Growing Conditions

• Most perennial ornamental grasses prefer a site in full sun. The grasses are low maintenance, seldom requiring extra watering or any fertilizer. Although they grow more vigorous and spread more quickly in a deep, loose, fertile loam, they tolerate poor soil better than many other perennial plant choices.
  
  

Method of Spreading

• Perennial grasses spread through underground rhizomes. These stems can be running rhizomes that spread outward very fast covering large territory or can be a clumping type of root system which slowly widens, increasing the grasses location. The gardener must know which type is being planted, so a small site does not become overrun by a grass variety that is aggressive.
  
  

Propagation

• The methods that a perennial ornamental grass uses to spread make it a very easy for any gardener to propagate the plant. Using a sharp shovel, a portion of the spreading root or an edge of the clump can be sliced through and pulled up from the soil. This small clump or rhizome will begin another ornamental grass patch when planted in a new location.
  
  

Varieties

• Ornamental grasses offer flowers that turn to seed for wildlife.ornamental grass image by Richard Seeney from Fotolia.com
  
  The grasses range in height from short to tall in more than 100 varieties. Foot high tufts, such as northern lights (Deschampsia cespitosa), diplay striped green and white leaves and pink flower tips. A medium, high feather reed grass is Karl Foerster (Calamagrostis acutiflora). It sports several inches of delicate white flowers 4 feet in the air. A tall feather grass is Stipa gigantean reaching 7 feet. Its leaves are a gray-green color. Northern lights and Stipa gigantean thrive in USDA zones 5 through 9, while Karl Foerster likes zones 4 through 9.
  
  

Warning

• Due to the potential of perennial ornamental grasses to spread vigorously, especially the types with running root systems, the gardener should use caution before planting. Check with the area agricultural extension office or a weed control board to make sure that the variety being considered is not a noxious weed in the local environment. The fact that a particular grass is offered for sale through a nursery or catalog is not a guarantee that it is not listed on the noxious weed list locally.