Monday, November 2, 2009

Native grasses: Little Bluestem

Our native grasses really don't get the attention they deserve. Little Bluestem and Indian grass are two of my favorites. They do reseed (that's what plants do), but they're beautiful, and support native insects and other wildlife.

Much nicer than the Miscanthus sinensis that's become invasive all over the Southeast, due to its excellent colonizing abilities (we saw this in its native habitat, in Northern Vietnam, spreading down a disturbed hillside).

Here's a lovely Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium) in a greenway planting near the The Botanical Gardens at Asheville, a gem of a native plant garden now over 50 years old.