Divide crowded and overgrown plants in late fall or early spring. Transplant them in fall or early spring. Prepare the bed as you would for perennials. Fountain grass, with rosy plumes on three-foot plants, is one of the easiest annuals. For a bolder look, try crimson fountain grass, which has deep burgundy leaves and plumes.
Perennial species are good for the beginner.
Try varieties of Miscanthus, dwarf fountain grass, upland sea oats and switch grass. Many annuals and herbaceous perennials can be used for companion plants. Yarrow, chrysanthemum, coreopsis, gaillardia, day lily, aster, plumbago, black-eyed Susan, salvia, stokesia, veronica, annual hibiscus, ageratum and melampodium blend well with grasses. There are many companion shrubs, too. But they're usually medium-textured and somewhat open in growth habit.