Please note we are
not a mail order nursery. We only deliver live plants to our local
customers on the South Shore. Thank you.
We apologize for the online format of this list, please pick up a printed copy
in the garden center.
Ornamental
Grasses
2008
ACORUS – Sweet
Flag
Part Shade
gramincus ‘Ogon’ – A
semi-evergreen grass with distinct yellow stripes along the blades.
Very colorful. Tolerant to
damp conditions. Grows only to
6-12”. Zone 5.
gramincus
‘Variegatus’ – Similar to above with white stripes.
AMMOPHILA – American
Beach Grass
Full sun
breviligulata - The ultimate erosion control for sandy soil and
exposed locations. A wide bladed grass with rhizomatous habit that is often used
to stabilize sand dunes. Grows 18-24".
ARRHENATHERUM- Bulbous
Oat Grass
bulbosum 'Variegatum’ - Variegated grass with cream margins,
12-15" tall. Clumping,
oat-like spikes in May-June. Does
well in shade.
CALAMGROSTIS - Feather
Reed
Grass
Full Sun/Light Shade
acutiflora ‘Avalanche’- This hardy grass offers outstanding color, form
and texture. The form is upright and narrow growing to 5’ tall yet only 24”
wide. The blades are deep green with white band down the center.
acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' - Earliest to flower of the Feather Reed grasses.
Blooms reach 4-6' starting in June.
Very upright flower spikes with basalt foliage.
Tolerates a variety of soils and moisture conditions.
The upright form holds up well through winter. Use as a specimen or group masses. Zone 5.
arundinacea ‘Overdam’ – Similar
to ‘Karl Foerster’, but with variegated green and white foliage.
A little smaller, growing to 3’. Flower
mid-summer and remains through winter.
brachytricha- Grows to 3’, plumes
August-September. Foliage turns bright yellow in fall.
CAREX – Sedge
Part Shade
buchananii - The
unusual 'brownish' coloring of this sedge along with the curling at the tips of
the leaves makes this plant an outstanding addition to any garden. This New
Zealand sedge grows 1 to 2 feet. Useful
at the edge of a water garden or in a drier location. Stunning planted with
silver and gray foliage, especially in the sun which highlights its
coppery-tones. Tufted and erect in growth with narrow foliage which is copper-bronze colored
twelve months of the year. Tolerant
to full sun. Z6
comans ‘Frosted Curls’- Thin silvery leaves curl at the tips and
are covered with brown seed heads. A
very dense mound forming plant. Grows to 12”.
conica ‘Snowline’ (Hime Kansugi)- A pretty, variegated, dwarf
variety. A finely textured small grass with dark green leaves that have thin,
white margins.
Creates a neat clump to 6”.
flacca (glauca)- This spreading, silvery-blue sedge grass is
reliable and hardy. A popular variety that is adaptable and vigorous. Effective
for erosion control and grows
9-12” tall.
flacca (glauca) ‘Blue Zinger’-
Cool, blue tufts of grassy foliage grow
10 to 20” tall. This slow growing
spreader is extremely versatile.
Nice in planters too!
morrowi ‘Aurea Variegata’ -
A low mounding evergreen grass to 12" with an attractive cream colored
variegation. A hardier substitute for variegated liriope. Especially effective
when used in mass plantings. Z6
morrowi ‘Ice Dance’ – Tufts of semi-evergreen, grass-like foliage,
edged with pure white. Can be used
as a slow spreading groundcover. Tolerates poor soils. Zone
5.
muskingumensis ‘Oehme’- Variegated Palm Sedge- A wonderful variety with
a palm-like habit and gold margins around the leaves.
Grows best in moist soils. Plumes
in June
siderosticha ‘Island Brocade’- A
handsome variety with broad, arching
creamy-yellow and green foliage that is semi-evergreen and combines well with
shade perennials, like hostas.
CHASMANTHIUM - Northern
Sea Oats
Full
Sun/Light Shade
latifolium - A three-season grass with summer flowers, fall color, and
winter form. Salt tolerance makes
it a fine seashore plant. Probably
our finest grass. Blooms in August.
May reach 3' tall. Zone 5.
ELYMUS – Lyme
grass
Full Sun
arenarius ‘Blue Dune’- This tough, drought tolerant spreader
grows 2'’tall and has pastel blue foliage.
FESTUCA - Fescue
Full Sun
cinera 'Elijah Blue' - A small,
mounding grass best used in groups and masses.
'Elijah Blue' is a much improved variety with an even better blue
foliage. A good grass for winter
interest. Blooms in June and July.
6-10" tall. Zone 4.
ovina glauca ‘Boulder Blue’- displays
exceptional powder blue color, neat form and is hardy to our area. This grass
performs best in full sun and well drained soils. Awesome in containers too!
Grows 8-10” tall and wide.
HAKONECHLOA- Hakone
Grass
Part Sun
‘Beni Kaze’- New introduction
Another
new introduction for us from White Flower Farm with deep green foliage that
turns stunning red in fall. The texture and clump forming habit are outstanding.
Grows 18-24” tall and 24 to 30” wide. Perhaps not as cold hardy (zone 6) as
other Hakone grasses.
macra ‘All Gold’- Brilliant new plant!
This plant will brighten any garden with golden yellow foliage. Nice form
grows 18” tall and wide.
macra ‘Aureola’ – Forms mounds
of green and yellow foliage. Grows
12-18” tall. One of the few
grasses tolerant to shade. Great
companion for perennial garden.
HELICTOTRICHON - Blue
Oat Grass
Full Sun
sempervirens - Spiky blue foliage grows to 2', with drooping panicles
arching over it. Performs well in poor soil. Blooms in June.
Zone 4.
IMPERATA
- Blood Grass-Not on List
Full Sun/Part Shade
cylindrica
'Rubra' - Aptly named, as
the light green blades are tipped with bright red.
Prefers a sheltered location. Does
not bloom. Full sun or part shade.
12-18" tall. Only hardy
to zone 6.
LIRIOPE –Lily Turf
Part Shade/Shade
Although
not a true grass we choose to list this flowering perennial with the grasses due
to it’s form, texture and habit being similar to the grasses.
muscari ‘Majestica’- This clump forming perennial has dark green
foliage that is narrow and blade-like. The flowers are a rich violet and bloom in summer.
muscari ‘Variegata’- This
variegated Lily Turf has dark green leaves with vibrant yellow stripes. An
eye-catching addition to the garden with
lilac colored flowers in late summer to early fall.
s. ‘Silver Dragon’ – Semi-evergreen
perennial groundcover. Grows
15-18” tall and spreads vigorously. Purple
flowers in summer and black berries in fall.
Zone 6.
MISCANTHUS - Maiden
Grasses
Full Sun
‘Rigaletto’-
This new introduction
has strong, creamy white and green vertical variegation and a neat, more compact
yet graceful habit. An easy to grow plant that matures at only 3’ tall and
wide.
sinensis 'Gracillimus' – Maiden
grass - Forms a dense clump of gracefully arching narrow leaves. Thin white stripe runs up edge of each blade.
Does well in masses or as a specimen plant.
Plumes start pink and turn wheat starting in October and lasting through
the winter. May reach 5-7' tall with plumes.
Full sun. Zone 5.
sinensis ‘Little Kitten’-
This dwarf form has a fine texture and blond, long lasting plumes. A
purr-fect dwarf maiden grass!
sinensis
‘Mysterious Maiden’ - This new grass is being offered through Blooms of
Bressingham. It has slender foliage with golden cross variegation. This grass is
the perfect size; large enough to make a statement but not so big it overwhelms
smaller plantings. It grows 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Late in the season
graceful plumes hover a foot above the foliage. It is not fussy about soil types
as long it has lots of sun, plenty of moisture and good drainage.
sinensis 'Morning Light' –
Variegated Maiden grass - Has narrow, finely variegated leaves.
Similar to 'Gracillimus', but shorter(4-5' tall) and shows more white in
the foliage. Starts blooming in
September. Full sun. Zone 5.
sinensis 'Strictus' – Porcupine
grass - One of the most dramatic grasses. Has
the horizontal yellow bands of 'Zebrinus' in a spikier, narrower package.
A great specimen for the garden. Blooms
in September. May reach 6-7' by the
end of the season. Full sun.
Zone 4.
sinensis 'Variegatus' - An old
standby that still deserves another look. The
showiest variegation of the species, it will tolerate a little bit of shade, yet
will prosper in the heat. Blooms in
August and September to 5-6'. Zone
5.
sinensis 'Yaku Jima' – A dwarf Maiden grass was collected from Yaku Jima
Island by the U.S. National Arboretum. Silvery-white plumes
in August last well into the
winter. May reach 3-4' with plumes.
Full sun. Zone 5.
MOLINIA-
Purple Moor
Grass
caerulea 'Variegata' – This grass has is small with tufts of wide,
foliage that have creamy yellow edges. Airy
yellow plumes rise above the foliage in summer.
Only grows to 8” tall and wide.
MUHLENBERGIA
Full Sun
capillaris
‘Regal Mist’- This
neat clump forming grass has outstanding purple-pink, misty flower heads in
summer. Matures at 2’ by 2’.
NASSELLA- Mexican
Feather Grass
Full Sun
tenuissima - Among
the finest of all ornamental grasses. Produces a dense green fountain of
hair-like leaves and threadlike stems ending in silvery inflorescences with awns
more than 3" long. Blooms June
to September. Delicate and easily moved by breezes. Very drought tolerant. Grows
to 24”. A Texas native, marginally hardy to zone 6.
OPHIOPOGON-
Mondo Grass
Sun/Part Sun
japonicus- Clumps of stem-less dark green,
almost black grass-like
evergreen leaves makes a beautiful small scale groundcover or low border.
Tiny spikes of lilac flowers appear in summer. Very easy to grow. Creates
12-15” mound.
p. 'Nigrescens' - Black foliaged
grass-like plant. Slow grower.
About 6" tall. Full
sun/part shade. Evergreen foliage
or “everblack” in this case. Zone
6.
PANICUM – Switch Grass
Full Sun/Part Shade
virgatum ‘Dallas Blues’ Switch
Grass – This cultivar of our native Switch grass has silvery-
blue foliage throughout the growing season.
The plants are reliable and maintain upright form. Plumes in late summer.
Grows to about 3-4’ tall and
wide.
virgatum ‘Prairie Sky’- Handsome
plants with erect form, blue-green stems and graceful, drooping leaves. Another
hybrid of our native grass with subtle blue panicles in summer.
virgatum 'Shenandoah' - This new variety from Germany is the
shortest and slowest growing of the Panicums.
Blooms are red August through September. Likes full sun to part shade.
Grows to 3'.
x
‘Ruby Ribbons’- This new
introduction from the University of Connecticut offers
outstanding color! The foliage is metallic blue with red tones in summer yet in
late summer to fall, in the cooler weather the red becomes the dominant color.
Pretty plumes too! Grows 4-5’ tall and to 3’ wide.
PENNISETUM - Fountain Grass
Full Sun
alopecuroides 'Hameln' – Dwarf
Fountain grass - Has all the beauty of the larger form condensed to a compact
size to 3’ tall and wide. A
wonderful addition to the garden or for use in containers.
Blooms August to October. Can
use plumes for cutting. Full sun.
Zone 6.
alopecuroides 'Little Bunny' – Miniature Fountain grass –
A cute, cuddly little edger for the front of the border or rock garden.
Grows about12” tall. Blooms
in August to October. Full sun.
Zone 6.
alopecuroides ‘Rubrum’ – A show
stopping sight in summer and fall. Foliage
is a beautiful bronze-burgundy. Plumes
are purple in late summer and fall. Not
winter hardy, but a very useful annual in containers and fall plantings.
PHALARIS – Ribbon
Grass
arundinacea 'Picta' - The
standard ribbon grass. Green and
white variegation that just doesn't quit. Low,
running grass is great for those trouble spots where nothing else works.
Looks great along a stone wall. Can
be aggressive, use caution. Blooms
in June. 2-3'. Full sun
or part shade. Zone 4.
SCHIZACHYRIUM- Little
Bluestem
Full Sun
scoparium 'The Blues' – A
hybrid of our native grass with glowing blue foliage that becomes more intense
in the fall and is intertwined with deep burgundy red. Grows 3'-5’ tall in
bloom and 2’ wide. Zone 5.
SORGHASTRUM – Blue
India Grass-Not on list
Full Sun
nutans ‘Sioux Blue’ - A
beautiful native grass with upright flowers over 2’ steely blue foliage.
Blooms in August. Orange-gold
fall foliage. Zone 4.
Grows 4-6’ tall.
General
Care:
Ornamental
Grasses are usually considered a low maintenance, drought tolerant plant once
established. However, do not forget to water them through their first
summer, especially when planted in containers. They will need some water through
long periods of drought. Most
grasses benefit from being cut back to the ground each spring.
That’s It!
For more
information visit us at
www.KennedysCountryGardens.com
