Yep..it's orangey alright! The full sun exposure will fade it out pretty quickly, though.

There are thousands of options in grasses for your zone, but keep in mind that almost all of them will offer no screening from late winter until well into summer. They have to be cut back to just a few inches each year, and require at least 5 months to reach full size again.

The same is true of Miscanthus giganteus. For almost half the year, it won't offer much screening. Another caution is that it is a very very large plant when mature. One of my ornamental grass books says that removal of a mature clump could require a tractor. Therefore, be very sure you really want it. You should also know that by summer, this grass tends to lose it's lower foliage, so you'll want to install cover plants in front of it.

I'd suggest getting a book on ornamental grasses, and learn about their sizes, forms, colors, etc.. The best, in my opinion, is The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses by Rick Darke. ISBN 0881924644. It has hundreds of color photos of grasses in all seasons and applications. It will also tell you which will work in your zone and conditions.

Thanks very much Donn... I *wish* the sun would fade it out, but they keep painting it every year! They must really like orange :)

5 months to reach full size is certainly a consideration. Might have to do some more brainstorming on how to solve my 2 problems. Thanks for the book recommendation -- I'll check it out.

Thank you again for responding! :)

Kristine

Kristine,
I wouldn't give up on the idea of grasses to mask your neighbour's fence. Actually, in the winter the tan colour of the grasses would probably look really good against that orange.

The key word is 'mask' rather than hide.
If you use a combination of grasses you could get that 'grass-less' period down to about 21/2 months. An established clump of Miscanthus sinensis should be 2 feet tall by the end of June. And, Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' will be 3 feet tall and in full bloom by the end of June.
I have started cutting back my grasses this week but, unless they have flopped badly there is no reason to do this before the end of March.
Plant large drifts of a tall tulip (complimentary colour to the orange) between the grasses and voila! You will achieve your desire with only 1 1/2 months of blah fence.

btw, you could also combine the grasses with a few of your cedars, or some other evergreen.

enjoy,
A.

Thanks very much achnatherum :) I will do some research and see if I can come up with some kind of plan using grasses, evergreens and flowers to mask that fence for the majority of the year.

I was thinking of a trellis on a hinge and growing a vine on it, but I really like the idea of grasses...

Thanks again :)

Kristine