I also live in Portland -- a little ways outside. I strongly suggest you take a field trip to Joy Creek Nursery and see their display garden. There you will find many grasses to view in their mature state.

I live quite close to Joy Creek and would be happy to set up a time for you to stop by and see the grasses and other plants in our yard as well. I currently have 50 plus varieties of ornamental grass in the yard and most are flowering right now. Let me know -- you can respond directly to my email if this is something you are interested in.

Another suggestion is to go to Powells and find a book called The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses by Rick Darke. This has many excellent photos of different grasses.

For your situation based on the photos you've posted I consider the following -- Karl Forester's Feather reed grass as a fairly upright background grass, 'Morning Light' Miscanthus as another possibility (an incredibly beautiful grass in my opinion), Pennesetum alopecuroides 'hameln', Pennesetum Orientale, Miscanthus sinensis 'adagio'. This is a preliminary list! The first two will be taller than 4 feet though not by too too much. As for accompanying plants in the colors you mentioned -- Helenium 'moorheim beauty' for orange is lovely, Penstemon 'raven' or other dark purple varieties are stunning, Rudbeckia (black-eyed susan) varieties are terrific with grasses, Asters look great. So many choices.

Feel free to contact me.

One has got to appreciate their location living within breathing range of a "grass" nursery.

As "pezhead" suggested go shopping at the nursery as real life viewing cannot be measured against words or pictures, also get Darke's book.

I might suggest Panicum virgatum "Heavy Metal" it also is very upright. It does stretch to 5' in height but the faded pastel blue-grey to blue-grey w/ green tint foliage is a total knockout as a back ground for perennials.

Pinks, yellows, orange, apricot colors take on a new appearance when in front of "Heavy Metal".

Then when the growing season starts to close down "Heavy Metal" foliage turns to a burgundy shade that makes the above colors even more eye catching.

Gotta love Karl and Heavy Metal as the strongest upright sentinels of any garden or landscape.

Jake

Thank you both for the suggestions.. This is getting to be fun! Joy Creek nursery sounds like a great spot, I just called them and they said they have many varieties to look at and forsale. Karl's reed grass looks stunning and I also really like the look of Morning Light. Jake's recommendation of Heavy Metal is also interesting, I'd like to find some more pictures or see it at the nursury.

Thanks again!

A single note of caution with Karl Forester's Reed grass. If you have any shrubs in your yard that are vectors for Rust disease, Karl forester can contract rust and that is no fun. This is a consideration but not at all a reason to avoid this grass. Be sure and give it room for air circulation and some water -- though once established they take some neglect even in full sun. I find sweeps of Feather Reed grass very attractive. For an absolutely amazing mass planting of 'Morning Light' Miscanthus, take Terwilliger Blvd up near Tryon Creek State Park and Lewis and Clark college and look for it in a traffic island. I saw it for the first time this summer and my mouth fell open. It should be in flower by late Sept (they are late to bloom). Plant this grass anywhere it can get great sun and particularly where you can easily view early or late light through/on it. Amazing and refined beauty.

Use this forum to have questions answered as there are a lot of people willing to chat and give suggestions. Again, don't hesitate to contact me if you want to see grasses in my garden -- I'm right on the way to Joy Creek Nursery and would be pleased to give you a nerdy grass/garden tour.

As rust might be subjected to your local I've not read any diatribe regarding rust disease on "karl". As for M.s. "Morning Light", I, like many, feel it should be one of the top in priorities in any grass planting however in my experience Morning Light is not that vertical in structure.

I see it as upright arching at best, but nowhere close to vertical like Karl or Heavy Metal. Still a very attractive grass.

DonÂt throw Morning Light or the baby out with the bath water. Look to include Morning Light in any landscape design. ( As a side note, Morning Light is soooo apprecited in this forum I feel that it may become over used in landscape designs. )

My comments are made from a person located in a z4b-5 as opposed to your z8 in regards to plant growth, and plant structure as related to the arching of Morning Light.

Climate, soil conditions, water, temperature and sun will influence any plant growth and ornamental grasses fit in that grouping.

We have Morning Light growing in one of our beds and it arches over the path to meet M.s. Jaku Jima and these two grasses give me a place to hind when the "Perennial Whacko" is looking for cheap labor.

Get DarkeÂs book, read it, do a sight inspection of nurseries and gardens of grass beds and then make a decision on a grass selection.

Research and investigation of plant life in your area will save money and labor in your adventure to select and plant w/ success ornamental grasses.

All the above information supplied by a guy who is new to ornamental grasses and still learning.

Jake

Jake -- check out Darke's piece on Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'stricta' (Karl Forester) and you will see his mention of rust. We had a wet early summer here in Oregon and though my Karl has excellent drainage, air circulation and sun exposure both it and the 'overdam' got rust. I believe that a St. Johnswort plant was the vector as this is a known rust host and ours had rust last year.

I am zone 8, Portland, Oregon.
I want to plant Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal'
It will be planted with full Eastern exposure.

Is it still okay to plant this at the end of August here in zone 8?

I guess it's like your first love, but Morning Light is my favorite grass in my landscape. I have two which own the corners of the bed they are planted on. Neither have sent up any plumes as yet, and just last night while mowing I stood next to the specimine below (photo was taken just a month ago) and the top of the folliage was just over my head. I'm 6' 3". It's just the best.
{{gwi:260179}}

Blackie

I love that grass, Blackie. I wish you'd hurry up and divide it so I can trade for some. ;>)

To Blackie .... wow, that is a beautiful plant!

I hope that I will have that success with my "Heavy Metal" plant!

To all ...... any hints on how to prepare my ground? I have bad clay, so I put down 6" of GREAT topsoil/compose. Should I roto-til it all together?

del -

That grass above was just plopped into a hole when I planted it some 6 years ago. I don't have any special "great" soil, just some clay and such. Grasses seem to do better with a bit of neglect. If you get the soil too rich, the tend to flop. Same thing with too much water or fertilizer. They are tough and prefer to be treated that way.