I just wanted to add that the plant is getting plenty of 'full sun' in its location.

It could be a few things, including transplant shock.

A few questions:

Was it flowering when you planted it?

How was the root system when you took it out of its pot? Was it at all root bound? Did you cut off or otherwise uncoil the roots?

Have you successfully grown other grasses in the same location? Does the soil drain well, or is it full of clay, and holding water in the planting hole?

Hi Donn - No the plant didn't have any plumes at the time of planting. It wasn't root-bound either. However I still teased the root ball a bit prior to planting. I haven't planted any other grasses in this location, but the soil seems to absorb the water quickly when I water the plant. I'm thinking about maybe just digging it up to see what's going on under ground. Like I said, I've never had to baby an ornamental grass like this before.

Just wanted to update you on my situation. I dug up the Variegated Maiden Grass and swapped it with a new Maiden Grass with non-variegated leaves (just solid green colored leaves). I lightly teased the root ball and then irrigated deeply. That was 2 days ago, I stopped by to take a peek at it this morning and it's looking fantastic! So I'm not sure what happened to the original variegated variety. All I know is that I'll be returning it to Home Depot later today for a full refund:)

Interesting. How did the roots look when you dug up the sick one? Did you put the new one in the same planting hole?

The roots on the sick looking OG looked fine. Yes, I did plant the new OG in the same hole. To be honest, I'm sure the original OG would have been fine in the long run. It probably would continue to looks dry and curly throughout the fall and winter, but I'm sure it would send up new, healthy shoots come Spring. I just couldn't bear to see it looking so dry and curly every day. It all worked out for the best anyway. I think the new OG with the non-variegated leaves fits into the surrounding landscape better.