by Eleanor Moyer, Clay County Master Gardener
My daughter attended the Southern Living Design House near Charleston last
week—how to live on a budget of $3 to $5+ million! The landscaping was one thing in
particular that caught her eye. Instead of the lush formalness of her neighborhood on
Daniel Island, this tiny development opted for sparse, natural, and wild plantings
especially grasses, even though the budget allowed for more. This is the trend in
landscaping reflected by design venues, like the Philadelphia Flower Show, which is the largest and longest-running horticultural event in the United States. There is a
movement toward rewilding and garden sustainability. Informal and wild plant pairings create a natural, less structured look with pollinator-friendly plants that will prove more resilient to future climate change. Even though following trends may not be your cup of tea, native plants have so many attributes that they are difficult to ignore. As this is the perfect time for planning next year’s gardens, here are a few native grasses to consider.
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is a clumping, upright ornamental native
grass that begins with blue-green leaves in spring changing to radiant mahogany-red in fall topped with white, shining seed tufts. The color lasts through much of winter. And if that was not enough, it is deer and rabbit-resistant! Like most grasses, it does best in full sun and withstands drought.
Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) is a fine-textured clumping native slowly
growing to 2-3 feet. Missouri Botanical Garden (a terrific resource for native, or any
plants) named it a Plant of Merit in 2005. The autumn flower panicles are perfumed like coriander or licorice. It plays well with many perennials even in more traditional
landscapes, can grow near black walnuts, helps with erosion, is usually avoided by
deer, and is very popular with landscape designers. It is excellent interspersed with
perennials or as a border.
Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaries) is a well-known and extensively used
ornamental plant noted for its exquisite pink feathery plumes that are especially radiant when backlit by the sun. It claims half of the space on the round-a-bout coming into town. To my eye, there is something off about the color combination of plants at that site but that’s just a matter of taste and mine may be off. What does work are the plants which remain in rather excellent condition despite fussy caretaking. It is a host plant for the Orange Skipperling butterfly and provides nest-building material for birds.
Oak Sedge (Carex pensylvanica) is native to eastern North America. While most
sedges prefer moist to wet soils, this one thrives in dappled to heavy dry shade. It is a
perfect ground cover where a lawn won’t grow, and people don’t walk as it does not
take to foot traffic. Underplanting with tall, shade perennials creates a serene vista.
Purchased plants are a better source as it is difficult to grow from seed.
Happy planting!
