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- Desert landscape with grassdesert image by Carol Tomalty from Fotolia.com
Though Arizona consists of a variety of climates, its terrain is predominantly desert. Landscaping and planting in a desert setting has its own unique challenges; finding ornamental grasses that are aesthetically appropriate and can thrive with little to no water is key. When searching for ornamental grasses for Arizona, keep in mind that drought-tolerant grass is the best option. - Sideoats grama grass (Bouteloua curtipendula) is a clumping ornamental grass appropriate for Arizona, according to the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association. Sideoats grama grass has oat-shaped flower buds that display blooms in yellow, red, and light green with fine, glossy, green foliage during summer and spring months which turns to yellow, gold, tan and burgundy in the fall, and then to yellow and tan during winter. Sideoats grama grass needs full sun, is drought tolerant, and grows to a height of 24 to 30 inches.
- Deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens), native to the Southwestern United States, is a clump-forming option for the desert terrain of Arizona. Deer grass blooms in the summer displaying white flowers accompanied by thin, green, whip-like spiky foliage throughout the year. AMWUA calls the plant "versatile with lush foliage and interesting flowers" in its online fact sheet, noting that it is also a good choice for planting near swimming pools. Deer grass needs full to partial sun, is drought tolerant, and reaches up to 3 feet in height.
- Silver feather grass (Stipa barbata) is a clump-forming ornamental grass good for Arizona that, according to Learn2Grow.com, resembles a fountain of silver. Displaying silky white and yellow wisps of blooms from mid-summer on, the slow-growing foliage is blue-green, green, and yellow-green (during fall). Silver feather grass needs full sun, is drought tolerant, and reaches a height of 24 to 32 inches.
Sideoats Grama Grass
Deer Grass
Silver Feather Grass
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