I have decided upon, and ordered, a 72 plug tray of Ceratostigma Plumbaginoides. From my research, this is the best choice for my climate, soil and personal preference.

Aw shucks, I liked the amber waves of grain idea but at least you made a decision. The best grass for duplicating that is Little Bluestem which by the way does great on a slope like you have and looks wonderful swaying in the breeze. I was tempted to order a tray of plugs from SRG but fortunately am able to make my own plugs from volunteers of the types I've already ordered from them in the past. My favorite is 'Blue Heaven'. I don't know where you live, I'm in Oklahoma where amber waves of grain commonly line the highways (along with wavin' wheat) when the wind comes 'sweepin' down the plains. Actually, the little bluestem turns shades of red in fall and winter rather than amber but it doesn't get cut down at harvest and it waves quite nicely, like a waves on the ocean.

I'm in KY and Little Bluestem was one of a group of OG's I planted in 2010, that just didn't make it here. We average 40+ inches of rain a year, I think it may have drowned. Everything with "xeric" in it's description, proves difficult here.

Well, Oklahoma (and I was on a wet area, where water seeped from March through June) averaged about 36 inches and LB thrived. But I understand, I struggle with much of the "xeric" stuff too.

Wow! I had no idea Oklahoma got that much rain. And we are approx. 10% below the average rainfall here already. I'm watering weekly already. The open areas are just making me nervous, we had the hill covered with Daylilies for years. Now that we took them out, I have nightmares about waking up to find the thing covered in weeds and grass again. Know what I mean?

I know exactly what you mean. Even worse is having to look at a large area you are trying to establish sitting smack in the middle of a planted area, thats what I'm looking at right now, its like a big gaping hole and it throws the whole thing off. I'm having to water the baby plants everyday because tree roots suck it dry and its so hot and dry already. I only realized SRG sells those plugs recently. Had I known, I would have ordered a flat of all one kind. I got all they had left of Little Bluestem 'Standing Ovation' and several 'Carousel' and spent more money than a whole flat of Standing Ovation would have cost and got less plants. The Standing Ovation is settling in much better than the Carousel.

They just started selling plug trays. I like it. Off to look up Standing Ovation!

I'm still waiting to see how Standing Ovation looks as mature plants, its very blue with thick leaves and robust stems at the base.

My favorite so far is Blue Heaven. Four feet tall, turquoise-ish blue with purple in summer and really nice deep color in fall. It never flops or lodges.

Another I'm liking is Big Bluestem 'Red October. Its leaves are red even in spring & summer. The only thing is its slow to establish because it spends a couple years working on its roots. SRG is sold out, they sold out quick on both of these, all the LBS and BB's seem to be popular and sell out fast.

'The Blues' is fast growing but mature plants tend to lean due to the number of stems and blooms, they get a bit top heavy and the plants get quite a diameter. They are powder blue in color but don't get fall color as intense as Blue Heaven, it self sows more heavily than the others.

'Prairie Blues' has daintier, thinner leaves and is very blue, it forms what I think of as the classic exclamation marks. Both it and 'The Blues' come true from seeds.

Blue Heaven self sows moderately and about 60% or more are true from seed, you can tell the ones that are like the parent plants once they've gotten along in growth by the leaf width and color. I've gotten some interesting volunteers that I've planted here and there. Some are light blue, very robust and tall and others have really fine blades and are shorter, some are more green with red hints & form short, thick, dense tussocks with fine blades and color up real pretty in fall, I think they are probably pretty much like 'Blaze'. The others are like the parents.

Self sowing really helps. I've been extending my areas with seedlings, otherwise I can't afford to mass them in such large areas. They don't self sow to the point of being a problem and I'm glad to get the free plants because the bluestem's are kind of pricey, especially the ones that are patented. SRG has the best prices, some places sell a single plant for quite a bit of money.

Thanks for sharing your experience with particular OG's. I actually have (3) and love Red October. First picture is last fall, second is today. These are in their second year in my garden, and I hope to divide and transplant next spring. They are about 3 ft tall and 2 ft wide, so far. Seem to like lots more water than I would have expected.

Ornamental grasses · More Info

Ornamental grasses · More Info

Gosh! Your Big bluestem is way bigger than mine, I've got my original plant down on the Hellstrip between the sidewalk and the street where its hot, its at the very end of the strip by that sign, planted by the tall Little Bluestem in the photos below. I purchased 5 more plants which are out back where they get more water but its slow going, I mean really really slo-o-o-ow. I keep my garden on the dry side but lately I've been watering the BigBlu's trying to help them establish some deeper roots. I tried sowing seeds this spring. None germinated. They are so expensive.

This was shot last year, the BB is to the left of that pole, the small tree in the middle of the yard is now gone, it was casting too much shade for the natives and grasses, that pin oak next door is bad enough without adding more shade, it steals my morning sun.

This is a wide shot of the slope up front I shot this evening. There is lots of little bluestem growing among the wildflowers that take over the show in fall, I keep adding more, as you can see we took out the lawn and I've planted a prairie that is gradually developing.

The Bluestem by the sign are the tall Okie's I grew from seeds I collected locally. It gets really tall, almost to my chest. I'm standing in my neighbors yard which is a lot higher than us, we live on a slope here, watering is difficult.

This is a volunteer plant from Blue Heaven from a volunteer seedling last year, its from the original plants I got at SRG. You can see the difference in height between it and the local Okies. These stay low until they put up stems that shoot up to about 3 to 3.5 feet or so.

Beautiful!

laugh. If you have wind and really want to get totally hypnotized watching the grass sway, the two best ones are Mexican Feather Grass and Switchgrass, especially P. 'Northwind'. Mexican Feather Grass planted in a swath looks like ocean waves. You'll have seedlings for free plants from here on out too so with a small initial investment of a two or three plants, you can create a swath the second season and have all that blonde loveliness for around $10 + it never needs watering.

I've steered clear of the Deschampsia grasses because I think we are too dry but then they will take a lot of shade so I keep thinking one day I'll try some.

Yep patience is key, I always keep that little ditty in my head: First year they sleep, second year they creep, third year they leap.

Mexican Feather Grass in early spring, its a cool season grass.

Close up of seeds and summer color when it turns a bright blonde color but sways just as nice, this is when I like it best.

Mexican F. G. is the real white stuff in the foreground and at the end of the sidewalk.

I love the look of the Feather Grass! I did rule it out long ago d/t the fact that we have three dogs. I deduced that one (or more) of them would end up snorting up a seed, and costing us hundreds in Vet bills. But it sure is pretty!

Snorting up a seed. That is a new one on me. LOL.

It'd be more like snorting or swallowing a hairball.

Supposedly, from what I've read, they can create a problem. Little hooks or barbs that make removal difficult. Not worth the risk, here. To me.

That would be another kind of grass, no hooks or barbs on MFG. Some of the Stipa's have sharp points on the seed used to drill the seed into the ground but not this one. Its got a different method of seeding. What they do is form a very fine spider-web type covering on the ground all around the plants as if a cotton-candy machine was used to coat the surface with a fine evenly laid layer of golden webs. The seeds are very tiny, each has a thin thread-like attachment, soft and thinner than hair. These cottony fibers tangle together at the ends of the plants forming what looks like wads of hairballs being shed. If you try to clean the ground, the stuff starts wadding up into cottony balls, its like sweeping lint up off the floor. It looks almost exactly like a couch or cloth carseat after a blonde longhaired dog or cat who is shedding badly has sat on it. You can finger comb the hairballs out of the grass. One seed with attachment will just blow away in the wind and is hardly even 'there' and its pretty difficult to separate out just one seed, they like to clump up. An animal would snort up a wad of blonde 'hair' rather than a seed and I seriously doubt that'd happen.

There are simply many, many claims that this grass has been linked to problems with domestic animals. I'm not making it up. Google it.

My female cats love to hover in it but I have never had any problems with it and my cats. I have never heard of this.

I couldn't find anything except a mention of Speargrass. I think there is an ID problem here and its probably another kind of stipa that would cause problems. Honestly, I simply cannot imagine an animal getting harmed with it, maybe a cat might eat it and end up throwing up grass hairballs but other than that its just not sharp at all on any of its parts and its too fine to penetrate skin, the seed fluff is too fine & prone to clumping to form individual needles or weapons of any sort and the seeds themselves are just too tiny, you can barely see them. Its worst reputation is seeding too heavily.

A substitute that is recommended as being less invasive in the west is Purple Three Awn for that fine, low waving grass look. I wouldn't want that one around pets, eye injuries have been reported. Its got sharp seeds with stiff awns, those could work themselves into skin or eyes or get tangled in fur. I wouldn't choose any of the other stipas either.

Tina, I'd like to know the name of the ornamental grass in your pic, 'My Garden On The Hill'. It's the one on the top left of your pic, right behind the white flowering shrub.
I'm looking for the name of the grass on the left in the pic I've posted. Do you think they are the same?
Thanks,

Margaret.

I'm not a whizz at grass Id.

Ornamental grasses · More Info

Ornamental grasses · More Info

Dave's Garden. Mexican Feather Grass reviews.

O.K. thank you.