Breaking the Grass Ceiling

For the longest time, grasses, sedges, and rushes weren’t thought of as particularly ornamental in comparison to the innumerable flowering perennials, shrubs and trees that have proven their worthiness in endless gardens worldwide. Luckily, the native plant renaissance and efforts such as Mt. Cuba Center’s Carex Garden Trial have piqued the interests of not only horticulturists, but the general public, when it comes to the incorporation of our spectacularly strappy friends into the ornamental landscape. No longer do we live in a world where Pennisetum and Miscanthus dominate the retail shelves. Slowly, those old-timey grasses are being edged off of their pedestals not only for having questionable spreading habits but, let’s be honest, there are much cooler grasses out there. Sort of like the handful we’ll be talking about this week. So, let’s strap in and take a look at some of these a-maize-ing selections! (Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves.)

First of note this week, our Sorghastrum nutans ‘Indian Steel’ is beginning to show off its multi-colored inflorescences, a conglomeration of dusty rose, burnt orange and daffodil yellow all in a single panicle. They stand basically eye-level, making it easy to admire their natural color variations, but also making them the perfect upright background companion to smaller, full sun loving plants. At a flowering height of 5’, and with its showy, feathery plumes, Sorghastrum nutans ‘Indian Steel’ is a great native replacement for Miscanthus sinensis and lacks all of the latter’s frustrating qualities. With a common name like Blue Prairie Grass, one might think this warm-season native prefers open-sited, well-draining conditions: and they’d be right. Blue Prairie Grass, also referred to as Indiangrass, has the benefits of being drought tolerant, deer resistant, and capable of dealing with black walnut allelochemicals. Maybe it’s just us, but this plant seems pretty close to perfect.

Being as we’re only on the very cusp of fall, there is still plenty of time for the classic autumnal palette to monopolize our landscapes and garden spaces. If you’re looking for something to break up the sea of reds, oranges, yellows and browns with a pop of contrasting excitement, it’s worth considering Schizachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’. Throughout the growing season, the narrow foliage remains a potent blue-green with reddish accents, evolving slowly in the fall to a rainbow of purples, oranges, and various blue shades that make this plant the visual representation of a jazz song.

Of course, it would be sacrilegious to bring up Little Bluestem without mentioning the now classic introduction by North Creek Nurseries, Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Standing Ovation’. A psychedelic rainbow of pinks, reds, blues, greens, purples adorn the foliage throughout the growing season, transforming to include reds and oranges in autumn. As with its relative, Schizachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’ as well as the aforementioned Sorghastrum nutans, ‘Standing Ovation’ Little Bluestem prefers average to dry soil conditions, and is more than capable of handling drought: so much so, that it makes itself a suitable option for green roof design. Don’t just take our word for it, though – see for yourselves! There seems to be a Schizachyrium for everyone, and we carry quite a varied selection.  

While we’re on the topic of renowned grasses that are beloved by the horticultural masses, we would be remiss by forgetting to mention Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’. This is one of our top-selling grasses, and it’s not hard to see why. ‘Blonde Ambition’ Blue Grama grass, as with our other previously mentioned selections, is a drought tolerant, full sun loving, native warm season grass that is perhaps best known for its peculiar inflorescences that begin to appear in June and persist as interesting seedheads into the fall. Somewhat visually similar to a bushy eyebrow, the inflorescences are said to resemble the natural state of mosquito larvae, which may leave something to be desired – but we promise, these seedheads will be the talk of any passersby lucky enough to spot them. The seedheads alone make this grass a wonderful option for a children’s garden or sensory garden, or anywhere they’re able to be touched and played with. The characteristic that makes ‘Blonde Ambition’ Little Bluestem so revered over the straight species is the striking chartreuse inflorescence color upon first emergence of the blooms in midsummer, as opposed to the purplish tones of the straight species. This chartreuse fades to… well, a blonde color, which makes it stand out amongst the medium green foliage, and also makes the inflorescences contrast nicely amongst other darker colored perennials or shrubs in the summer and fall landscape. This may very well be considered a Pleasant Run favorite, so make sure to snatch them up while we still have them in stock.

Hoffman Nursery. “Sorghastrum Nutans ‘Indian Steel.’” Hoffman Nursery. Accessed September 30, 2023. https://hoffmannursery.com/plants/details/sorghastrum-nutans-indian-steel.

Hoffman Nursery. “Schizachyrium Scoparium ‘Standing Ovation’ PP25202.” Hoffman Nursery. Accessed September 30, 2023. https://hoffmannursery.com/plants/details/schizachyrium-scoparium-standing-ovation-ppaf.

Hoffman Nursery. “Schizachyrium Scoparium ‘the Blues.’” Hoffman Nursery. Accessed September 30, 2023. https://hoffmannursery.com/plants/details/schizachyrium-scoparium-the-blues.

Missouri Botanical Garden. “Bouteloua Gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition.’” Bouteloua gracilis “blonde ambition” - plant finder. Accessed September 30, 2023. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e989.

Missouri Botanical Garden. “Schizachyrium Scoparium ‘The Blues.’” Schizachyrium scoparium “the blues” - plant finder. Accessed September 30, 2023. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=w540.

N.C. State Extension. “Sorghastrum Nutans.” Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass, Yellow Indiangrass) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed September 30, 2023. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sorghastrum-nutans/.

See all our Grasses