If you think all ornamental grasses are the same, you haven’t tried Pink Crystals. Pink Crystals and the similar Savannah are varieties of ruby grass known botanically as Melinis. Though it is from South Africa, it will make a definitive statement and look at home in your garden with its glistening plumes.

Most of the country will enjoy growing it as an annual, though in southern zones 8b and warmer you will find it to be a reliable perennial. Pink Crystals or Savannah is compact and just the right height to allow for real versatility in the landscape. The blue-green foliage reaches 18 to 24 inches tall, followed by the sparkling pink plumes. The blooms are 3½ inches wide and about 4½ inches tall.

If that were not enough to sell you, consider also that the pink flowers fade to white in the fall as the foliage starts to turn reddish-purple. The plant not only excels in the landscape but also as a thriller plant in mixed containers. You’ll also find yourself with enough blooms to warrant cutting and using in the vase. The plumes really do their part to add motion to the landscape as they sway back and forth with the prevailing breezes.

The plant has been highly rated in trials from Illinois to Colorado, and Arkansas to South Carolina. More and more garden centers are offering it as part of their grass product line and it’s getting quite easy to find seed sources.

To grow yours, select a site in full sun with fertile well-drained soil. If your soil is tight and heavy, improve it by incorporating 3 to 4 inches of organic matter. This will help provide aeration but just the right amount of moisture holding capacity.

I always tell audiences that if the only grass they grow is the one they mow, then they are missing out on one of gardening’s great treasures. The fine texture and picturesque blooms of Pink Crystals and Savannah will make visitors to your garden mesmerized.