Big Bluestem |
Andropogon gerardii |
Central & Eastern North America |
Blue-green turning maroon-tan in fall (4-8 ft) |
Purplish-red “turkey-foot” spikes |
Prairie/restoration, screens, large accents |
Drought & deer resistant; wildlife/host plant; winter color |
Little Bluestem |
Schizachyrium scoparium |
Most of U.S. & N. Mexico |
Blue-green clumps, copper-red in fall/winter |
Purplish-bronze racemes |
Dry meadows, rain & rock gardens, naturalizing |
High drought tolerance; fluffy winter seed; skipper host; bird seed |
Switchgrass |
Panicum virgatum |
North American Tallgrass Prairie |
Medium-green aging to yellow-orange (3-6 ft) |
Airy pink-tinged panicles |
Naturalize, rain gardens, erosion control, prairie |
Handles wet or dry; bird cover/seed; strong winter interest |
Maiden (Chinese Silver) Grass |
Miscanthus sinensis |
Eastern Asia |
Arching green or variegated leaves, gold-tan in fall (4-9 ft) |
Pink-to-red feathery plumes |
Specimens, meadows, dried bouquets |
Showy plumes, winter presence, heat/ drought tolerant |
Fountain Grass |
Pennisetum alopecuroides |
East Asia |
Deep green blades, bronze-gold fall (2-4 ft) |
Bottle-brush purple-tan spikes |
Borders, massing, large pots |
Soft motion, deer & drought resistant, three-season color |
Papyrus (Paper Reed) |
Cyperus papyrus |
Tropical Africa & Nile basin |
Tall triangular stems with umbrella-like tufts, evergreen (4-9 ft) |
Green-brown clusters on ray tips |
Water gardens, ponds, dramatic containers |
Thrives in standing water; bold texture; historic utility |
Japanese Forest Grass |
Hakonechloa macra |
Central Japan |
Bright-green or gold/variegated, red-pinkish in fall (1-1.5 ft) |
Fine yellow-green sprays |
Shade groundcover, path/rock edge, containers |
Shade-loving, deer tolerant, bamboo-like form, subtle fall color |
Creeping Liriope |
Liriope spicata |
China & Vietnam |
Narrow evergreen blades, spreads by rhizomes (9-15 in) |
Pale lavender-white spikes |
Groundcover, slope/erosion, under trees |
Evergreen, tough, drought/rabbit/deer resistant |
Big Blue Liriope |
Liriope muscari |
China, Taiwan, Japan |
Strap-like evergreen tufts (12-18 in) |
Showy violet-purple wands |
Edging, small groundcover, pots |
Heat/humidity tolerant; winter berries; slower spread than L. spicata |
Sedge |
Carex spp. |
Worldwide; many N. American natives |
Fine to broad blades, many in shades of green, blue, bronze or variegated |
Small green/brown spikelets |
Shade or sun groundcovers, rain gardens, bioswales, lawn alternative |
Deer-resistant; thrive in wet or dry soils; excellent erosion control; host > 30 butterfly species |