Ornamental grasses for sale for movement and texture in modern and drought tolerant landscapes: feather reed grass, blue grama, carex, lomandra, muhly and more, in 1 to 5 gallon containers. Each grass lists its mature size, sun and water needs and form.
Grasses pair naturally with landscape rock, boulders and decomposed granite. Most need only an annual cutback. Browse all nursery plants.
Where the plants on this page usually go, and what to browse next.
Low, tidy sedges and grasses make a clean edge along a path or bed line, especially where decomposed granite or gravel meets the planted area and needs a soft, defined border.
Carex sedges tolerate the dry shade and root competition under a mature tree better than most grasses, filling in as a ground cover where turf usually struggles and thins out.
Ornamental grasses read well planted around boulders or large rock, where their fine texture and seasonal movement contrast with the static, heavy shapes of stone in the same bed.
A few grasses here are rated for slope use and, once established, their roots help knit loose ground together; anchor the base of a planted slope with landscape rock to slow runoff.
How to choose, what to check before you order, and how plant orders are delivered.
Ornamental grasses for sale here add movement and texture that flowering plants and shrubs cannot, and the right one for a given bed depends more on sun and water than on looks alone. This page carries sedges (Carex), feather reed grass (Calamagrostis), blue grama (Bouteloua) and other genera in 1 and 5 gallon containers, grown by California nurseries, each listing mature size, sun, water and bloom detail. Many are drought tolerant ornamental grasses once established and pair naturally with rock and gravel beds rather than a lawn.
Ornamental grasses on this page cover full sun, part sun and true shade, plus low, moderate and high water needs, so the spot comes first and the look second. Carex sedges tend to tolerate more shade and moisture than sun loving genera like Bouteloua, which makes them a fit for the ground under a tree canopy where most other grasses thin out. Full sun, low water types work well massed in an open bed or along a slope. Check both the sun and water rating on the product page rather than assuming every ornamental grass wants the same dry, open conditions.
Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster') is one of the more upright, vertical grasses carried here, with narrow blades and tall seed plumes that hold their shape through fall and winter rather than flopping over. It takes full to part sun and moderate water, and its strict, columnar form makes it useful as a repeating accent along a bed or a fence line rather than as a filler. Give it room to reach its mature height before planting anything tall in front of it, since the seed heads are much of the display.
Most ornamental grasses, including feather reed grass, are cut back to a few inches once a year in late winter, before new growth starts, to clear out the previous season's dead blades. The evergreen sedges and rushes on this page need less: an occasional grooming to pull out dead or damaged blades by hand is usually enough, rather than a hard yearly cutback. Cutting back too early in fall removes winter structure and seed heads that many grasses are grown for in the first place. Wear gloves; the blade edges on several genera are sharp enough to cut skin.
Ornamental grasses read well against a mineral background, and several on this page are already rated for rock gardens, ground cover or edging duty rather than a traditional planted bed. Decomposed granite or fine landscape rock around the base keeps the crown dry, which matters most for the drought tolerant genera, and cuts down on the weeding a bare soil bed needs. Size the rock coverage with the coverage calculator before you order so you are not guessing at tonnage.
Most ornamental grasses, including feather reed grass, are cut back to a few inches once a year in late winter, just before new growth starts, to remove the previous season's dead blades. Cutting back too early, in fall or early winter, removes the seed heads and winter structure that many grasses are grown for in the first place. Evergreen sedges and rushes need far less: an occasional hand grooming to pull dead blades, rather than a hard yearly cutback. Wear gloves, since the blade edges on several genera are sharp.
Not all of them. Grasses on this page range from full sun to true shade tolerance, so the right pick depends on the spot rather than a single rule. Carex sedges tend to hold up well in part shade or even full shade under a tree canopy, while sun loving genera like blue grama want an open bed with several hours of direct light. Check the sun rating on the product page before assuming every ornamental grass wants the same dry, open conditions a lawn substitute might need.
Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster') takes moderate water rather than a strictly low water regime, so it is not one of the most drought tolerant grasses on this page, though it is not a thirsty plant either. It performs best with regular water through the growing season and can tolerate some dry spells once established. If you want a lower water option, look at the more drought tolerant genera on this page and check the water rating listed on each product before you buy.
Several genera on this page, though not all, carry a deer resistant rating, generally because their leaf texture and taste discourage browsing rather than because deer never touch them. Deer resistant means less likely to be eaten, not guaranteed safe, and local deer pressure varies by neighborhood and by how dry a season it has been. Check the feature list on the specific product page rather than assuming every ornamental grass carries the rating, since it differs by genus.
It depends on the genus. Many of the grasses on this page, including feather reed grass, grow as tight clumps that get wider slowly over years without sending runners into the surrounding bed, which makes them predictable near a path or a hardscape edge. Others, used for ground cover or edging duty, spread more readily and are chosen for that reason to fill in bare ground. Check the listed use on the product page: ground cover and edging entries spread, specimen entries stay in a clump.
Yes, a number of the grasses on this page are rated for rock gardens, and fast draining rock or gravel around the crown suits the more drought tolerant genera better than a rich, moisture holding soil bed does. Decomposed granite or fine landscape rock keeps the base dry and cuts down on weeding between plants. Amend the actual planting hole with soil even in a rock garden setting, since the rock layer is a mulch, not a growing medium for the roots.
Send the plant list, sizes and your ZIP and we will confirm delivery and price it before you order.
Call (800) 215-7372What looks like a flower on Karl Foerster grass is actually a seed plume, the grass equivalent of a flower spike, and it is the main ornamental feature rather than a side effect of bloom. The plumes emerge tan to purplish in summer and fade to a pale straw color that holds its shape through fall and winter, which is why growers list its bloom period as not showy in the usual sense while still describing it as a standout plant. Because the display comes from the seed head rather than petals, deadheading does not extend or improve it the way it would on a flowering shrub; the plumes are meant to be left standing until the yearly cutback.
Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), including the 'Blonde Ambition' selection carried here, is a Western native short grass sometimes used as a low mow or no mow lawn substitute rather than only as a specimen clump. Its horizontal, eyelash shaped seed heads give it a different look from the upright plumes of feather reed grass, holding pale gold color from summer into winter. As a native, it is adapted to infrequent rainfall rather than regular irrigation once established, and it tolerates occasional light foot traffic better than most ornamental grasses on this page, though it will not hold up to constant use the way turf grass does.
Order ornamental grasses for pickup at our Central Valley or Antelope Valley yards, or bulk delivery throughout California — plus Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado. Tell us your ZIP and project and we will quote a delivered price.
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