Ornamental grasses are gaining ground. They have that combination that appeals to more than a few serious gardeners and all nongardeners: They're high-profile (bold textures, interesting shapes) but low-maintenance. They also add a little poetry to the garden, with their subtle swishing in the wind and their shifting shadows. They come in a vast palette of colors — golds, greens, reds, silvers — and can grow everywhere from sun-baked dunes to shaded-over bogs. Any of the grasses you buy in containers can be planted in either fall or spring. (Grasses sold as mere roots should be planted according to the label directions.) What's more, several offer incredible fall color and hold their sculptural shapes throughout the winter.

Choosing the Right Plant

Pick varieties suited to your area and your garden — whether the spot is moist or dry, sunny or shady. (Check out the United States Department of Agriculture's Plant Hardiness Zone map at www.usna.usda.gov). In addition to the grass's height, color, and texture, consider what time of year it blooms and how it proliferates. Generally, if it has a "clump" root system, it will grow more slowly and be easier to contain; underground runners, on the other hand, send off shoots, grow quickly, and fill up space fast. Before you buy containerized grass at the nursery, gently ease the plant out of its pot. If the roots are as tightly wound as dry ramen noodles and you can hardly see soil, pass — the plant will have trouble growing.

Planting

Grasses tend to broaden their root bases and thrive during the fall and spring months, so these are the best times to plant. In well-drained garden soil, dig a hole just as deep and twice as wide as the container. Add some compost to the soil. Loosen the roots and set the plant slightly above the level of the ground and fill in with soil. Water the plant generously, and continue to do so until it's well established.

To keep "running" grasses from spreading out of control, bury the plant in its container or create an underground barrier by laying a piece of rubber (sold at garden stores) around the root ball.

Care

Ornamental grasses thrive with little attention and are practically pestproof. Many are also drought tolerant. Leave the plumes (flowers) at full height so you can admire them throughout the winter, then cut the plants down to six inches in spring. In good garden soil, you won't need fertilizer; unlike their needy golf-course cousins, most ornamental grasses don't care for it, and it makes them floppy.

Division

You can divide a clump of grass when it grows too large for its area or when you want some other corner of the garden adorned. Divide summer-blooming grasses in spring and spring-blooming ones in the fall. Divide the healthiest, most robust plants (the ones skirted with fresh, new growth). Use a sharp spade to dig out the plant and slice it into several sections, discarding the center if it's declining. Replant the new grasses as above.

1. Ebony Knight Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Ebknizam'). Grows in partial to full shade; six to eight inches high; inky black leaves. (Hardy in Zones 5 to 9.)

2. Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'). Grows in full sun to partial shade; five to six feet high; pink to tan flowers from early summer into winter. (Zones 5 to 9.)

3. Dwarf Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'). Grows in full sun to light shade; about 2 1/2 feet high; long-lasting creamy white flowers begin blooming in late July. (Zones 6 to 9.)

4. Morning Light Maiden (Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'). (pictured) Grows in full sun; about four to five feet high; blooms red-bronze flowers in October. (Zones 5 to 9.)

5. Flame Grass (Miscanthus 'Purpurascens'). Grows in full sun to light shade and needs average moisture; four to five feet high; silvery flowers bloom in late July or August; reddish foliage intensifies in the fail. (Zones 6 to 9.)

6. Golden Variegated Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'). Grows in partial shade with even moisture; one to two feet high; leaves are yellow to lime green, becoming suffused with pink to red tones in fall, (Zones 6 to 9.)

7. Hanse Herms Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum 'Hanse Herms'). Grows in full sun; four to five feet high; flowers in July and August; summer green leaves turn burgundy in fall. (Zones 4 to 9.)

8. Variegated Purple Moor Grass (Molina caerulea 'Variegata'). Grows in partial shade (with lots of moisture); one to two feet high; leaves striped with white and yellow. (Zones 5 to 8.)

Mail-order Nature

Earthly Pursuits, Baltimore, Maryland (www.earthlypursuits.net).

Heronswood Nursery, Kingston, Washington (www.heronswood.com).

Plant Delights Nursery, Raleigh, North Carolina ( www.plantdelights.com ).

Prairie Nursery, Westfield, Wisconsin ( www.prairienursery.com ).