We use a lot of ornamental grasses in our landscapes. They fit very well in a number of design styles and are  fairly low maintenance and low water use. We typically prefer evergreen grasses for their year round appeal, but even those grasses that don’t go deciduous can benefit from a pruning (haircut) every year or two. This article from the Sonoma County Master Gardeners gives a good overview on pruning some common grasses.

Some of our Favorite Grasses

Evergreen: Blue Fescue, Deer Grass, Evergreen Miscanthus, Autumn Moor Grass, Berkeley Sedge
Deciduous: Purple Fountain Grass, Little Bunny Fountain Grass, Miscanthus
Grass-like: New Zealand Flax: Yellow Wave, Jack Spratt, and Tom Thumb among other more compact grass like varieties