long-lived plant and performs beauti-
fully in the Midwest. Muhlenbergia
capillaris (zones 6–10) is a warm-
season grower to 3 ft. It needs full sun
and excellent drainage and is very
drought tolerant. Although pink
muhly grass is native as far north as
Massachusetts, plants of southern
provenance may be hardy to only zone
7 or 8, which explains the overwinter-
ing difficulties many Midwest and
Northeast gardeners have had with
some of the selections in commerce.
The similar M. reverchonii is recom-
mended in colder zones if northern
forms of M. capillaris can’t be located.
Nassella tenuissima (zones 7–10) is a
cool-season grower to 2 ft. It requires
full sun and sharp drainage, especially
in winter. Mexican feather grass may
go dormant in summer. It reseeds,
sometimes overenthusiastically, in
mild climates. In cold climates it serves
as a useful annual for adding move-
ment and fine texture to the garden.
Panicum virgatum (zones 4–10) is a
warm-season grower that ranges from
4–8 ft. tall. It is sun loving but tolerates
part shade, and it copes with wet or dry
soil once established, making it an
excellent candidate for rain gardens.
There’s no hurry to cut switch grass
back in early spring, as the plant
remains standing until the bitter end,
and new growth emerges later than
that of just about any other perennial
plant. Seedlings may become a
nuisance. ‘Dallas Blues’ and ‘North-
wind’ are strong performers with blue
foliage; ‘Northwind’ was the Perennial
Plant Association’s Perennial of the
Year for 2014. ‘Shenandoah’ is known
for its red-tipped leaves; it is a slow
grower. ‘Rehbraun’ has reddish brown
flower panicles and foliage that is a
glowing yellow in fall with hints of red
in winter. ‘Cheyenne Sky’ is a compact
switchgrass known for foliage that
turns deep wine-red in early summer.
Pennisetum alopecuroides (zones 6–9)
is a warm-season grower to 4 ft. It
favors a sunny position, regular water,
and good drainage. ‘Hameln’ (2–3 ft.) is
the most common incarnation of
fountain grass; it starts to flower in July
and the plumes usually shatter by early
October, though the tidy tufts of
bleached foliage look good all winter. It
doesn’t reseed. ‘Moudry’ has
charcoal-gray plumes and can be a
rampant reseeder in moist conditions;
don’t set it loose near irrigated lawns
unless you want a maintenance
nightmare. P. orientale (zones 6–8)
blooms May–September. It isn’t
normally an aggressive seeder.
Oriental fountain grass loses winter
interest in November, although I like to
leave foliage up until spring to help
overwinter marginally hardy Pennise-
tum species in our area. ‘Karley Rose’
has pink-tinted plumes. ‘Tall Tails’ has
extra-long plumes and can reach 6 ft.
in height. Schizachyrium scoparium
(zones 3–9) is a warm-season grower to
4 ft. It likes a lean soil in full sun and
will flop in moist, rich soil. It may seed
to nuisance levels in a border setting.
‘The Blues’ is my favorite cultivar.
Sesleria autumnalis (zones 5–8) is a
cool-season grower to 12 in. Autumn
moor grass tolerates part shade,
drought, and alkaline soil but hates hot,
humid summers. Spodiopogon
sibiricus (zones 4–8) is a warm-season
grower to 5 ft. Frost grass struggles in
hot, humid climates, but provides a
handsome and interesting bamboolike
presence in mild regions in summer. It
is best with light shade and regular
water. This plant begins to break down
with the first hard freeze and doesn’t
have a lot to offer in winter. Sporobolus
heterolepis (zones 3–9) is a warm-
season grower to 30 in. It is easy to
grow in any soil type and is drought
tolerant and long-lived. Don’t attempt
to divide it. Prairie dropseed begins to
shatter in early December; cut plants
back then rather than waiting until
early spring. Stipa gigantea (zones
6–10) sports basal foliage to 2 ft. and
plumes to 8 ft. Giant feather grass
needs excellent drainage and prefers
climates with low humidity. The clump
of basal leaves is evergreen in mild
areas, but should be cut back in late
winter anyway.