Tall Grasses

USDA Zone 4

Reed grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha) is native to Asia but grows in USDA zone 4, reaching 3 to 4 feet tall. This grass features sturdy, green leaves and pinkish flowers at the top of the plant in autumn. Reed grass differs from many ornamental grasses in that it handles wet areas. The Missouri Botanical Garden recommends cutting it to ground level in late winter to promote a season of handsome new growth each year. Control erosion or form a background in your gardens with big bluestem grass (Andropogon gerardii). Hardy to zone 4, big bluestem grass grows to 6 feet and flowers late in the summer, generating a red-purple hue at the top of its stalks. The leaves turn reddish after exposure to frost, and the stems usually persist through the winter months.

Plume grass (Saccharum ravennae) serves as a screen or specimen plant near homes or on a patio. This native of the Mediterranean and northern Africa grows 6 to 12 feet tall. Also suitable for USDA zones 5 and 6 is switch grass (Panicum virgatum), which is a native North American grass maturing to 6 feet, doing best in clay or sandy soils. Switch grass has multiple landscaping applications, including as a screen or as a component of water gardens.

Giant miscanthus (Miscanthus floridulus) is an Asian species capable of reaching 12 feet high. Its feathery flowers make it attractive, and its height makes it appropriate as a border, screen or specimen plant. Giant miscanthus requires plenty of room to grow. Red-winged blackbirds will utilize prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) as a nesting site. It prevents soil erosion, is native in North America and grows as tall as 7 feet; it grows fast, and the blades possess pointed teeth that can cut your skin.

Widely used as an ornamental grass, pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) forms clumps as wide as 6 feet and grows as high as 12 feet, and its silver-white flower plumes can be 3 feet long. It originated in nations such as Brazil and Argentina, and works best in large landscapes. Silver plume grass (Erianthus alopecuroides) is an American grass that reaches up to 10 feet high. Taking its name from its silvery flower plumes of late summer, this species does well in dry soils.