Growing Prairie Dropseed Sporobolus heterolepsis

Add texture and elegance to any garden or border with the North American native prairie dropseed.

Hardy in zones 3 to 8 this fine textured grass forms a mound of emerald green.  The plant grows 2 to 4 feet tall and turns a nice orange in fall.

The silvery flowers of prairie dropseed appear in late summer and early fall and smell like burnt or buttered popcorn or some say Juicy Fruit gum. The dainty flower turns to round seedpods and persists through winter. When covered in ice they glisten like gems in the garden.

Plant them 18 to 24 inches apart to form a border or plant irregularly throughout a garden to use as a weaver and unify a planting.

Grow prairie dropseed in full sun with well-drained soil for best results. This beauty is resistant to deer, drought, black walnut and air pollution.

A bit more information:  Prairie dropseed is as at home in formal as natural landscapes. Combine it with threadleaf coreopsis or sun loving coleus for a more cultivated look or plant with other natives plants like hyssop, rattlesnake master, coneflower and wild quinine.

Tags

flowers-ornamental-grasses coleus agastache threadleaf-coreopsis purple-coneflower prairie-dropseed rattlesnake-master

Related

Audio

Rattlesnake Master

Video

Native Flowers for any Garden