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Native Prairie Grasses
We always have a great selection of our Tough and Beautiful, native prairie grasses. The warm season grasses are very long lived, returning from the roots year after year. They are not invasive. They are part of the Mixed Grass and Tall Grass Prairie that once covered much of southern Manitoba and exist only in remnants now. Cool season grasses green up early and produce seed heads in June. Warm season grasses start growing in June and are lush and green all summer. They head out in late July and are at their peak in August and September. These grasses have very deep roots, some up to 6 feet, which makes them very drought tolerant. Some grasses also grow well in occasionally wet or always wet conditions. When planting a prairie meadow it is best to include a mix of both cool and warm season grasses for early and late season cover and interest. Deer generally do not bother the grasses.
· AWNED WHEATGRASS · BEBB'S SEDGE · BIG BLUESTEM · BLUE GRAMA · CANADA WILD RYE · GIANT WILD RYE · GREEN NEEDLE GRASS · SORGHASTRUM · JUNE GRASS · LITTLE BLUESTEM · MARSH REED GRASS · PRAIRIE DROPSEED · PURPLE OAT GRASS · SHEEP FESCUE · SIDE OATS GRAMA · SWEETGRASS · SWITCHGRASS ·TALL MANNA GRASS · TUFTED HAIRGRASS ·
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AWNED WHEATGRASS Agropyron subsecundum Description: This clump grass provides early cover for later warm season grasses like Big Bluestem and Sorghastrum - The main cool season grass in Tall Grass Prairie - Reseeds easily.
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BIG BLUESTEM Andropogon gerardi Description: Tall, eyecatching grass with seedheads like a "Turkey Foot" - Beautiful, rusty fall colour - THE grass of the Tall Grass Prairie. Grows in almost any soil, from wet clay to dry sand.
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SIDE OATS GRAMA Bouteloua curtipendula Description: Distinctive seedheads with tiny, bright orange flowers and seeds on one side of the stalk - A beautiful, clump grass to go with other low flowers and grasses. You can have fun with your garden! How about planting a Garden of Smiles?
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BLUE GRAMA Bouteloua gracilis Description: Drought tolerant, clump grass - Seedheads look like little toothbrushes hanging in the air - Best is sandy soil - Not for clay - Good with June grass and other low flowers.
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BEBB'S SEDGE Carex bebbii Description: A great groundcover for wet meadows - Attractive grass-like clumps - Good for shoreline erosion control - Produces lots of seed for wildlife. Reseeds easily.
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MARSH REED GRASS Calamagrostis canadensis Description: For shorelines and wet meadows - Attractive grass spreads by roots and is great for erosion control - Also called Canada Bluejoint - Shelter for birds. Reseeds easily.
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TUFTED HAIRGRASS Deschampsia caespitosa Description: Clumps of rich green foliage in spring are followed by graceful, fine textured panicles of seed - Reseeds easily.
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CANADA WILD RYE Elymus canadensis Description: Fast growing, clump grass - Attractive, curving seedheads - Wide blue-green leaves - Lives 4 or 5 years - Reseeds very easily on bare soil.
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GIANT WILD RYE Elymus cinereus Description: This clump grass lives 5 - 6 years - Reseeds easily on bare soil - Seedheads are eyecatching, erect white spikes 10-25 cm long.
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SHEEP FESCUE Festuca ovina saximontana Description: Mixes well with Grama grasses and Little Bluestem for early season cover - Drought tolerant, clump grass - Seedheads have a reddish tinge in late June. Reseeds.
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SWEETGRASS Hierochloe odorata Description: A sacred herb (Weengush) that is widely used by many First Nations people. The sweet smelling braids are burned as an incense in Sweetgrass Ceremonies for cleansing, purification & healing. Ceremonial smudging brings positive energies of love & removes negative forces. It cleanses the body, mind and spirit. Sweetgrass is also used for medicinal tea. It is native to North America & northern Europe. It gets its distinctive scent from coumarin, an anticoagulant. Spreads rapidly by the roots in moist to wet areas.
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JUNE GRASS Koeleria macrantha Description: Showy, white seedheads in June - Drought tolerant - This clump grass is best with wildflowers and grasses in sandy to loam soil - Short lived in clay - Reseeds.
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SWITCHGRASS Panicum virgatum Description: Looks great in masses with lacey seedheads blowing in the breeze - Host for Skippers - seed for birds – Golden foliage in fall. Grows in any soil from sand to wet clay.
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PURPLE OAT GRASS Schizachne purpurascens Description: A handsome, clump grass with attractive drooping seedheads - Host for Northern Pearly Eye butterfly - Reseeds.
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LITTLE BLUESTEM Schizachyrium scoparium Description: Excellent, medium height grass for landscaping - At peak in August/September with fluffy white seeds and orange-red foliage - Host for Skippers.
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SORGHASTRUM Sorghastrum nutans Description: Silky, golden seedheads with bronze coloured leaves in fall - Excellent as an accent or in prairies - Host for Skippers - Fresh and dry bouquets. Grows in any well drained soil from sand to clay. Also known as Indian Grass.
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PRAIRIE DROPSEED Sporobolus heterolepis Description: Elegant, ornamental grass with fragrant, silvery seedheads - Fine textured leaves turn golden orange in fall - Seed for birds. Grows in any soil from sand to clay.
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GREEN NEEDLE GRASS Nassella viridula Description: Fine textured, clump grass with long feathery seedheads - Does not tolerate wet or poorly drained soils.
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TALL MANNA GRASS Glyceria grandis Description: A showy panicle of seeds tops this tall grass. It is great for moist to wet areas such as lakeshores, creeks, ditches, marshes and edges of wetlands. Spreading roots are good for erosion control.
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Prairie Originals - Native Prairie Plants and Seeds
27 Bunns Rd., Box 25, Grp. 310, RR 3, Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada R1A 2A8
Phone 204-785-9799 Email