often very low maintenance, requiring an annual trimming down to a few inches tall. It is important when positioning ornamental grasses that enough space is allowed for the foliage to flop and trail. Strict control on the alignment when planting the ornamental grasses often makes for strong patterns when the plants are dormant.

Some of the ornamental grasses are very fertile and can cause problems in the landscape and in the wild if they escape. Other ornamental grasses seem quite tame. If gardening near wildlands you should have extra caution when introducing plants that might do just a little too well if they escape.

Grass List

Anemanthele lessoniana * New Zealand Wind Grass
Arrhenatherum elatius bulbosum variegatum * Bulbous Oat Grass
Astelia chathamica Silver Spear
Calibanus hookeri * Mexican Boulder
Carex buchananii * Leather Leaf Sedge
Carex comans Green * New Zealand Hair Sedge
Carex divulsa * Berkeley Sedge
Carex glauca - New Name - Carex flacca
Carex flacca * Blue Sedge, Heath Sedge
Carex morrowii * Variegated Japanese Sedge
Carex oshimensis Evergold * Evergold Sedge
Carex testacea * Orange Sedge
Carex praegracilis * Clustered Field Sedge
Carex tumulicola * Berkeley Sedge
Chondropetalum elephantinum * Large Cape Rush
Chondropetalum tectorum - New Name Chondropetalum elephantinum
Cordyline Sunrise
Dasylirion wheeleri * Desert Spoon, Blue Sotol
Dianella Tas Red * Tas Red Flax Lily
Dianella tasmanica * Flax Lily
Dianella tasmanica variegata * White Striped Flax Lily
Elegia fistulosa * Hollow Reed
Elymus condensatus Canyon Prince * Canyon Prince Giant Rye
Eryngium yuccifolium * Button Eryngo, Rattlesnake Master
Festuca californica * California Fescue
Habranthus brachyandrus * Rain Lily
Habranthus robustus Russell Manning * Russell Manning Rain Lily
Hakonechloa macra Aureola * Golden Japanese Forest Grass
Helictotrichon sempervirens * Blue Oat Grass
Hesperaloe parviflora * Red Yucca
Hesperaloe parviflora Brakelights * Brakelights Red Yucca
Hesperaloe parviflora Yellow * Yellow Red Yucca
Juncus tenuis Blue Dart * Path Rush
Kniphofia Blaze * Blaze Red Hot Poker
Kniphofia Christmas Cheer * Christmas Cheer Red Hot Poker
Kniphofia Malibu Yellow * Malibu Yellow Poker
Kniphofia galpinii Orange Flame * Orange Flame Red Hot Poker
Kniphofia Rockette Yellow * Rockette Yellow Red Hot Poker
Kniphofia Shining Sceptre * Shining Sceptre Red Hot Poker
Leymus condensatus Canyon Prince * Canyon Prince Giant Rye
Libertia perigrinans * New Zealand Iris
Liriope Silver Dragon * Variegated Lilyturf
Lomandra longifolia * Mat Rush
Macropidia fuliginosa * Black Kangaroo Paws
Miscanthus Gold Bar * Gold Bar Maiden Grass
Miscanthus sinensis Cosmopolitan * Variegated Eulalea Grass
Miscanthus sinensis variegatus * Japanese Silver Grass
Miscanthus sinensis zebrinus * Zebra Grass
Muhlenbergia dubia * Pine Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris * Pink Muhly Grass, Hairy Awn Muhly Grass
Nassella pulchra * Purple Needle Grass
Nassella tenuissima * Mexican Feather Grass
Ophiopogon japonicus nana * Dwarf Mondo Grass
Ophiopogon planiscapus nigrescens * Black Mondo Grass
Panicum virgatum Heavy Metal * Heavy Metal Switch Grass
Pennisetum Cherry Sparkler * Cherry Sparkler Fountain Grass
Pennisetum Fireworks * Fireworks Fountain Grass
Pennisetum setaceum rubrum * Red Fountain Grass
Phormium tenax Jack Spratt * Dwarf New Zealand Flax
Phormium Pink Stripe * Pink Stripe New Zealand Flax
Puya venusta
Rhodohypoxis baurii * Rose Grass
Rhynchelytrum nerviglume * Ruby Grass
Scirpus cernuus * Fiber Optic Grass, Low Bulrush
Sesleria caerulea * Blue Moor Grass
Setaria palmifolia * Palm Grass
Sisyrinchium bellum * Blue Eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium californicum * Yellow Eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium Rocky Point * Rocky Point Blue Eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium striatum * Yellow Blue Eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium striatum Aunt May * Variegated Satin Flower
Stipa pulchra* Purple Needle Grass
Stipa speciosa * Desert Needle Grass
Stipa tenuissima * Mexican Feather Grass
Thysanolaena maxima * Tiger Grass
Tulbaghia fragrans * Sweet Garlic
Tulbaghia violacea * Society Garlic
Tulbaghia violacea Savannah Lightning * White Society Garlic
Typha domingensis * Southern Cattail
Yucca rostrata Blue Velvet * Big Bend Yucca, Beaked Yucca
Yucca whipplei * Our Lord's Candle
Zephyranthes candida * Fairy Lily
Zephranthes citrina * Yellow Rain Lily, Citron Zephyr Lily