Grasses & Ground covers

GROUNDCOVERS AND ORNAMENTAL GRASSES

Most are only $10, a few are $15

All are established and planted in 1 gallon pots (except Pink Panda which is 2 for $10)

Discover some varieties that are new to you.

Come visit the nursery where each item is signed with a more complete description, USDA Zones + photo of the mature plant.

[Our current grasses and groundcovers are listed below in Alphabetical order]

Updated July 13, 2025

ALL GOLD (JAPANESE FOREST GRASS) $15 Graceful arching golden color foliage brings vibrancy to shaded locations. It’s a great understory plant 12-18 inches tall. Deer resistant. Hakonechloa Macra “All Gold USDA Zones 5-9

BLACKBEARD BLACK MONDO $15 Blackbeard has bolder and darker arching grass-like leaves that grow in a mound about 12 inches tall. In fall there are dark ornamental berries. Deer resistant. Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Blackbeard’ USDA Zones 5-9

BLUE SEDGE $10, Sale 6 for $50 or 13 for $100 - (Ok to mix and match with other sale priced items) Perfect for a naturalized garden, an understory plant, groundcover, or border. Tolerates light foot traffic and can be mowed. A small clumping grass 6-10 inches tall. Blades are blue-green on top and blue-grey-silver at the base. Thrives in both sun or shade and wet or dry conditions. Deer and rabbit resistant, drought tolerant. Carex glauca USDA Zones 4–9

EMERALD CARPET (CREEPING RASPBERRY) $10 Sale 6 for $50 or 13 for $100 - (Ok to mix and match with other sale priced items) Emerald green textured crinkled leaves on trailing stems quickly make this plant a “carpet” (groundcover). It has tiny edible berries in summer-excellent for a native garden habitat. Leaves turn bronze/red in fall. Drought tolerant, good for weed suppression & erosion control for slopes and banks. Deer and rabbit resistant. Rubus calycinoides ‘Emerald Carpet USDA Zones 6-10

EVERGOLD JAPANESE SEDGE $10 Delicate arching, narrow bladed leaves, deep green on the borders with a creamy color down the center. Spring it has tiny coffee-colored flower spikes. Grows in a mound 10-12 inches tall and wide. In Portland areas it is often evergreen. Excellent groundcover, rabbit and deer resistant. Carex hachijoensis ‘Evergold’ USDA Zones 5–9

FERN (JAPANESE PAINTED FERN) SALE $10 Dramatic planted in groupings. Elegant silver-edged fronds are 1-2 feet tall. Grows slowly in a clustered shape. Tolerates wet or clay soil, a little sun (prefers shade), deer and rabbit resistant. Fern Athyrium niponicum “Pictum’ USDA Zones 3-9 - Limited availability

HAMELN (DWARF FOUNTAIN GRASS) $10 Sale 6 for $50 or 13 for $100 - (Ok to mix and match with other sale priced items) Graceful compact ornamental grass staying under 2-3 feet tall. Foliage changes color every season-Green in spring/summer, bronze in fall, soft blonde in winter. Late summer rust colored flower spikes arch outward like water spraying from a fountain. Drought tolerant. Especially dramatic planted in groupings or as a low border. Pennisetum Alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ USDA Zones 5-9

HEN AND CHICKS (colorful varieties) $10 (SEMPERVIVUM) translated as “Always Living”- appropriate as Hen and Chicks survive harsh conditions and seem to adapt and thrive wherever planted, no matter if it is in a tiny crevice or a creative container. They can live for decades, reproducing by creating new little plants around themselves. All varieties develop their best color in sunlight or well-lighted situations. Deer and rabbit resistant. Sempervivum tectorum USDA Zones 3-8 - limited availabilty

HOSTAS $10 (BIG DADDY, RASPBERRY SUNDAE) Most will tolerate some morning sun and are said to be slug resistant. Fantastic understory plants that brighten up shady areas. Hosta’s small lavender colored flowers rising above the foliage in summer will attract butterflies. Hosta USDA Zones 3-9 - Limited availability

ICE DANCE $10 Grows in an arching shape low to the ground, usually about 12 inches high & wide. Thrives in sun to heavy shade, on slopes & steep banks, in clay or sandy soil, also in seasonally wet sites – it grows well just about anywhere! A group quickly fills in bare spaces, preventing erosion and suppressing weeds. Deer resistant and drought tolerant. In Portland it stays evergreen (depending on planting location and the year’s weather). Carex morrowii ‘Ice Dance’ USDA Zones 5- 9

PERIWINKLE (VINCA) $10 Delicate ‘periwinkle blue’ flowers-one of the most popular and widely used groundcovers. Foliage stays about 6 inches high with trailing stems that root as they progress along the ground. Effectively blocks weeds, covers barren areas, and prevents erosion. Easy care, tolerates almost all conditions including cold climates and full sun or full shade. Drought tolerant, deer and rabbit resistant. Vinca minor USDA Zones 4-9

PINK PANDA ORNAMENTAL STRAWBERRY GROUNDCOVER $6 or 2 for $10 (planted in small square pots). Pretty pink flowers bloom on glossy green foliage spring through summer, with some small edible fruit. Low growing, it stays 5-6 inches high, developing into a 2 foot wide groundcover that handles moderate foot traffic. Deer resistant. Fragaria x ‘Pink Panda’ USDA Zones 3-9

RED BARON $10 Upright, bright green blades, with cranberry red on the upper half in summer, deepening to deep burgundy in late fall, and a coppery color in winter - providing reliable color as the seasons progress. Grows into a dense clump about 12-18 inches tall. Especially dramatic planted in groupings or massed as a border. Excellent for erosion control and filling neglected spaces. Deer and rabbit resistant, drought tolerant. Imperata cylindrica ‘Red Baron’ USDA Zones 5–9

SHENANDOAH (A NATIVE GRASS) $10 Sale 6 for $50 or 13 for $100 - (Ok to mix and match with other sale priced items) Vivid, red-tipped blades rise 4-5 feet tall with dusty-rose colored feathery spikelets mid to late summer. Fits well in a natural landscaping scheme. Easy to maintain, drought tolerant. Handles sandy or clay soil, rabbit and deer resistant. Especially striking as a summer hedge or in a grouping. Does well as an accent plant in large containers on a patio or deck. Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ USDA Zones 4-9

SUNSPARKLER SEDUMS (FIRECRACKER or CHERRY TART) $10 Fabulous drought-tolerant groundcovers, borders, fillers in rock gardens, edging, or landscape accents. In pots and containers they add color, inside or outside with soft pink flowers in late summer. Low-maintenance and adaptable, about 4-8 inches tall, 18 inches wide. They grow in full or part sun and even in heavy soils, quickly covering bare areas. Rabbit and deer resistant. Sedum USDA Zones 4 – 9

YUCCA FILAMENTOSA $15 Low-maintenance Yucca can live over 100 years! Creamy white flower stalks bloom from June to September, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. Variegated creamy edged, spine-tipped leaves keep their color all year. This super-tough yucca grows 3 to 8 feet tall. It does well in full sun and hot dry areas yet is rated down to USDA zone 4 - Only 1 remaining