Ornamental grass kit

The Grass Party.

Movement, sound and winter interest.

Steel-blue switchgrass, a fountain of maiden grass and fuzzy fountain grass up front. They sway all summer, plume in fall and stand through winter so the garden doesn't disappear in January.

6 plants · 3 kinds4 × 10 ft bedFull sun
$278.94
Same price as buying them one by one. The plan's on us.
The Grass Party
What it looks like

Year two. Then you brag.

Year two, mid-September. Each plant drawn at its full size.

1 ft1231 ft123
  1. 1Maiden grass 'Morning Light'4–6 ft tall, 2–4 ft wide
  2. 2Switchgrass 'Heavy Metal' × 24–5 ft tall, 2–3 ft wide
  3. 3Fountain grass 'Hameln' × 318–30 in. tall and wide
What's in the box

6 plants, 3 jobs.

$60.99
In this kit: The fountain
Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'

Maiden Grass

Silver from across the yard.

Fine lines, silver glow. Very narrow blades, each edged in a thin white line, so from a few feet away the whole clump reads soft silver. Reddish-bronze plumes come in early fall and fade to white for winter.

Size4–6 ft tall, 2–4 ft wideShowEarly fall; plumes into winter Lightfull, partZones5–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWatermoderate
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In this kit: The fountain
Miscanthus sinensis

Maiden Grass

The fine-textured original. Moves with every breeze.

Fine blades, big presence. Narrow green blades with a silver midrib in a tall, arching vase that sways with every breeze. Coppery-red plumes open in late summer and fade to silver-white, standing tall into winter.

Size5–6 ft tall (taller in bloom), 3–5 ft wideShowLate summer into fall; plumes hold through winter Lightfull, partZones5–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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$121.98
In this kit: Steel-blue columns
Panicum virgatum

Switch Grass

Steel-blue blades. Stands up straight.

Blue steel, prairie roots. Stiff, upright clumps of metallic blue-gray blades that don't flop, topped in late summer with an airy haze of seed heads. In fall the whole thing turns warm gold and stays standing well into winter.

Size4–5 ft tall, 2–3 ft wideShowLate summer plumes; foliage spring to winter Lightfull, partZones4–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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In this kit: Steel-blue columns
Panicum virgatum

Switch Grass

Steel blue, ramrod straight.

Blue, upright and unbending. Powder-blue blades in a tight, columnar clump that stands straight even after heavy rain. Golden seed heads appear in late summer, and the whole plant goes buttery yellow in fall.

Size4–6 ft tall, 2–3 ft wideShowSeed heads late summer into fall Lightfull, partZones4–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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$95.97
In this kit: Fuzzy front row
Pennisetum alopecuroides

Fountain Grass

Soft bottlebrushes on a tidy fountain.

A fountain, fit to scale. Fine green blades arch into a neat fountain, then fill in late summer with soft, creamy bottlebrush plumes blushed pink. Foliage goes golden in fall and holds through winter.

Size18–30 in. tall and wideShowLate summer into fall; plumes into winter Lightfull, partZones5–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWatermoderate
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In this kit: Fuzzy front row
Pennisetum alopecuroides

Fountain Grass

Bottlebrushes in a smoky shade of purple.

Big, smoky bottlebrush plumes. Fat, fuzzy plumes in deep smoky purple start in midsummer, earlier than most fountain grasses, and keep coming into fall. The arching foliage turns gold as the weather cools.

Size3–4 ft tall in bloom, 2–3 ft wideShowMidsummer into fall Lightfull, partZones5–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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The whole kit: 6 plants + the planting planEvery plant picked for your zone. Arrives alive, or we replace it.
The planting plan

Dig here. Then here.

4 × 10 ft bedFull sunTap a plant for the details
Back · tallFront · low
↓ Front edge · path, lawn or walk
What blooms when
AprMayJunJulAugSepOct
1Maiden grass
2Switchgrass
3Fountain grass

Something in flower 3 of 7 months from April to October.

  1. 1Lay it outSet the pots on the soil to match the plan before you dig. Step back, nudge, then commit.
  2. 2Dig and dropEach hole twice as wide as the pot, just as deep. Crown level with the soil. Firm it in.
  3. 3Soak itWater deeply today, then weekly for a month. After that, mostly leave it alone.
Why it's laid out like this

Maiden grass at the back center, switchgrass on either side, fountain grass along the front. Space 2–3 ft apart. Cut everything to 4 in. in late winter, before new growth.

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The Sunday Tip · every Sunday

One good plant idea,
every Sunday.

What to plant this week in your zone, every Sunday. New ways to plant and odd tricks that actually work.