An eye catching new selection from seed collected in the mountains of British Columbia by plantsman Graham Ware, ‘Ruby Stiletto’ lives up to its name during the colder months when sumptuous ruby hues emblazon its blades. A compact hummock of spry and slender grassy green foliage in the warm seasons, this gem weaves an engaging, textural tapestry when planted en masse with drifts of Deschampsia ‘Goldgehänge’ and Molinia ‘Moorflamme’.

Size: 12" high x 8" wide.

Hardy to zone 5.

Distinguished by fine-haired light-catching margins and a lustrous finish, thick broad foliar ribbons transmute golden-green shades in spring that mellow to lime-green during the summer, then dazzle us with gilded hues once cold weather arrives. ‘Aurea’s mat-like spreading rhizomes produce a lambent evergreen clump beneath airy upright panicles of myriad yellowish green flowers and chocolate-brown seed heads. Happiest in light shade and adequately-moist alcoves, this winsome ground cover is second-to-none for mixed borders and woodland plantings, where it quells weeds plus withstands deer, tree roots, occasional drought and various soil types.

Blooms May–June

Size: 10" high x 2' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 5.

This light green ground cover is perhaps one of the best ornamental grasses for a shady setting, especially beneath woody, deciduous shrubs. Arising from soft-looking broad foliar ribbons with twisted and downward curving tips, erect 15 in. stems hold golden inflorescences that mature handsomely to a chocolate brown. Evergreen ‘Auslese’ can tolerate some drought, and assures a blithe presence as it skirts below Sambucus ‘Black Beauty’.

Blooms mid-April–May

Size: 12" high x 18" wide.

Hardy to zone 5.