Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Carex muskingumensis

Family: (Cyperaceae)

(P) to 2′.  Palm Sedge.  Western North America.  A trouble-free sedge that thrives at the edge of our Rock Ledge.  Ribbed, ½-inch-wide leaf blades are pale green.  Dense seedheads are persistent and attractive.  Sun.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Chasmanthium latifolium

Family: (Poaceae)

(P) to 3′. Northern Sea Oats. A beautiful native grass producing branching stems with flattened, green, drooping spikelets in summer. These turn a bronze colour in autumn, as do the tufted clumps of flat-leaved foliage. Sun/partial shade. 4 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Coix lacryma-jobi

Family: (Poaceae)

(A) to 4′. Job’s Tears. Southeast Asia. A “must-have” grass with apple green, strap-like leaves. Makes a great architectural addition to the flower border. String yourself a necklace with the shining, white to black, teardrop-shaped seeds. Sun. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Hystrix patula

Family: (Poaceae)

(P) to 5′. Bottlebrush Grass. This American native is widely adaptable, growing in sun or moderate shade, in clay or rocky soil. When the flowerheads open, the spiky florets stick out at right angles, just like a bottlebrush. Attractive until frost. Easy from seed. 4 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Melica altissima 'Atropurpurea'

Family: (Poaceae)

(P) to 4′. Siberian Melic. Native to thickets and forest edges of eastern Europe. Dense, leafy clumps of mid-green foliage. Tall flower stems topped with loose, one-sided panicles of deep purple, overlapping spikelets. A terrific addition to our Red Bed. Summer. Well-drained soil. Sun. 4 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Panicum virgatum

Family: (Poaceae)

(P) to 5′. Switch Grass. Eastern North America. One of the major components of the great tallgrass prairies, and tough and versatile enough for a number of garden uses. The erect, vase-shaped habit, grey-green foliage and profuse, airy flower panicles in late summer recommend it as an accent plant, whilst its intense fall colours of red, orange and golden yellow add broad, dramatic impact when planted in bold sweeps or allowed to naturalize. Sun/partial shade. 4 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Sorghastrum nutans

Family: (Poaceae)

(P) to 5′. Indian Grass. Eastern North America. Perhaps one of the most beautiful of all prairie grasses. Sturdy, upright clumps of narrow, green foliage become bright burnished orange in the fall. Erect stems with showy flower panicles are copper coloured with conspicuous yellow pollen sacs. The paired spikelets have distinctive, bristly awns giving them a soft, delicate, feathery quality. Adaptable to a wide variety of uses. Indian Grass will grow in most soils and will even tolerate some shade, though it prefers a rich, loamy soil with plenty of sun. 4 & T1