Sorghastrum nutans Golden Sunset® – yellow prairie grass has been awarded the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Gold Medal award for 2026! Golden Sunset® is a native grass with good winter hardiness, olive green foliage and yellow flowers that attracts birds in the fall due to the numerous seeds. Look for it at a garden center near you or at the Grass Collection at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
The USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service released 2024 sales information for ornamental grasses of $183,870,000 from 1,636 wholesale and retail locations. This is up slightly from $178 million in 2019. More native grasses such as ‘Golden Sunset’ yellow prairie (Sorghastrum nutans) are now available.
Drone image taken by Mark Cady on August 12, 2025, University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Grass Collection
2024-2025 Winter Damage
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Grass Collection
Dead
Carex jamesii
Carex muskingumensis ‘Little Midge’
Carex amphiloba
Carex cherokeensis
Carex divulsa
Carex remota
Juncus tenuis
Sesleria caerulea
Sesleria argentea
Major Damage small and slow to grow
Bouteloua gracilis ‘Honey Blond’
Carex albursina
Carex laxiculmis ‘Bunny Blue’
Carex plantaginea
Carex siderosticha ‘Banana Boat’
Carex ‘Silver Scepter’
Chasmanthium latifolium
Deschampsia caespitosa
Deschampsia caespitosa ‘Bronzeschliel’
Deachampsia caespitosa ‘Schottland’
Deschampsia caespitosa ‘Goldenstaub’
Helictotrichon sempervirens
Helictotrichon sempervirens ‘Saphirsprudel’
Luzula sylvatica ‘Auslese’
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Juli’
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malpartus’
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’
Panicum virgatum ‘Dallas Blues’
Panicum virgatum ‘Bad Hair Day’
Sesleria autumnalis
Sesleria sadlerana
Sesleria ‘Greenlee Hybrid’
Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Chameleon’
Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Red Fox’
The first 7 years after planting (1987-1993), no flowers were seen on Miscanthus xgiganteus at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, Minnesota. In 1994, visible flowers were first seen on November 1. Flowers appeared again in 1995, 1997, and 1998. No flowers were seen from 1999-2002. From 2004 through 2024, the plants have consistently flowered with an average full flowering date of October 15.
Growing season days averaged 154.5 in the years with no flowers and 159.7 for the years when flowers were recorded. Two years, 2003 and 2018, are outliers with no data and herbicide injury respectively. Which leaves 23 years of flowering and 12 years of no flowers. In the 21st century, giant miscanthus has consistently flowered at this location which is in USDA Hardiness Zone 4b. There seems to be a slight correlation with growing season and flowering, as would be expected, however, with recent warmer fall growing conditions, flowering in mid-October as far north as Minnesota, is now the norm.
Summer and fall drought, which can be masked in the annual rainfall numbers shown, have affected the height of giant miscanthus. The shortest plants are only 5 ½ feet, while in most years, the average height of 114.7 in or 9 ½ feet has been achieved. Maximum height, usually when summer rainfall has been abundant, is 13 feet.
Giant miscanthus is a natural hybrid that sets no seed and is still being researched for a biomass fuel source, since it is a perennial that renews from the roots annually, the tops die back to the ground each winter.
‘Hello Spring’ feather reedgrass, pink flowers upper left and cloud-like Deschampsia upper right with blue oat grass in the foreground are showy cool season grasses. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum July 9, 2024.
Sesleria caerulea and S. nitida are shown below flowering in late April 2024 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. These short, almost evergreen clump-forming grasses are widely used in Europe. Perhaps American gardeners are used to more bright, showy flowers? Matrix plantings use Sesleria for a background plant and interplant with allium and sedum.
grasstalk 