I forgot to mention that I don't have a lot of room for a large clumpling grass. Thanks again!

Van

Many of the Miscanthus sinensis cultivars look good near (but not in!) water. For the far side of a pond, your wanting a strong specimen makes sense, and I would recommend M.s.'Variegatus.' About 7' in flower and a real eye-catcher.

But before you trapse around the pond, shovel in hand, learn the cultural requirements of this grass. Zone 9, especially so.CA with its arid summers, is pushing it for Miscanthus s. How wet are winters?Âtoo wet and M.s. is not for you. Find out what grows nearby; check with other grass gardeners in your area (if there are any) or a local, reputable nursery. There must be good reason why there are few from so.CA who post to this forum.

Funny -- for all the talk about how cold grasses will tolerate, there is a dearth of discussion on how hot or arid they will tolerate. Miscanthus are a warm season growers and lovers of heat, but they like some water too. Could be a pondside position is good in zone 9 full sun if they can get roots down to some wetter soil. I too like Miscanthus s. 'Variegatus' here in zone 8 and dislike only its tendency to need a structure to keep it from flopping a little in the wetter weather of fall. Miscanthus s. 'Morning Light' is also beautiful near water and has a lovely form.

Another possibility might be Andropogon gerardii. It forms an upright clump 5-8' tall. I don't have it and have not seen it in the garden, but what i've read sounds nice! Could be a workable option for your situation. Good luck!