Grasses - Earth Tones Native Plant Nursery

Grasses

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Botanical Name	Common Name	Description
Acorus americanus	Sweet Flag	A lovely aquatic possessing a flower like a tiny cattail. Sweetly spicy leaves were used medicinally throughout the northeast. This sword-shaped grass is 24 to 36 inches tall and is found in pond edges and wet soils. Full sun to part sun.
Andropogon gerardii	Big Bluestem	One of our favorite tall grasses, it lives up to its name. Very important to prairies. One of the highest quality forages of native grasses, and the birds love the seeds. Grows in a diverse set of conditions, and gets up to 5 to 8 feet tall in a sunny location. In late August the seed heads produced resemble turkey feet. After the first frost the stems darken to a wonderful burgundy.
Carex crinita	Fringed Sedge	The graceful drape of the seed heads, which come out in early spring, make this one of our favorite sedges. Native to bottomland prairies, moist upland prairies, margins of bodies of water, spring branches, and fens. Clump-forming. Moist to wet soil, sun to partial shade, 1 to 3 feet tall.
Carex laxiculmis	Spreading Sedge	A cute little sedge which does well in the shade. Great to plant along paths or at the edges of beds. Grows to 6 to 12 inches and prefers sun to part sun.
Carex lurida	Lurid Sedge	Named for its vivid color, this sedge makes a dramatic statement. Numerous, spiky seed head come out in June and persist through the summer. Only 6 to 10 inches tall, this makes a striking addition to low beds and borders. Sun to part sun and wet to dry soils.
Carex pennsylvanica	Pennsylvania Sedge	Our go-to plant for dry shade. A small, sturdy sedge that can practically be walked on. Likes sun to shade and average to dry soil.
Carex stricta	Tussock Sedge	A sedge that forms a wooly tussock made up of thin-leaved foliage. This tussock provides great habitat for amphibians, as well as a place for other plants to incubate. 1 to 2 feet tall. Grows best in sun to shade, with average to flooded soil.
Carex vulpinoidea	Fox Sedge	A sedge distinguished by the golden-yellow, spiky seed head that come out in mid-summer. Place in the middle of your bed for a great effect. 1 to 3 feet tall. Likes full sun and average to wet soil.
Chasmanthimum latifolium	Northern Sea-oats	A native beauty! The blue-green foliage and large, flattened seed heads of this grass make it extremely popular with gardeners and landscapers. Seed heads darken to bronze in fall. Makes a nice dried arrangement, as well. 3 to 5 feet tall, and likes sun to part shade and average to wet soil.
Eleocharis palustris	Spike Rush	One of our favorites for garden drama. Leave room for this spiky ball of foliage. An aquatic plant that adapts well to average soil. The leaves of this plant are slender tubes that grows 6 to 18 inches tall. They are found in ponds swamps and marshes. A single flower cluster on top of stems. Full sun and average to flooded soil.
Eriophorum virginicum	Cotton Grass	If you have the dry, well drained, acidic soil and sun this grass craves it is an absolute must. It blooms with an actual cotton ball. The long, fluffy guard hairs of the seed clump together to form an actual cotton ball. This remains all winter long, and makes your bog or garden look quite fetching in the snow. One to two feet tall.
Juncus effusus	Soft Rush	Loads of tiny, cottony seed heads make this rush beautiful in late summer and fall. Can fill in a large area quickly, especially in wet conditions. Leaves of this plant are slender tubes that grow 1 to 5 feet tall. Dark green. They are found in ponds swamps and marshes, and like average to wet soil. Sun to part sun.
Juncus tenuis	Path Rush	A tough, little plant, 8 inches tall, that can be walked on. Grows in the cracks of well-trodden paths. Place it next to high traffic areas in the shade. Sun or shade. Spreads by rhizomes and will self seed. Can tolerate very dry soil.
Panicum lanuginosum	Wooly Panic Grass	A short and sweet panic grass growing happily in our upland woods. Big seed heads come out in June. Grows to only 6 to 12 inches. Loves full sun to light shade, and can handle average to dry soil.
Panicum virgatum	Switch Grass	A tall, gorgeous grass with a reddish tinge to the airy cloud of seeds. A native substitute for invasive fountain grass. Gets more than 6 feet tall. Sun to part sun, and average to dry soils.
Schizachyrium scoparium	Little Bluestem	An iconic American grass. Goes from having a bluish cast in spring and summer to bright reds and golds in the fall. Looks fantastic as a mass planting. Native, warm season grass for poor, dry soils. Does best in full sun. Grows 2 to 3 feet tall. Likes well drained soils.
Scirpus atrovirens	Black Bulrush	The distinctive seeds heads of this bulrush cluster in mahogany-colored groups. Can deal with many types of soil, including clay, gravel, sand, or rich organic matter. Dark flowering clusters. Found in wetlands, moist meadows, and bogs. Some of the stems will rise up to 4 feet. Full to partial sun, average to wet soils.
Scirpus cyperinus	Wool Grass	Large, fleecy seed heads in late spring add interest even in standing water. Makes a great specimen plant with other contrasting grasses. A tall sedge, up to 6 feet tall with terminal flowers drooping. Stem is slightly triangular. Found in marshes, wet meadows and swamps, likes average to flooded soil. Sun to part shade.
Scirpus microcarpus var rubrotinctus	Panicled Bulrush	A bulrush with a large, attractive, red-tinged seed head. Wildlife loves the seeds. The stiff leaves can reach 3 feet tall. Can tolerate sun to part shade, and average to wet soil.
Sorgastrum nutans	Indian Grass	Another important grass for prairie environments. A good species for foliage, sending up 3 to 5 foot tall, red-tinged clumps. The crowning glory is the large seed heads that come out in late summer, and turn a bright bronze in autumn. Full sun and moist to dry soil.
Sparganium americanum	Bur-reed	This bur-reed is found on muddy shores, ponds, and shallow waters. The flowers are ball-shaped heads that are arranged on a twisted stalk. Leaves are very narrow, grass-like blades that grow to between 6 and 10 feet. Likes full sun. Blooms in summer.
Spartina pectinata	Prairie Cordgrass	This large, 3 to 5 feet, grass can found all along the coastal saltmarshes and fresh and brackish rivers on both coasts of North America. Likes sun, and can grow in conditions wet to dry.
Sporobolus heterolepis	Northern Dropseed	A grass hardy to the northern parts of Canada, with giant puffs of seeds held together by hair-thin stalks. Gives a wonderful, airy quality to sunny plantings. Native to dry, rocky sites in well drained, upland soils. Full sun to part sun, average to dry soil. Grows 2 to 3 feet tall. Turns glowing orange in fall.
Typha angustifolia	Narrow-Leaved Cattail	An old wetland friend. The familiar chocolate brown cattails are attractive in the moister corners of your garden and in up to one foot of standing water. Sun to part sun, and average to flooded soil. Grows up to 8 feet.

Botanical Name

Common Name

Description

Acorus americanus

Sweet Flag

A lovely aquatic possessing a flower like a tiny cattail. Sweetly spicy leaves were used medicinally throughout the northeast. This sword-shaped grass is 24 to 36 inches tall and is found in pond edges and wet soils. Full sun to part sun.

Andropogon gerardii

Big Bluestem

One of our favorite tall grasses, it lives up to its name. Very important to prairies. One of the highest quality forages of native grasses, and the birds love the seeds. Grows in a diverse set of conditions, and gets up to 5 to 8 feet tall in a sunny location. In late August the seed heads produced resemble turkey feet. After the first frost the stems darken to a wonderful burgundy.

Carex crinita

Fringed Sedge

The graceful drape of the seed heads, which come out in early spring, make this one of our favorite sedges. Native to bottomland prairies, moist upland prairies, margins of bodies of water, spring branches, and fens. Clump-forming. Moist to wet soil, sun to partial shade, 1 to 3 feet tall.

Carex laxiculmis

Spreading Sedge

A cute little sedge which does well in the shade. Great to plant along paths or at the edges of beds. Grows to 6 to 12 inches and prefers sun to part sun.

Carex lurida

Lurid Sedge

Named for its vivid color, this sedge makes a dramatic statement. Numerous, spiky seed head come out in June and persist through the summer. Only 6 to 10 inches tall, this makes a striking addition to low beds and borders. Sun to part sun and wet to dry soils.

Carex pennsylvanica

Pennsylvania Sedge

Our go-to plant for dry shade. A small, sturdy sedge that can practically be walked on. Likes sun to shade and average to dry soil.

Carex stricta

Tussock Sedge

A sedge that forms a wooly tussock made up of thin-leaved foliage. This tussock provides great habitat for amphibians, as well as a place for other plants to incubate. 1 to 2 feet tall. Grows best in sun to shade, with average to flooded soil.

Carex vulpinoidea

Fox Sedge

A sedge distinguished by the golden-yellow, spiky seed head that come out in mid-summer. Place in the middle of your bed for a great effect. 1 to 3 feet tall. Likes full sun and average to wet soil.

Chasmanthimum latifolium

Northern Sea-oats

A native beauty! The blue-green foliage and large, flattened seed heads of this grass make it extremely popular with gardeners and landscapers. Seed heads darken to bronze in fall. Makes a nice dried arrangement, as well. 3 to 5 feet tall, and likes sun to part shade and average to wet soil.

Eleocharis palustris

Spike Rush

One of our favorites for garden drama. Leave room for this spiky ball of foliage. An aquatic plant that adapts well to average soil. The leaves of this plant are slender tubes that grows 6 to 18 inches tall. They are found in ponds swamps and marshes. A single flower cluster on top of stems. Full sun and average to flooded soil.

Eriophorum virginicum

Cotton Grass

If you have the dry, well drained, acidic soil and sun this grass craves it is an absolute must. It blooms with an actual cotton ball. The long, fluffy guard hairs of the seed clump together to form an actual cotton ball. This remains all winter long, and makes your bog or garden look quite fetching in the snow. One to two feet tall.

Juncus effusus

Soft Rush

Loads of tiny, cottony seed heads make this rush beautiful in late summer and fall. Can fill in a large area quickly, especially in wet conditions. Leaves of this plant are slender tubes that grow 1 to 5 feet tall. Dark green. They are found in ponds swamps and marshes, and like average to wet soil. Sun to part sun.

Juncus tenuis

Path Rush

A tough, little plant, 8 inches tall, that can be walked on. Grows in the cracks of well-trodden paths. Place it next to high traffic areas in the shade. Sun or shade. Spreads by rhizomes and will self seed. Can tolerate very dry soil.

Panicum lanuginosum

Wooly Panic Grass

A short and sweet panic grass growing happily in our upland woods. Big seed heads come out in June. Grows to only 6 to 12 inches. Loves full sun to light shade, and can handle average to dry soil.

Panicum virgatum

Switch Grass

A tall, gorgeous grass with a reddish tinge to the airy cloud of seeds. A native substitute for invasive fountain grass. Gets more than 6 feet tall. Sun to part sun, and average to dry soils.

Schizachyrium scoparium

Little Bluestem

An iconic American grass. Goes from having a bluish cast in spring and summer to bright reds and golds in the fall. Looks fantastic as a mass planting. Native, warm season grass for poor, dry soils. Does best in full sun. Grows 2 to 3 feet tall. Likes well drained soils.

Scirpus atrovirens

Black Bulrush

The distinctive seeds heads of this bulrush cluster in mahogany-colored groups. Can deal with many types of soil, including clay, gravel, sand, or rich organic matter. Dark flowering clusters. Found in wetlands, moist meadows, and bogs. Some of the stems will rise up to 4 feet. Full to partial sun, average to wet soils.

Scirpus cyperinus

Wool Grass

Large, fleecy seed heads in late spring add interest even in standing water. Makes a great specimen plant with other contrasting grasses. A tall sedge, up to 6 feet tall with terminal flowers drooping. Stem is slightly triangular. Found in marshes, wet meadows and swamps, likes average to flooded soil. Sun to part shade.

Scirpus microcarpus var rubrotinctus

Panicled Bulrush

A bulrush with a large, attractive, red-tinged seed head. Wildlife loves the seeds. The stiff leaves can reach 3 feet tall. Can tolerate sun to part shade, and average to wet soil.

Sorgastrum nutans

Indian Grass

Another important grass for prairie environments. A good species for foliage, sending up 3 to 5 foot tall, red-tinged clumps. The crowning glory is the large seed heads that come out in late summer, and turn a bright bronze in autumn. Full sun and moist to dry soil.

Sparganium americanum

Bur-reed

This bur-reed is found on muddy shores, ponds, and shallow waters. The flowers are ball-shaped heads that are arranged on a twisted stalk. Leaves are very narrow, grass-like blades that grow to between 6 and 10 feet. Likes full sun. Blooms in summer.

Spartina pectinata

Prairie Cordgrass

This large, 3 to 5 feet, grass can found all along the coastal saltmarshes and fresh and brackish rivers on both coasts of North America. Likes sun, and can grow in conditions wet to dry.

Sporobolus heterolepis

Northern Dropseed

A grass hardy to the northern parts of Canada, with giant puffs of seeds held together by hair-thin stalks. Gives a wonderful, airy quality to sunny plantings. Native to dry, rocky sites in well drained, upland soils. Full sun to part sun, average to dry soil. Grows 2 to 3 feet tall. Turns glowing orange in fall.

Typha angustifolia

Narrow-Leaved Cattail

An old wetland friend. The familiar chocolate brown cattails are attractive in the moister corners of your garden and in up to one foot of standing water. Sun to part sun, and average to flooded soil. Grows up to 8 feet.

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