Common name:Japanese Silver Grass, Maiden grass
Botanical name:Miscanthus sinensis

Miscanthus is a large group of ornamental grasses ranging from a few feet to over 7 or 8 feet tall. Blade colors range from solid green, to green with silver mid-ribs, to variegated forms. Plumes are generally held well above foliage clumps, appearing in late summer to early fall, depending on the variety, and may be cut for fresh or dry arrangements.

Common name:Creeping Mahonia
Botanical name:Mahonia repens

The creeping Mahonia is a low-growing shrub with a creeping habit, making it well suited as an understory groundcover. It grows about 12 to 15 inches tall and spreads 3 to 4 feet, though, due to its stoloniferous ways, will slowly spread wider. It has spiny, holly-like foliage that emerges red and matures to a dull green; though evergreen, leaves take on a bronzy-purple fall hue. Yellow, fragrant flowers bloom April and May, and are followed by berries that ripen purple in the fall and persist all winter. Exceptional four-season beauty. There are some planted at the Greater Avenues Water Conservation Garden.

Common name:Fountain Grass
Botanical name:Pennisetum alopecuroides

Fountain grass is a group of warm-season, clumping grasses with graceful forms and early plumes. Foliage is fine-textured and green, with the leaves 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and up to 30 or so inches long. The form is dense, upright, and mounded, growing from 1 to 3 feet tall and wide, and a little taller while in bloom. Fountain grass tend to bloom before Miscanthus and Panicums, usually by mid-July. Flowers are fox-tail-like and plump, and range in colors from white, cream, pinks, to nearly black. Flowers tend to shatter, but foliage persists into winter.

Common name:Deer Grass
Botanical name:Muhlenbergia rigens

Deer grass is a cool season clumping grass with gray-green leaves and spikelets that emerge gray and age to buff. Grass grows 2 to 3 feet tall, with spikelets growing up to 5 feet. A fine choice as a specimen or for mass planting. Useful slope cover for erosion control. Grows in full sun to part shade; tolerates rocky, dry soils; and alkaline and saline conditions. Attractive to birds as both forage and habitat.

Common name:Bearberry Cotoneaster
Botanical name:Cotoneaster dammeri

Bearberry cotoneaster is a semi-evergreen shrub that grows about 1.5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. It has a prostrate habit and makes a dense groundcover. It has dark green, ovate to rounded leaves with prominent veins. Small white flowers appear in spring, followed by small, bright red berries that persist into winter. This is a great plant for banks or hillsides as long as it gets full sun. It becomes drought tolerant once it's established. There are several cultivars in the trade, each with its own special qualities.