In winter, grasses provide interest, with persistent seed heads, and by providing motion in an otherwise still landscape. Beyond the aesthetic value to the landscape, grasses serve a more vital purpose; primarily, they serve as habitat for many songbirds, game birds, butterfly larvae, and mammals.
The following are native warm-season grasses with good winter interest.
• Switchgrass. (Panicum virgatum). Clump-forming. Full sun. Height 3-5’. Medium-dry soil. Cultivars: ‘Shenandoah’, red switchgrass. Flowers red-pink in June, turns beige in winter. Persistent seed heads. Provides food and/or shelter for pheasants, quail, turkeys, doves, songbirds, and rabbits. ‘Cloud Nine’, ‘Heavy Metal’, and ‘Prairie Sky’ are all blue switchgrasses.
• Big bluestem. (Andropogon gerardii). Clump-forming. Full-sun or partial shade. Height 5-7’. Prefers moist soil but is adaptable. Provides shelter for nesting birds and insects, and food for songbirds and deer. Summer color: blue-green. Purple-shaded flowers resembling a turkey-foot appear July-October. Fall and winter color: orange to copper red. Cultivar: ‘Bison’ is adapted for northern climates. Best use: prairie gardens or wildflower meadows; as a backdrop for native plantings; or erosion control. Note: this is a rhizomatous grass that can become weedy if not controlled. It is also deep-rooting.
• Little bluestem. (Schizachyrium scoparium). Clump-forming. Full sun. Height 2-4’. Medium to dry soil. Provides food for songbirds and some game birds, and shelter for small mammals and ground birds. Summer color: blue tinge. Purple-bronze flowers in August. Fall color: foliage turns bronze-orange. Winter: persistent silver-white seed heads.
• Indiangrass. (Sorghastrum nutans). Clump-forming. Full sun. Height 4-6’. Moist to dry soils. Provides food for deer. Flowers copper-red in August. Fall: foliage turns orange to golden-brown. Winter: persistent plume-like seed heads.
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Information reprinted in part from "Native Grasses provide fall interest, winter color, and wildlife food and shelter" by Karen Layton, Penn State Master Gardener
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