Northern sea oats is one of the most distinctive and recognizable ornamental grasses, prized for its vigour, versatility, and toughness. It has graceful, upright, bright foliage and very showy seed heads that arch over the mounds and turn from an irridescent green to shades of copper and purple, and eventually a golden brown later in the season. It grows nicely in shade and full sun alike.

Fast-growing and liable to self-seed, it may not be appropriate for the smallest garden spaces, but can be used successfully in many kinds of gardens, and really shines in rain gardens and when used for erosion control. It is a host plant for multiple butterfly species.

For cut-flowers, growers can harvest it green early in the season and, in our region, can usually expect a second flush before the fall. This is a plant that will be hard to dig up once established, so growers may want to consider growing it as an annual or biennial on tighter spacing.