Sideoats Grama

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

2-3 Feet

Mature Spread

2-3 Feet

Growing Zones

4 to 9

Often overlooked in favor of showier perennials, ornamental native grasses like the Sideoats Grama remain a stellar option in the landscape. A reliable, tough specimen, it features graceful, blue-green foliage that is topped by attractive, delicate flowers appearing on long stalks in late summer.  In the fall, the basal foliage of this clump-forming grass often turns purplish. Sideoats Grama, known scientifically as Bouteloua curtipendula, gets its common name from the way the seeds lean to just one side of the stem.

This deer-resistant prairie grass is native to North America. It attracts birds as a food source and cover. Create a prairie-inspired, wildlife-friendly landscape by combining this grass with butterfly weed, echinacea and rudbeckia. Exceptionally drought tolerant, sideoats Grama is an excellent option as a groundcover for planting on slopes, even when the soil is poor and rocky. It is even useful in dried flower arrangement.

Sideoats Grama Care

Position this plant in full sun to part shade. It performs well in many types of soil as long as the site is well drained. No supplemental fertilizer is typically required for this grass to perform well. Working compost or rotted manure into the soil at planting or occasionally mulching with organic compost is all that is required to encourage vigor. Water the sideoats Grama deeply about twice per week during the growing season following planting; after establishment, only water this grass during an extended drought. 

Do not prune the sideoats Grama during the growing season and consider leaving seed stalks on for winter interest and wildlife benefits. Cut this grass back to about 4 to 5 inches above the soil in early spring. After several years of growing, the center of a clump of grass may begin to die; when this happens, dig up the grass, divide it with a sharp spade, and replant a smaller section from the edge of the original clump.

Sideoats Grama Spacing

Sideoats Grama has a height and spread of 24 to 30 inches. It does have a tendency to spread when conditions are ideal and there is little competition from other plants. To form a solid planting of this grass, position multiple plants about 24 inches apart. To keep plants as individual specimens or when adding to mixed perennial beds, give each plant 3 feet of space. 

Image Courtesy of North Creek Nurseries.