Good companion plants include winecups, ornamental grasses, salvia, agastache and penstemon. Columbine, Aquilegia spp. (Zone 3, 4, 5, grows up to 10,000 feet, depending on variety).

Ornamental grasses provide interest in all season. Elizabeth Burnett, Colorado Master Gardener. They glisten in the sun, sway and shimmer in the breeze, and provide year-round interest.

Heidrich’s Colorado Tree Farm Nursery is a fourth-generation family-owned and operated business. Their 10.5 acres of rich ...

For more information on ornamental grasses, look online for the CSU Extension fact sheet, #7.232 — Ornamental Grasses and CMG Garden Notes #581 — Native Grasses for Use in Colorado Landscapes.

"Back in the ‘80s, I threw half of them out because nobody was using them." But their positives are so many, he said, he doesn't know why everyone doesn't use ornamental grasses.

The author also will present two lectures as a part of the festival’s renowned seminar program: Grasses for a Greener World: Grasses and the Wider Environment on Wednesday, Feb. 19, and More Wow ...