The best ornamental grasses, compared.
Top pick: Carbeth blue festuca, three 10.5 cm pots – Highest score at 86: three 10.5 cm plants at about £18.99 for a sunny edge, about £6.33 a plant. Best value: Just Seed hare's tail grass, 100 seeds – About £1.35, the only listing under £2, for one summer of hare's-tail heads. Short seed counts keep the score at 67. Updated October 2026.
Ornamental grass is a grass grown for look, movement, or a soft screen: a live clump, a packet of seed, or a faux stem. It is not a lawn, synthetic turf, or a model-railway tuft. A 10.5 cm blue fescue will not hide a fence. A 17 cm pink pampas is not a mature clump of 2.5–4 m on the day it arrives. A plastic stem of about 25–52 cm will not grow. Pennisetum setaceum and jubata are species of special concern. Common garden pampas, selloana, is not on that list. How to match form, height and sun to the job is in the [ornamental grass buying guide](/hub/hedges-and-privacy-screens/ornamental-grass/sub/ornamental-grass-buying-guide). Buyers on this shelf split three ways: a low blue edge or pot, height that might become a screen, and stems for a vase or a porch pot with no watering. A cheaper plastic stem is not a bargain version of a live pampas.
Ornamental grass is a grass grown for look, movement, or a soft screen: a live clump, a packet of seed, or a faux stem. It is not a lawn, synthetic turf, or a model-railway tuft.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
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Three Carbeth blue festuca in 10.5 cm pots, about £18.99, give you a short blue edge in one order, at about £6.33 a plant against about £10.99 for the single. Amazon.co.uk shows 4.4 from 2,550 ratings, shared word for word with the one-pot listing, so the number is one pool, not 5,100 separate buyers. The reviews we read praise moist compost, careful packing and plants that carry on in borders and pots, with repeat orders mentioned. The same texts complain that plants are smaller than the photograph and greener or yellower than the intense blue, unless sun brings the colour, and that growth can stay slow. One delivery arrived smashed and brown. The spec says full sun or partial shade, moderate watering, and an autumn planting period, while the bullets say minimal water once the plant is established. Expected height on the listing is 9 cm. It is the top pick for a sunny edge or a row of patio pots, provided you do not need a fence hidden and you keep the crown out of winter-wet clay.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want three plants for a sunny edge or matching pots.
Less suitable: Deep shade, a waterlogged border, or a screen this year.
Specifications
Common questions
When does the listing say to plant the three-pack?
The spec says autumn. The bullets say the plants are ready for containers or borders.
Does the blue need sun?
The spec allows full sun and partial shade. The bullets say a sunny spot keeps the intense blue, and that light shade also grows.
Is the review count shared with the single pot?
Yes. This listing and ASIN B07G5NBKFY contain the same review text and the same 4.4 from 2,550 ratings.
One Carbeth blue festuca in a 10.5 cm pot, about £10.99, is a low evergreen tuft for a sunny edge or a patio pot, not a screen. Amazon.co.uk shows 4.4 from 2,550 ratings, and that text is the same pool as the three-pack, so do not read the count as proof for this single pot alone. In the 50 reviews in the file, buyers often praise moist compost on arrival, careful packing, and plants that grow on in a border or a pot. The colour complaint is regular: greener or yellower than the intense-blue photograph, with the hope that sun will bring the blue, and sometimes it stays green into a second season. Plants are also called smaller than the photo, and one delivery arrived smashed and brown. The spec says full sun and outdoor use, the bullets also allow slight shade, and they say watering is minimal once the plant is established. Amazon's expected-height field is 10 cm, which matches a young pot, not the RHS band of about 0.1–0.5 m for Festuca glauca. It is a sound single plant when you have sun and sharp drainage, and a poor buy if you need the fence line hidden this season.
Pros
Cons
Best for: One sunny pot or a short run of edging, if you can add more plants later.
Less suitable: Shade, winter-wet clay, or a screen in the first year.
Specifications
Common questions
Will this festuca stay blue?
The bullets say sun keeps the intense blue, and that light shade also grows. Reviews often say the plant arrived greener or yellower than the photo.
Can it go in a patio pot?
The bullets name patio pots and containers. It arrives in a 10.5 cm pot.
Are the 2,550 reviews only for this single pot?
This ASIN and the three-pack ASIN B07G52K6CN carry the same review text and the same count. Treat them as one pool.
Perfect Plants' Cortaderia selloana Rosea, in a 17 cm pot at about £17.95, is a young pink pampas, not a mature screen. Amazon.co.uk shows 4.2 from 46 ratings, and the 20 reviews in the file often say the plant arrived healthy in a sturdy box and then grew on. Several of those reviews also say the plumes were not there yet, so the plant looked like green grass rather than a pink photograph. One buyer called it a token plug and poor value, and one arrival was dormant, so vigour could not be judged. The listing asks for full sun, low moisture and well-drained soil. Amazon's expected-height field is 17 cm, the same figure as the pot, while the RHS gives common pampas about 2.5–4 m in height and 1.5–2.5 m of spread after two to five years. Leaves are sharply toothed. It is the only live plant in this set that can grow into a screen, and only if you have the room, the sun and the patience, and it will not block a view in year one.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A sunny, well-drained spot with room for a large tussock in a few years.
Less suitable: A screen this season, a small patio, or a label that says Cortaderia jubata.
Specifications
Common questions
Will the pink pampas arrive with plumes?
The bullets promise rose-coloured plumes. Reviews often say the plant arrived green and healthy, with no plumes yet.
What soil and sun does the listing name?
Full sun, low moisture, and well-drained soil.
How big is the pot on this listing?
The title and the part number say a 17 cm pot. Amazon's expected-height field is also 17 cm. No mature height is stated on the listing.
Twelve RHQFDM plastic stems, stated at 52 cm and priced at about £11.79, are the tallest loose bunch on this shelf. Amazon.co.uk shows 3.9 from 75 ratings, and the file holds 30 review texts. UK buyers have used them to hide bare stems and called them more realistic than other faux grasses they had ordered, at least from a little distance. The same file records stems bent in half, a UK waterfall feature spoiled by the fold, and tips that would not straighten. One UK review says the colour faded fast, and another found the green too bright until it was mixed with a greener batch. The bullets say 52 cm, while the item dimensions are 40 x 22 x 5 cm, so measure against the pot you already own. Waterproof and UV lines are seller claims with no test in the file. They do not grow, and close up several reviewers still read them as plastic.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A vase or a planter where about 50 cm of greenery is enough and you can reshape stems.
Less suitable: An open balcony you expect to stay colour-fast, or a live screen.
Specifications
Common questions
How tall is each RHQFDM stem?
The bullets say 52 cm. The item-dimensions line is 40 x 22 x 5 cm.
Can they stay outside?
The spec says outdoor. The bullets say waterproof and UV protection, and they cite no test. A UK review says the colour faded fast.
Do they arrive straight?
A UK review says the stems were bent in half. Other reviews in the file repeat bent tips that would not straighten.
The Just Seed packet of Lagurus ovatus, listed at about £1.35, is a sowing of hare's-tail grass rather than a clump you can plant the same afternoon. Across 280 amazon.co.uk ratings the score sits at 3.8, and the reviews we read split between seed that produced the soft white heads and packets that did not match the label. Reviewers who counted the contents often reported about 50, 40, 20, or about five seeds, against a title and unit count of 100. Where seed did germinate, including in an unheated tunnel, buyers called the heads genuine bunny tails and useful dried, and one said dried heads still looked good after a year. Germination failure, damp or stuck-together seed, and floppy growth with no heads are the complaints that keep returning. The listing's expected height is 20 cm, and the care line says keep the compost moist and well drained. The spec block does not state full sun. It is the best value on this shelf only if you want one summer of dried heads and you treat 100 seeds as a claim to check, not a counted guarantee.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want hare's-tail heads for a pot or a vase this summer, and you can resow if the count is short.
Less suitable: You need a perennial edge or a screen, or you need every packet to contain 100 viable seeds.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the packet contain 100 seeds?
The title and the unit count say 100. Reviews on the listing often count far fewer, including about 50, 40, 20, or about 5.
What watering does the listing state?
The spec says regular watering. The care line says keep moist, water, and well-drained.
Does the listing say it needs full sun?
The page asks that question. The spec block has no sun value.
The Briful faux pampas, stated at 44 cm in a plastic pot and priced at about £13.99, is one small olive plant you stand on a shelf or a sheltered step. Amazon.co.uk shows 3.8 from 269 ratings, and the first 50 reviews in the file return again and again to size. Buyers call it smaller, skinnier and cheaper-looking than the photographs, and some returned it as too artificial. A minority say it looks like the picture at that small scale, including beside a larger houseplant, and one UK review calls it cheaper than similar plants elsewhere. One UK reviewer would not trust it outdoors beyond a light shower, which fits a spec line that says indoor while the bullets mention a balcony. The material line says plastic and the bullets also say silk. Item dimensions of 8 x 8 x 43.9 cm line up with the 44 cm title, so the surprise is fullness, not a hidden metre of height. It suits a side table if you have already accepted a 44 cm plant.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A shelf or a sheltered porch pot where 44 cm is the size you measured for.
Less suitable: A garden screen, or a full plume that matches the wider photographs.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the Briful pampas a live plant?
No. It is an artificial plant in a pot. The spec material is plastic. The bullets also say silk fabric.
Can it go outdoors?
The spec says indoor. The bullets mention a balcony and outdoor landscape ideas. One UK review would not trust it beyond a light shower.
Why do reviews call it small?
The title height is 44 cm, and the item dimensions are 8 x 8 x 43.9 cm. Many of the first 50 reviews say that is smaller and sparser than the photographs.
Ten Skrfren faux stems, about 25 cm and about £2.99, are a small bunch for a vase or a pot filler, not a plant that thickens. Amazon.co.uk shows 3.6 from 40 ratings, and the file holds 11 review texts. A UK buyer who pulled the leaves apart and clumped them said they looked acceptable and had coped beside a small pond so far. Other UK reviews call them very small and thin, nothing like the photographs, or smashed fake material. One UK note says the stems are wrapped in paper and expects them to rot outside, which sits against a spec line that says outdoor and bullets that claim UV-resistant plastic with no test cited. The item-dimensions line is 10 x 10 x 10 mm, which does not describe a 25 cm stem. You separate the leaves by hand, and there is no watering. Use them where a short green spray is enough and you can see the material before you leave them in the rain.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A short indoor or sheltered bunch where you will separate the leaves by hand.
Less suitable: An open bed, a screen, or a clump that should match the photograph for fullness.
Specifications
Common questions
Can these Skrfren stems go outdoors?
The spec says outdoor. A UK review says the stems are paper-wrapped and will rot outside. Another UK review says they have coped beside a pond so far.
How tall does the listing say they are?
The bullets say about 25 cm. The item-dimensions line is 10 x 10 x 10 mm.
Do they need watering?
The bullets say no watering or pruning.
Six Zelphvt plastic pieces, 35 cm in the title and about £5.29, are three tall-grass stems and three wheatgrass shrubs for a window box. The amazon.co.uk file has 3.6 from only two reviews, so both comments are single opinions rather than a pattern. The UK review calls them very nice and not as bushy as expected. The US review says the green is much brighter than wanted and that the buyer is returning them. Bullets say the stems stay upright and also that transit may press them until you separate the leaves and wait a few days. The spec line says indoor, while the bullets say indoor and outdoor and UV-resistant plastic, with no test cited. A ceramic container appears on the spec and not in the included pieces, so do not expect a pot in the box, and at 356 x 25 x 25 mm the parcel size is close to the stated height, which is clearer than some shorter listings on this shelf. Two reviews are not enough to treat the colour or the fullness as settled.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A window box where you can wait a few days for pressed stems to open.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants a large review sample, or a fade result backed by a test.
Specifications
Common questions
Are the Zelphvt stems listed for outdoors?
The spec line says indoor. The bullets say indoor and outdoor, and UV-resistant plastic. The file does not settle the conflict.
Will the stems stay upright?
The bullets say they stay upright without bending, and also that transit may press them until you separate the leaves and wait a few days.
How full are they?
The only UK review says they are nice but not as bushy as expected. The US review says the green is brighter than wanted.
Thirty SIMDAO polyethylene bundles, stated at 50 cm and priced at about £12.99, are an autumn-red, orange and yellow filler for pots and window boxes. The listing has no customer-review line and no review text, so there is no UK star rating to quote. The bullets say you push the bundles into a vase or a basket and adjust the leaves by hand, with no watering, soil or trimming. Special features say UV-resistant and weatherproof, and the spec says outdoor, but no test and no buyer note support that. The included-components field is only a slash, and the unit-count line says 1 while the title says 30 pieces. Item dimensions are 47 x 14 x 5 cm against a 50 cm height bullet. Until reviews exist, you are buying the listing text: a large red bundle count at a mid-shelf price, not a proven outdoor clump.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A seasonal red display if you accept a listing with no review text.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants UK buyer notes before paying about £12.99, or a living hedge.
Specifications
Common questions
Are there customer reviews for this SIMDAO set?
The listing has no customer-review line and no review text.
Does the listing say they fade in sun?
The special-features line says UV-resistant and weatherproof. No test and no reviews are in the file.
How do you arrange the bundles?
The bullets say push them into pots, vases, baskets, or window boxes, and adjust the leaves by hand after unpacking.
Scores use the nine amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. They are editorial, from 0 to 100, and they are not a lab test. Stars, the review sample, fit for the job, and value in this set are the four parts. The two Carbeth festuca listings share one review pool, so that pool is not counted as two separate trials. Weights sum to 100. The highest score is the top pick. Best value is the only listing under £2, for one summer of hare's-tail heads, and it does not outscore the fescue.
Stars
34%Amazon stars on the listing, scaled in the working notes. A missing rating line scores nothing on this part. A shared 4.4 is not a measure of screening height.
Review sample
26%A large pool scores higher than two reviews or none. A pool shared by two ASINs is one sample, not two. 2,550 shared ratings are not 5,100 buyers.
Fit for the job
25%A named live plant with sun and a pot size that matches the title scores higher. A seed packet whose count reviews dispute, or a faux stem with a height conflict, scores lower.
Value in this set
15%Shelf price against what the listing actually is. About £1.35 for seed is the budget job. About £18.99 for three living fescues is a lower price per plant than the single pot.
Match the job to the form before you compare the nine prices. A 10.5 cm fescue, a 17 cm pampas, a seed packet and a plastic stem are different purchases.
Ornamental grass, on this comparison, is a grass grown for look, movement, or a soft screen. That can be a live clump, a packet of seed of an ornamental species, or a faux stem sold as ornamental grass. It is not a lawn, a roll of synthetic turf, a dollhouse grass square, or static tufts for a model railway. Buyers on this shelf split three ways: a low blue edge or pot, height that might become a screen, and stems for a vase or a porch pot with no watering.
The Carbeth plants arrive in 10.5 cm pots, with expected heights of 9 cm and 10 cm. Festuca glauca stays in the RHS band of about 0.1–0.5 m. It is an edge or a pot, not a screen.
Several UK reviews say the pink pampas arrived healthy and that plumes had not appeared yet. The RHS mature size is about 2.5–4 m tall and 1.5–2.5 m across after two to five years.
Lagurus ovatus is sown in spring and treated as an annual. Reviewers often count about 50, 40, 20, or about five seeds against a label of 100. It is not a cheap substitute for a living fescue row.
An edge, a future screen, a one-summer seed head and a faux stem are different purchases. On this amazon.co.uk shelf the live fescues are 10.5 cm pots, the pink pampas is a 17 cm pot, and the faux stems are about 25 cm, 35 cm, 44 cm in a pot, 50 cm or 52 cm. Blue fescue stays blue in sun and wants sharp drainage. Pampas wants full sun and deep well-drained soil. Winter-wet clay and a pot left in a saucer are the usual way these plants fail.
Reject Pennisetum setaceum and Cortaderia jubata. GOV.UK lists both as species of special concern. Cortaderia selloana is not that entry. A pink cultivar sold as Rosea is the common species unless the label says jubata. Allow room: the RHS gives common pampas about 2.5–4 m tall and 1.5–2.5 m of spread after two to five years, with sharply toothed leaves. Hare's tail, Lagurus ovatus, is an annual of 0.1–0.5 m. A line of grasses is not a high hedge of trees or shrubs.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want a low evergreen edge or matching patio pots, and you have sun and sharp drainage. Three Carbeth blue festuca at about £18.99 are the top pick, about £6.33 a plant. The 4.4 from 2,550 ratings is shared with the single pot. This grass will not hide a window.
You have room, full sun and well-drained soil, and you can wait. The only live plant here that can become a tall screen is Perfect Plants Cortaderia selloana Rosea in a 17 cm pot at about £17.95. It will not block a view in year one. Leaves are sharply toothed.
You want a vase, a porch pot or a wedding colour, and you will not water a root. Briful faux pampas at about £13.99 is one olive plant in a pot, stated at 44 cm, with 3.8 from 269 ratings. Buyers often call it smaller and sparser than the photographs. It will not grow.
The top pick is three Carbeth blue festuca in 10.5 cm pots at about £18.99. It scores 86, the highest here, for a sunny edge, at about £6.33 a plant against about £10.99 for the single pot. The 4.4 from 2,550 ratings is one pool shared with that single pot, not a laboratory test, and the plants stay a low edge. Best value is the Just Seed hare's tail packet at about £1.35: the only listing under £2, 3.8 from 280 ratings, for one summer of dried heads. Reviewers often count fewer seeds than the labelled 100, which is why the score stays at 67. Skip the fescue if you need a fence hidden, and skip the seed if you need a perennial clump.
Carbeth blue festuca, three 10.5 cm pots
Highest score at 86: three 10.5 cm plants at about £18.99 for a sunny edge, about £6.33 a plant.
Just Seed hare's tail grass, 100 seeds
About £1.35, the only listing under £2, for one summer of hare's-tail heads. Short seed counts keep the score at 67.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the nine listings in this comparison. Page updated October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are taken from those listings. We did not run a lab test.
