Northern Sea Oats will grow in any sunlight condition - from full sun to full shade. It does best in partial shade where the grass blades will have a darker green color. It is unusual for grasses to grow in the shade, so this is a great plant for areas with that type of light condition. Sea oats is a long lived, slow growing, warm season, perennial grass commonly associated with the upper dunes along beach fronts. It grows erect to approximately 6 feet in height at maturity, and has leaves that can grow to 24 inches in length.