Grasses
Indian Grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Indian Grass is a warm season perennial grass which typically occurs in prairies, glades and open woods. It was one of the dominant grasses of the tallgrass prairie which once covered large parts of the Midwest. Typically grows 3-5 feet tall and is noted for its upright form and blue-green foliage. It forms upright clumps (to 2-3 feet tall) of slender, blue-green leaves Foliage turns orange-yellow in fall and usually retains hints of color into the winter. Stiff, vertical flowering stems, topped with narrow, feathery, light brown flower panicles (to 12 inches long) highlighted with yellow stamens, rise well above the foliage clump in late summer to 5-6 feet tall. Panicles darken to bronze/chestnut brown in fall as they mature, later fading to gray. Panicles continue to provide some interest well into winter. Provides nesting habitat for many birds. Larval host for skipper butterflies.
Click to order seeds →Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Little Bluestem is often used in prairie restorations and it is occasionally found in gardens as an ornamental grass. Easily grown in average, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. Tolerates clay soils. Performs well in poor soils. A good low-maintenance selection for sun-baked areas. Larval host for many species of butterflies (Delaware Skipper, Ottoe, Dusted Skipper, Beard-Grass skippers and Common Wood Nymph).
Click to order seeds →Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepsis
Prairie Dropseed, is a clump-forming, warm season, perennial grass which typically occurs in prairies, glades, and open ground. Fine-textured, hair-like, medium green leaves (to 20 inches long and 1/16-inch wide) typically form an arching foliage mound to 15 inches tall and 18 inches wide. Foliage turns golden with orange hues in fall, fading to light bronze in winter. Open, branching flower panicles appear on slender stems which rise well above the foliage clump in late summer to 30-36 inches tall. Flowers have pink and brown tints, but are perhaps most noted for their unique fragrance (hints of coriander). Tiny rounded mature seeds drop to the ground from their hulls in autumn giving rise to the descriptive common name. Prairie Dropseed is of special value as nesting sites for bees. Native grasses are the larval food plants of the Leonard’s Skipper.
Click to order seeds →Tufted Hairgrass
Deschampsia cespitosa
Tufted Hair Grass is a clump-forming, cool season grass. The grass emerges green and turns gold late in the season, keeping good color and form for winter interest. Typically forms a low, dense tussock (to 16 inches tall) of very thin (1/2-inch wide), arching, flat to in-rolled, dark green grass blades (to 2 feet long). Numerous flower stems rise in summer from the foliage mound to a height of 3 feet bearing wide, airy panicles (to 20 inches long) of tiny, variably-colored flowers (tones of gold, silver, purple and green) which form a cloud over the foliage that is particularly attractive when backlit. Flower panicles turn yellowish-tan after bloom as the seed ripens and may remain attractive through much of the winter. One of the few ornamental grasses that grows well in shade. Larval food plant for several butterflies in North America including the Umber Skipper.
Click to order seeds →Wood Reed Grass
Cinna arudinacea
This attractive perennial grass has tufts of upright, sturdy, hairless stems of light green or almost blue-green color. Atop the tall stem is a dense, wavy inflorescence or whole flower head, which droops under the weight of the seed heads. During late Summer bloom, it typically towers over other vegetation, its color evolving to light tan as the grains ripen.
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