Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) 3-pack of pots
Can’t be shipped.
The most ornamental of all prairie grasses, Prairie Dropseed forms dense clumps to create a mound of fine-textured leaves. The seed heads are airy and blow gracefully in the wind. The leaves mat down in the winter, providing natural mulch year after year. The seeds of Prairie Dropseed give off a spicy aroma that provides another sensory experience in gardens.
Why do we love Prairie Dropseed so much? Prairie Dropseed stays in clumps and doesn’t spread. It starts off slow, but in about 3 years, the clumps grow to about 1ft circles. The leaves are thin and remind us of the yard grasses we grew up with. It doesn’t spread by seed or by roots, which is unusual for a grass. During the first few years it produces a lot of seed heads which spread out gracefully above the plant, not dominating the upper canopy of a garden, but adding to it. After 4 or 5 years, it nearly stops producing seed heads and instead keeps it’s short clump form the entire year. We kind of miss the seed heads, but we still appreciate the short dome of fine grass leaves.
Also available in 12-packs of plugs here
Details
Perennial
Sun: Full Sun, Part Shade
Moisture: Dry, Medium
Height: 3 feet
Blooms: Aug, Sept
Color: Gold
Spacing: 18″
Spreads: Doesn’t spread much
Zones: 3-8
Benefits: Ornamental Grass, Birds, Deer Resistant
Design Tips
Prairie Dropseed looks incredible when planted as a groundcover, with clumps between 8-14″ away from each other, or scattered throughout a garden. The fine, mounding leaves of Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) create a mat around the plant in the winter, creating an annual supply of natural mulch that reduces weed germination and growth.
Great native plant choice for the Minnesota Lawns to Legumes grant program!
Companion Plants
Bradbury’s Monarda
Pale Purple Coneflower
Butterfly Milkweed
Prairie Phlox
Purple Prairie Clover
