I grow species Deschampsia caespitosa, and I love it. I have one clump coming into it's 3rd year, and have another 16 clumps starting this year.

I know you're looking at the cultivars, so I won't dwell on the species, other than to say it's a beautiful well-contained bunch grass. It's evergreen for me, and bloomed from late spring to mid-summer.

As I've mentioned before, I grow D. caespitosa Schottland and Bronzelscheir and both bloom before Karl Foerster in my yard. I like both just fine, perhaps the blooms of Schottland a little more. The blooms of both are held way above the foliage, and the blooms can be cut back once you want the warm season grasses to take the spotlight - foliage on the Deschampsias remains low and tidy.

"Fairy Wand"* is a common name for the species, Deschampsia caespitosa. It flowers early and is attractive but the least favorite of those that I grow.

In my zone 5a garden, D.c. ÂSchottland flowers alongside its companions of Calamagrostis ÂKarl Foerster; ÂGoldenhaenge a bit later and 'Bronzeschleier' after that (in partial shade) when its companion, Ligularia p. 'The Rocket,' blooms.

I like them all; theyÂre very similar in habit, flower and form, and they stay looking good throughout the summer. I usually cut them back in late fall, as they donÂt stand up through snow cover. They donÂt self-seed for me in 5a and are only somewhat evergreen.

*[This is not to be confused with a viviparous cultivar, D.c.ÂFairyÂs Joke, which, according to Darke, produces "tiny young plants in place of seeds" that weigh the flowers to the ground where the plantlets take root.]